WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Suppose you were to die tonight and, upon arriving at the gate of heaven, God asked you, “Upon what basis do you request entrance into my heaven?”
Perhaps your answer would be, “I admit I’m not perfect. I’ve mistreated lots of people, as well as myself. But I’ve done some good as well, Lord. Doesn’t that count for something?”
Or maybe you would answer, “Lord, I wasn’t too bad. I didn’t murder anyone or cheat on my spouse. My children didn’t end up in jail, and I was promoted to vice-president of my company because of my honesty and hard work.”
Either way, the Lord would have to answer, “Good works are good, but not good enough. No one who is impure in any way can enter here.”
The only way God will allow us into heaven is if we accept the forgiveness of our sins he has provided for us through his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus paid for our sins by his blood given on the cross, making God’s forgiveness possible. God loves us so much he sacrificed his own Son—and Christ willingly chose to do it—so we could live with him forever. But you must respond…you must make a choice. You must confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead to be saved (Romans 10:9).
Have your sins been forgiven? Do you think you can get to heaven on your own? The good works you have done will never be good enough. The Bible says that all of our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). They are useless to save your soul and get you into heaven. God wants us to do good works, but not because they will save us.
Unless you have Jesus Christ in your heart as your Savior, you do not have eternal life. You may do many good things—attend church, give money to the poor, even read the Bible—but those things will not help get you into heaven.
God says we cannot earn a place in heaven. Eternal life is a gift he gives us when we trust in Christ. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Are you ready to accept God’s gift of eternal life in heaven? If you make that choice, the Bible teaches that your sins will be forgiven, Jesus Christ will come into your heart, and you will become a child of God. You will be spotless in the eyes of the holy God, and he will say to you, “Welcome! Welcome to my family! I have a house ready for you in heaven, and you will live with me for eternity!”
How do you trust God? How can you express that inner choice, your resolute change of mind about trusting God for salvation, both for now and eternity? The important thing isn’t saying the right words but, perhaps for the first time in your life, talking heart-to-heart with God and trusting Jesus alone to be your Savior.
If you’ve never done that, I urge you to do it right where you are, in the quietness of your heart. It can be expressed by praying a simple prayer of faith like this one…
Thank you, Lord, for preparing a place for me in your heavenly home. Thank you that Jesus Christ died on the cross and took away all my shame and guilt and forgave all my past, present, and future sins by his shed blood. Thank you most of all that Jesus rose from the dead. I confess my failure and sins to you; I renounce my evil deeds. Come into my heart, wash me from all my sins, fill me with your presence, and make me your child.