What we live for matters. More specifically, who we live for matters. One day, each of us will die. We’ll face our Creator and be asked to give an account for our lives. We’ll have to answer the question of who and what we lived for. Make no mistake, Jesus already knows the answer to the question before you open your mouth. The truth is, we all know the answer today, and that should scare some of us to death. Life is not about being a “good” person or doing “good” deeds. Life is about God. Period.
How closely our lives resemble that of Christ’s life has huge implications for where we will spend eternity. Don’t miss this. Don’t stop reading because you’ve heard this before. There is nothing more important at this moment than making certain you are living a life worthy of your calling (Ephesians 4:1-2).
When you put your faith in Jesus, He saves you by His eternal and unending grace. No question. But this is only a part of living a life that will secure your eternity with Christ. It takes more than a prayer, more than simple lip service. Right now, we are looking back on an entire generation (if not more) of people who think because they prayed a prayer, raised their hand, or walked an aisle, they are good. Their eternal destination is set and there’s nothing anyone can do to change it. They are wrong.
Jesus said many will come professing to know Him, but He will turn them away (Matthew 7:22-23). It’s one of the most heartbreaking scriptures in all the Bible. It’s tragic because these folks were deceived into a lie and they never knew. We’ve lied to them. They trusted those who should have known better to tell them the truth. We all stand accused of the awful lies that we’ve allowed to permeate the modern church. No prayer, no raising of your hand will save you. The only thing assuring your salvation is a total repentance from your sins and then a radical shift to total obedience to Christ.
Those Jesus invites into His Kingdom are those who change their direction toward Him. Our obedience to His commands proves our commitment to Him (Matthew 25:31-46). Obedience alone will not save us. God looks at the heart and sees our motivation. If we are motivated by saving our own skin, that’s not going to cut it. But if we are compelled to follow Him out of our love for Him, that is the person for whom God reaches out and invites to Himself.
Please don’t be deceived: the prayer you prayed all those years ago is not enough to save you. Take measure of your life. Has it been one devoted to Jesus and obeying His truth and commands? If not, your soul could be in desperate jeopardy. I am convinced the Bible teaches the things we do matter to God. We must move beyond a cursory commitment that goes no deeper than the tip of our tongue. We are either all in with Jesus or we will be left on the outside. Don’t rest on what some preacher or friend may have told you. Look at what Jesus says. Do His will. Devote your life to Him. Surrender everything in this life so you might gain everything in the life to come.