Life often has been described as
a journey, and it’s indeed an endless journey that begins here on earth and
continues forever. That means everyone born into this world has an immortal
soul – a soul not capable of dying, living forever.
Although death is the termination
of life here on earth, the human life actually goes beyond the mortal
existence; it continues hereafter and exists forever. In other words, we will
all outlive the planet. We will spend eternity in one of two places though –
heaven or hell. The question is, where will you spend eternity?
Have you ever pondered on that? You need to accept Jesus as your Saviour and Lord, if you want to have a blissful eternity in heaven; otherwise, you will end up in hell.
As a Christian parent, you also
need to give a deep thought to where your children will spend eternity. You
have probably listened to many sermons on eternity, but have you taken
deliberate steps to prepare your children for eternity in heaven? Or are you
caught up in the rat race here and neglecting your sacred responsibility of
getting your children ready for the hereafter?
You need to awake to the reality
of life after death. Heaven and hell are no myths. The Bible tells us that
heaven is the abode of God, and only righteous and holy people will dwell there
with Him forever. It is a place of rest from all earthly toils, but sinners and
backsliders won’t get there (John 14:1-4; Revelation 21:1-27). Living there
with the Almighty God for all eternity is a sheer bliss!
Hell, on the other hand, is a
place of everlasting punishment where sinners – those who don’t have their
names in the Book of Life – will suffer torment forever. It was prepared
originally for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41), but God has decreed
that those who forget Him and reject Christ will also be cast there because of
their sins and neglect of His salvation (Psalm 9:17; Luke 12:4,5; 16:19-31;
Revelation 14:10,11; 20:12-15).
And don’t be naïve about God’s
judgment. Contrary to some erroneous beliefs, only born-again and sanctified
Christians will spend eternity in heaven, not religious or “good”, “moral”
people. Also, there is a great gulf fixed between heaven and hell, so that no
person can cross from hell to heaven and vice versa.
There is nothing like purgatory
in God’s Word (Luke 16:19-26). Besides, not only adults will face judgment. All
those who sin against God: young children, youths, adults, “small and great (will) stand before God” in judgment and forever
be punished for their sins in the Lake of Fire (Ecclesiastes 11:9; Revelation
20:12-15).
So be wise! Prepare yourself and
your children for a blissful life in heaven, by being born-again yourself,
leading the children to salvation in Christ and raising them in the way of the
Lord. Guide them to live by the Word of God. Train your adolescents to manage
peer pressure and lead a life of holiness, obedience, responsibility and
service to God.
Make them live with eternity in
view through your exhortations and godly examples. When, through your instructions
and exemplary lifestyle, you groom your children properly and make them ready
for hereafter, they will grow up to become responsible adults, and lead godly
lives (Proverbs 22:6). And whether they die young – God forbids they die
prematurely – or in a ripe old age, they will live in heaven with you forever.
THE TRUTH MEDIA
...building the body of Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We hope you were blessed by what you read. Your kind comments motivate us, and please help to encourage someone by sharing.
From your friends at The Truth Media Blog. God bless you!