Convinced
“There
was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted
sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered
with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s
table, even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was
carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was
buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham
far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy
on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my
tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember
that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like
manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides
all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who
might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there
to us.’ He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house –
for I have five brothers – that he may warn them, so that they will not also
come into this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the
prophets; they should listen to them.’ He said, ‘No,
father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will
they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Luke 16:19-31
What
did it take to convince you that Jesus was your own Lord and Savior? We all
have problems of some kind. If we did not have problems, we would have less
reason to come to Jesus, just like the rich man did not feel a need, until it
was too late.
Jesus
died on the cross for our sins. He gives us an option. Which road we take is
entirely up to us. If we repent of our sins and trust Him as our Savior, He has
promised us a life of fellowship with God in a place the Bible calls heaven. A place with no problems. A place where there are no more
tears. Turn to Jesus and accept His genuine offer of forgiveness. Your problems
in this world won’t disappear, but you will reserve a home in heaven – a place
of eternal joy and peace with God. Ultimately, we make the decision of where we
spend eternity – in heaven or in hell.
You must accept God’s Son today
if you want to
live in heaven’s sunshine
tomorrow.
Our Daily Bread –