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Just Another Day

I woke up this morning and the sun was shining, the birds were singing, it was just another day. I got up and looked out the window and saw the neighbor's kids standing at the corner waiting for the school bus and the everyday hustle and bustle. People were going to work and an older couple were out for their morning stroll. People were jogging in the park in the cool of morning. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was just another day.

I dressed and went downstairs just in time to see my son and daughter out the door as they were running to make the school bus. Going into the kitchen I kissed my wife good morning and grabbed a cup of coffee. I sat down to read the newspaper and talked with my wife about how the kids were doing in school and plans for our upcoming holiday. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was just another day.

I looked up at the clock and realized it was time to leave for work so I grabbed my briefcase and coat, gave my wife a hug and a kiss, told her I loved her, and that I would see her tonight. I took my normal route to work, stopping as usual at our local convenience store for my second cup of coffee. As I passed the pay phone I noticed there was a religious tract lying next to the phone. On the cover it said “You Must Be Born Again to Enter the Kingdom of God!” Those kinds of things, as usual, made me feel very uncomfortable so I quickly shook it off and went inside and got my cup of coffee. I proceeded to the check out counter where I greeted the usual morning cashier, told him to have a great day and see you tomorrow. I jumped in the car and headed off to work Nothing out of the ordinary. It was just another day.

On the way to work I listened to the news, as I always do, and as usual there was nothing but misery and tragedy. One of the stories particularly struck a chord with me. A man about the same age as me in the next town had been killed by a drunk driver on his way to pick up his daughter from volleyball practice. I thought about how horrible it must be for his family to go through that. By this time, I was arriving at work. I greeted my co-workers and sat down at my desk to start another day. But as the day went on I couldn't help thinking about that tragic family and the man's untimely death.

Now it was 12:30 and time for lunch. Thursday was the day all the guys from the office walked to lunch at our usual local sports bar. We all had a beer with lunch and talked about the cute girls at work and swapped other tall tales. Before we knew it, it was time to go back to work. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was just another day.

As we were walking back to work I saw the man who was always standing at the street corner passing out tracts and telling people about Jesus. As I neared him he suddenly turned and fixed his eyes on me. He started towards me and I just knew he was going to preach at me. I tried to skate by him without making contact but as I tried he said, “Excuse me, sir. I don't want to be rude or forceful but I must tell you about Jesus, my Lord, and how He died as an atonement for your sins. The Bible says that 'God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son to die for us, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.'”(1)

As he went on I began to feel a pounding in my chest and I was very uncomfortable. I just wanted to run away. I blurted out, “I'm a good guy, a good dad, I love my wife and children, I pay my bills and try to live a good life! Anyway, if your God is such a loving God as you say, I don't believe he would send anybody to Hell.” Then he explained to me that “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”(2) and if I died tonight without accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior there would be only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire in Hell. At that point I shrugged him off.

When I got back to work one of my friends asked me what that was all about. “Just the Jesus freak we always see on that street, passing out religious stuff and trying to push all that Jesus stuff on me. You know how crazy these fanatics are.” He replied, “Yah! My sister's husband is a preacher at one of those holy roller churches and he's always telling me I need to get saved.” I said to him, “That's a crock.”

I went back to work because there were some accounts I needed to finish so I would get my quarterly bonus. I finished a little bit late so I called my wife to let her know and that I would soon be on my way. She told me to be careful driving as traffic was pretty heavy. I assured her I would be careful and that I couldn't wait to see her and the kids. I wrapped everything up and told my co-workers I would see them all tomorrow, grabbed my stuff and left for home. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was just another day.

As I started for home I couldn't help thinking about the man killed in that car accident and I remembered what the preacher guy told me about each man having a time to die and then the judgment. I got very angry and thought, “What kind of horrible god would rob that family of their father?”

At that very moment I heard a loud screech of tires. I looked up just in time to see that my traffic light had already turned to red. There was a large crash and everything went black. I was filled with searing pain and I could hear horrible screaming. Then, I realized it was me! I felt a multitude of things ripping at my flesh and I was being torn apart. I could feel things crawling all over me and pain that was beyond unbearable. I was being dragged away. I knew I wasn't alone but I couldn't understand what was happening to me or who was with me. In between the pain and screams I could hear mutterings of unspeakable things.

I realized then that I was dead and in Hell. Unbearably, one by one, I could recall all the times someone had said, “God bless you,” and I had sneered at them. I could remember distinctly every time I had flipped through the TV channels and saw a preacher talking about Jesus. Through the pain and agony I remembered the eyes of the preacher man on the street today but now I saw Jesus, whose eyes burned with fire. I knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that I had refused the free gift of salvation and I was now without any hope and doomed to spend eternity in Hell.

Why, oh why, didn't I listen when I had the chance?

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”(3) For you it could be today! It's too late for the man in this story but it doesn't have to be so for you. This is one of those times when Jesus is offering you the free gift of salvation. Don't let it go by without accepting Jesus as your Savior – because you just never know. This may be your last chance.

God's arms are open wide and waiting for you! This is what He is saying to you right now: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.(4) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.(5) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.(6) As it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.”(7)

If you haven't accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please know that the blessings and assurances of salvation are promised to us by our Heavenly Father. If you are ready to openly confess and renounce your evil ways, God promises you forgiveness of sins. The sinner's prayer must come from your heart and I hope this will help you to invite Jesus into yours. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(8) This prayer is here only as a guide - pour out your heart to God in your own words.

"Heavenly Father, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe in you and that your word is true. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he died on the cross so that I may now have forgiveness for my sins and have eternal life. I know that without you in my heart my life is meaningless. I believe in my heart that you, Lord God, raised Jesus from the dead. Please Jesus forgive me for every sin I have ever committed or done in my heart. Please, Lord Jesus, forgive me and come into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior today. I need you to be my Father and my friend. I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on; I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ." Amen.

Read more about God's Promises to Love and Protect those who love Him..

Scripture References:
(1) John 3:16; (2) Hebrews 9:27; (3) Hebrews 9:27; (4) Romans 3:23; (5) Romans 6:23;
(6) Romans 5:8; (7) 1 Corinthians 2:9-10; (8) Romans 10:13

Provided by:
Into the Light Ministries
www.intothelight.org

 
Everyone must die sometime.
"...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment..." Hebrews 9:27

 
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