Are You Preparing?
Many are being deceived, as much is being written, spoken, and taught regarding the eternal destination of the soul. Unfortunately, much of this is based on “feelings” rather than on God’s Holy Word. Rare are the religious folks that will “properly” point out that God “set the standard” in His Word for those who will spend eternity with Him in Heaven after the destruction of this planet and the judgment occurs.
In James 2:18-19, in the discourse on faith verses works, we find that the devils seem to have more sense than many who now live on earth because they “tremble”. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. These “devils” know where they are to spend eternity. They tremble because they know God has dictated the unchanging terms for entrance to Heaven, and they did not meet these terms.
It is also, only in this life, in which one can make changes in their lives, so they can “make it to Heaven”. Below is a poem, written by my wife’s father, O. D. Wilson, around 1970. This poem is about a real person whose name has been withheld. The purpose of the poem was to bring attention to the fact that preparation must be made before it is too late. It is abundantly clear that the Luke 16:19-31 narrative about departure from life indicates, as soon as one dies, they will be aware of their eternal destination.
We will all spend eternity in one of two places. One is a place of peace (all want to go there), the other is a place of torment. None want to go to the latter. If you don’t make the preparation now, the place where your soul will abide forever, is not a place one desires to go. You can’t live life “as you wish” and then appeal to the mercy of God to change the outcome of a wasted life. Galatians 6:7 is referenced in the poem. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
All Dressed Up And No Place To Go
To introduce myself, I’m “Mr. G.”,
The next lines that follow, are all about me.
For the 81 years God’s let me live,
Not a thing in return to Him did I give.
I made a few friends, put some money in the bank,
Entertained myself with the beer that I drank.
For truth and right, I never made a search,
I doubted the Preachers and laughed at the church.
The example I set led my children astray,
And they’re following me on the downward way.
But my Mom was a Christian, and I’ve seen her cry,
As she pleaded with me to get ready to die.
Yes, time’s running out for me I know,
Just a few more days, and I’ll have to go.
When you walk by my casket, look down in my face,
You’ll be seeing a man who rejected God’s Grace.
When you see my hands folded upon my chest,
No doubt you’ll believe, I have gone to “rest”.
But my hands worked for me, and not for the Lord,
And my selfish gain is my only reward.
The hairs on my head, though silvery gray,
Do not reflect honor; I lived my own way.
My lips, still in death, were used to profane,
Instead of revering my Maker’s Name.
There’s a verse in the Bible I used to know,
“Be not deceived, you’ll reap what you sow.”
For me my friend, it will then be too late,
I’ll have missed my last chance for the pearly gate.
The beautiful clothes you will see me wear,
Will be carefully selected and arranged with care.
But, they won’t men a thing, to me, I know,
I’ll be all dressed up, and no place to go.
O.D. Wilson - deceased
Don’t wait until it is too late to think about where you’ll spend eternity. If you are honest, you will contemplate your soul’s true condition and begin to make the needed changes now. We can help guide you through the Word of God and show what God says to do, and how to do it. Don’t “gamble” with your soul. That loss cannot be recouped, as time for you, ends when you die. Time has no effect on eternity, as when eternity begins, time itself will be no more. You must act now before it is too late.
Dennis Strickland – Mooresville church of Christ
