No
adjustment
The woodsman
stood by the stump of a large, tall tree which he had just felled, surveying
his work with regrets. He had made no effort to investigate the nature of the
terrain hidden by heavy underbrush and now found to his dismay that the tree
lay in a very narrow, rocky gully which made recovery of the logs impossible.
While the tree
was standing, the woodsman had the power of decision to determine in which direction
it would fall, but once it was separated from its stump, a change in its position
was beyond his ability, no matter how earnestly he desired it.
My friend you
are approaching the day when you will wish that you had the opportunity that is
yours at this moment, but your ability to make adjustments will, like the
woodsman mentioned above, be forever past. Your condition at death, saved or
unsaved, must remain eternally fixed.
Many people
mistakenly believe that death is annihilation (end of existence), when in
reality it is separation of the soul (the real person) from the body. At the
time this change takes place, an agent of either God or Satan will be on hand
to claim, according to ownership. There will be great rejoicing for those whose
names have been written in the book of life, (rev. 21:27) and complete sorrow
and misery for the ones who have neglected or refused the way of salvation
provide through Jesus Christ.
The Scriptures
were given by God for our admonition and they are full of warnings that death
is the deadline, the end of our probationary period. There will positively be
no adjustment after the soul is separated from the body “No matter in which
direction a tree falls, it will lie where it fell.” (Ecclesiates11:3). If you
are waiting for a more convenient time, be assured that it will never come, for
God makes no mistake about the time when he calls. “Listen! This is the hour to
receive God‘s favour; today is the
day to be saved!” (2 Cor. 6:2). “If you hear God’s voice today, do not be
stubborn.” (Heb. 3:15).
Some people say
that they will attend to these things when they come to them but do not wish to
be troubled about them now, to such let us say: You have read the lines and
thereby received knowledge of the urgency of this matter. If you delay action
and death overtakes you, you will die in you sins and will be accountable to
God for the knowledge that has come your way. ”If you get more stubborn every
time you are corrected, one day you will be crushed and never recover.” (Prov.
29:1).
If you have
sufficient courage to face the facts you will make an effort to do something
about spiritual well-being. To help you in your search for salvation, five
important steps are listed below:
FIRST: You must be thoroughly
convinced in your own mind that you are a sinner and completely helpless to do
anything to obtain your salvation. “Everyone has sinned and is far away from
God’s saving presence.” (Rom. 3:23).
SECOND: Repent, i.e., turn
with sorrow from all known sin. “I tell you that if you do not turn from your
sins, you will all die.”(Luke. 13:3).
THIRD: Confess to God that
you are a sinner in need of salvation and ask Him to receive you and write your
name in the book of life. (Rev.21:27). His Word says:”If we confess our sins to
god, He will keep His promise and do what is right; He will forgive us out sins
and purify us from all wrong doing.” (1 John. 1:9). “I will never turn away any
one who comes to me.” (John. 6:37).
FORTH: Believe that Jesus
Christ died in your place in order that you might have eternal life. Now, if
your sorrow is genuine and you surrender to God completely, you will have
confidence to receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour through believing in God’s
Word. In so doing, His Spirit will witness with your spirit that you have been
born again. (Rom. 8:16). You have complied with HIS conditions and you enjoy
His protection just like the children of Israel when the angel of death passed
over the land of
Egypt (Exodus. 12). But remember, a mental assent to the truths presented here
will not substitute for a genuine surrender of heart and will to God.
“No one can
please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God
exist and rewards those that seek him.”
(Heb. 11:6) (Read Hebrew 11 – full chapter).
FIFTH: Fly your colours.
Don’t hide your new found faith. You are now a Christian by the grace of God.
Tell others about it. You will suffer persecution but God will make up for that
by letting “His peace, which is far beyond human understanding” (Phil. 4:7)
come into your heart. He will give you the joy of winning other to Him if you
are faithful with your testimony. Jesus said:”If anyone declares publicly that
he belongs to me, I will do the same for him before my father in heaven.”
(Matt. 10:32). So your responsibility is to tell others to believe as explained
in (Rom. 10:9 – 10), “If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God
raised Him from death, you will be saved. For it is by our faith that we are
put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.” Oh, friend: We
have done all that we are able in this
short article to help you, but God will surely enlighten you if you will obtain
a bible and search the Scriptures diligently, for there you find faultless
instructions in the way of eternal life.
“How then, shall
we escape if we pay no attention to such great salvation?”
By Neil D.
Cameron.
Brought to you
by Mpho O. Selepe
