Bittersweet Holidays

It is that time of year again, the 4^th of July!  I have many great memories of this holiday spent with my Gramma and Grampa Newkirk (yes, I know I spelled their names wrong, but that is how they wanted them spelled).  In fact almost all of the memories I treasure are those with my grandparents.  I would go to their house on any and every opportunity.  As holidays roll around like the 4^th, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, they seem to be an unkind reminder of how my grandparents aren’t with me anymore.  I used to talk to them every day, sometimes multiple times a day.  Every time I went to Ludington, I was sure to stop.  When I had a problem, they were always there to listen and give advice.  When I was bored, I could always call and listen to Grampa’s stories.  Daily I am reminded of the void I have in my life.  Never a day goes by that I don’t notice.

However, I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I will see them again.  I used to talk about it with Grampa after Gramma died.  There is so much comfort in having family members who love the Lord with their whole being and who serve Him first and foremost because we are guaranteed to be with them and our Lord and Savior, for all eternity.  It isn’t the end; it is only a long wait until we are reunited.  Because of this, I have joy even in the midst of sorrow.

Unfortunately, I don’t have certainty of reuniting with all of my family or friends.  In fact, I am confident that only a handful of people I know, I will see again hereafter.  Be assured, I would never judge a person’s salvation.  That is never my place, but it is disconcerting when people who profess to be on their way to Heaven have very little knowledge of the Word or of the Lord.  How can they be sure they will make it?

I have friends and family who are wonderful people.  They are honest, hard working, kind, loyal, loving, and trustworthy.  Many proclaim to believe Jesus died for their sins.  But sadly that is often where it begins and ends.   James 2:19 addresses belief and belief alone.  Even the demons believe in Jesus!  They all know who He is and what He did, but none of them will share in His kingdom!   Upon death, where you spend eternity is sealed.  It is either with the Lord or without the Lord.  Luke 16:26 speaks of a great chasm between Heaven and Hell that nobody can cross.  No one wonders about the truth after death, they only rejoice or lament about the decisions they made before they breathed their last breath.
 

Strangely, Jesus said some of them will even be surprised that they don’t find themselves in Heaven!  Unfortunately, a lot of people are in this boat. Matthew 7:14 reads, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”  Matthew 7:21-23 says, “²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” 

When most people believe they are going to Heaven, and the Bible says most are not, what is missing?  I am very concerned for those I love – especially my family.  I know I’ll be in Heaven with my grandparents, but I’m concerned about my cousins, my aunts and uncles, my children,  my unborn grandchildren, and my dear friends.  I’m also concerned about humanity in general.  I’m convinced that we do not understand what is really at stake!  Hell and Heaven are very different places!  We don’t all go to Heaven, and many who profess to be Christians don’t go to Heaven.  So what is missing? Love.

You disagree?  I know it to be true.  Those who love the Lord will be with Him for all eternity.  Knowing the Lord, obeying the Lord, praying to God, are all fine and dandy, and actually quite important, but they will get you nowhere if you don’t love Him.  Knowing, obeying, talking, seeking, listening, reading the Bible are things that come naturally when you love Him.  To many, Jesus is no more important than Abraham or Noah.  Sure, they all have great stories.  God saved Noah on a boat and humanity continued on.  Abraham was called by God to rescue Israel from the Egyptians and proclaim the name of the Lord.  Jesus was sent by God to die on the cross for our sins.  This Jesus who people know only as a matter of belief will no more save you than Abraham, Noah, or George Washington.  But when God is your Father, Jesus is your Savior, and the Holy Spirit is your strength.  When you talk with the Lord and abide in Him.  When you can’t wait to read your Bible because it is the letter of love God wrote to you.  When He is the first on your mind in the morning and the last on your mind before bed.  When all that you do, you strive to please Him.  Only then, can you be assured of salvation.  No one can steal the gift of life.  You can’t take something from God that doesn’t belong to you, but when you understand the depravity of your sin, your need for a savior, and accept Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for your sin, when you repent of even the smallest of sin, and live each moment in obedience to Christ because you love Him, then you understand what it means to be free.

As a side note, I would like to talk more about reading the Bible.  I have too many friends who are young parents currently fighting cancer, and all of them have been diagnosed as stage 4 in the various organs of their bodies.  I don’t understand!  It bothers me!  Often I have put myself in their shoes, what would I do?  One of the things I know I would most certainly start is writing letters to my children.  I would want to impart to them everything I could if the Lord chose to take me home early.  And even though, I’m not God, I would have a lot to say!  I would tell them about when they were born, what they did as they began to grow up, what kinds of things awaited them in their teenage years.  I would talk to them about peer pressure, alcohol, dating, eating, money, how I wanted them to behave, consequences and rewards, and on and on.  But I would also tell them about how much I loved them – over and over again!  I would tell them how I expected to see them again in Heaven and how to get there and that I’d be waiting for them!  I would tell them that it wasn’t enough to keep this information to themselves but to teach it to their children and to teach their children to teach it to their children!   And also to spread the news to all who would listen.  If I, as a mother, would do that for my children, how much more has God done for us?  I am dumbfounded by the majority of Christians who say they love the Lord, but rarely crack their Bibles!  If my Gramma or Grampa left me such a precious treasure, I’d be in it every day.  As it is, their stories, their voices, their touch, and their memories play through my mind daily.  How much more should the Word of God be in my mind!  The creator of the universe carefully formed us, gave us life, sent his only Son to redeem us, gave us his Word, and then sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us.  Wow.  Why would we not relish in His love and give it in return?  How could we “forget” to read our Bibles?  That just doesn’t make sense!  Reading the Bible is not an activity of punishment, but one of great joy!  It is something we long to do when we love the Lord!

And so, that brings me back to my great concern.  I want to be with all my friends and family in Heaven someday!  It isn’t enough to just believe.  You can’t take salvation from God, you can only receive it when you become His child.  All of these church activities, Bible studies, praying, believing in the history of Jesus, or even worse knowing the truth and not living it, will not get you to Heaven.  If you do not LOVE the Lord you will not be with Him in eternity.  There is no other way. 

As my son said to me before he left for camp, “Mom, I want to know God like I know my Dad.”  It brought tears to my eyes.  That’s the key!  It isn’t enough to know about Him – it is all about the relationship!  If you don’t “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5)” then please, please, please take the time to re-evaluate your life.  Life on earth without Jesus may be bearable, but life hereafter without Him is not.