when you die....

my best friend's mother passed away this week. the funeral was yesterday. i don't reflect much on death. it is a fact of life, and i like to think that i am looking forward to it, as i believe i am Saved by the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary and that because of that, even though i will leave my physical, ailed body, my soul and new body will live eternally with Christ and all other believers. to me that is very comforting. to Gail it was comforting to know that her mother loved God and gave her heart completely to Jesus, and was now with Him. but what if someone you love dies and you don't know where they are going? what if your husband dies and you seriously don't know? or your teenage child that tells you he does not believe in God/Heaven or Satan/Hell? is it a phase or does he really not believe? what if YOU die and you had a false sense of security? what if you half heartedly answered an alter call 20, 30 or 40 years ago under pressure at a church camp when you were young, and did not give it a second thought after that? what if you sit in church week after week and as soon as you leave you just fall back into your routine until next Sunday when you get to feel good about yourself again? you lie, have wild drinking parties, cheat on your wife/husband, swear, destroy people in fits of anger or with your mouth, you break "little laws", make excuses for bad behaviour, and then on Sunday you console yourself again when you put your money into the offering basket. all ok, now! you leave church, and there you go again. first person that does ANYTHING even mildly annoying to YOU - and you are off like a rocket. as the week goes on, you don't give another thought to God - why should you? He is not LIVING and HE does not KNOW what it feels like to be YOU. He does not UNDERSTAND anything. why should you try to live a Holy life? BECAUSE GOD SAID SO. "But just as He who called you is Holy so be Holy in ALL you do, for it is written, Be Holy, for I am Holy" 1 Peter 1:15 & 16. YES of course we will NEVER be ABLE to be ANYTHING like Christ. most of us fall FLAT on our faces everyday! does that matter? NO! because we must not give up and we sure have to run the good race and at least TRY. to just sit back and say that you are the way you are, is a COP OUT!!! what if Jesus looked at you and said, "you know what, it is just too much hard work to get you to Heaven. I am tired of trying." but no, He is always there. waiting for you to come to HIM. admit that you can't do it yourself. GIVE Him your burdens. why do we so love to CLING to all our problems and bad character traits. we are no better than drug addicts! we refuse to let go of our "fix". i feel angry, so i will yell, swear, hit someone or something, kick the dog - whatever. i feel, i feel, i feel.......... believing is not a feeling. it is a daily decision you make. daily. it is tiresome. it is hard work. it is wonderful. it is rewarding. it is sometimes boring. it is sometimes exciting beyond description. somedays it is just too hard, but you have to DECIDE to......... what if Jesus just did not FEEL like forgiving you? what if HE just got fed up? what if you die tonight and you renounced Him yesterday and never took it back and committed yourself to Him again? what if someone you love dies tonight, and you did not tell them about Jesus? we are scared to offend. Jesus says that if we are ashamed of Him, He will also be ashamed of us. i don't want Him to be ashamed. i want to know more of Him and shout from the rooftops that He is the only way to Eternal life!!!! make sure you KNOW - not THINK you know - where you are going when you die. it is NEVER too late to find out..........and if you are not sure, make sure.