I read chapter five of John’s gospel this morning and some good news and some bad news caught my attention:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life . . . Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:24, 28,29)
Here
is the good news: Everyone will live forever. God said it and we should believe
it. And that should settle it. Everyone will live forever. That’s the
good news.
And here is the bad news: Everyone will live forever. God said it and we should
believe it. And that should settle it. Everyone will live forever.
That’s the bad news.
What we do with Jesus in this life determines where we will live our forever;
either in an eternity with our God and Father, or in an eternity in torment in
the lake of fire.
Jesus asked some of His day, “How can you believe in Me when you are more
interested in what others think about you than you are concerned about what God
thinks of you.” I think that is a fair
paraphrase of chapter 5 and verse 44.
And so, what have you done about Jesus?
Are you striving to follow Him in obedience to His commandments? Or have you dismissed
Him as unimportant to your life and your affairs?
Your time is running out. Every day
brings you one day closer to the judgement seat of God – where good news, or
bad news, awaits you.
And it can happen in an instant. Without warning.
1 comment:
A good and sobering reminder of an important truth.
Since beginning my journey into Catholicism, I have noticed that my thoughts turn to eternity, judgment, purgatory, etc. MUCH more than they ever did when I was a Protestant. I am grateful for this, too, seeing it as a measure of grace provided to me by Christ.
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