I got up early this morning because I had to go into work and see my boss off on a trip to Chengdu, China. It was a cold, windy, and snowy Saturday morning and I would like to have stayed in my warm bed, but this was important to me. My boss is escorting the diplomatic pouch and I wanted to make sure there were no problems as she prepared for the 30-hour trip. If I had waited, I would have been too late to help.
Later in the day it was just above freezing outside, but that didn’t stop Susan from heading out on a shopping trip with her Filipina friends. She needed to buy winter clothes, and this was the only day her friend who speaks Chinese could go. A cold front that blew in and dropped the temperature in Beijing was a warning of things to come. That meant she needed to buy warm clothes before it was too late.
The breaking news this morning was a dam that collapsed in Brazil, washing away a small town. Everything people owned and a dozen lives were lost. The people could have moved out of danger if they had been warned before it happened. Hopefully the company that owned the dam will help the survivors rebuild their lives in a safer location, but it is too late to help those who died.
An ongoing story in the news today is the search for answers to what or who caused the crash of a Russian passenger jet in Egypt. There is a huge effort to find out what happened, so they can try to prevent it from happening again. No matter what the investigators find or what changes in security come about because of this tragedy, nothing can be done for the 224 people that died on that flight. Their loved ones will morn their loss, but if they weren’t prepared to leave, it is too late now.
Everyone will die someday, and we must get ready before it is too late. You might have to get out of your comfort zone and make some extra effort, but this decision will determine where you spend eternity. The Bible tells us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12) because it is important! Make it a priority. Maybe conditions aren’t ideal, “but now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2). The warning signs are everywhere, a wave of death and destruction is blowing through the world, and you need to act before it is too late.
If you know the good news, share it with others before it is too late. People may be more receptive to your help after disaster strikes, but that won’t help the ones who died in the disaster without accepting JESUS.
Only the living can choose. “GOD so loved the world, He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him might not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). The “whosoever” He gave his son to are the living. If you die without accepting that gift, you must pay for your own sins in Hell. The decision to accept JESUS will give you forgiveness and eternal life in Heaven. Don’t wait until it is too late.
Wayne Lance (2015) – That’s Good News to Share!