Prepare To Meet Thy God
By Dale V.
Nobbman
There is a very
large billboard
along I-29 in
Iowa which
simply says,
'Prepare to Meet
Thy God'
(Amos 4:12).
Perhaps
you've seen it
if you've driven
north on I-29
through Iowa,
north of
Missouri Valley.
It really
is a great
'reminder' for
all of us that
we never know
when our 'time
is up' here on
earth, and so in
advance of that
time we better
have our
'personal house'
in order,
especially our
spiritual house!
I'm sure
a lot of
non-Christian
eyes glance at
that sign, scoff
or curse, and
then look away,
but if they were
'wise' those
people would
take the
billboard
'advice' to
heart and
prepare to meet
their God.
Just a few days
ago, a good
friend of mine,
58 years old,
died very
'unexpectedly.'
There
were no
indications of
any physical
problems with
Randy prior to
the time his
wife came home
and found him on
the
couch...dead.
I had
known Randy for
over 50 years,
all the way back
to our grade
school days.
Even at
his current age
he was still
slim and took
very good care
of himself, and
most anyone
would have said
he looked the
picture of
health.
He was
athletic and
active all of
his life,
participating in
softball,
basketball,
football, as
well as fishing
and hunting over
the years.
When his
wife found him
it was quite
apparent that he
had suddenly
died in his
sleep from a
heart attack.
What
happened to
Randy is a
perfect example
of how 'none' of
us know when
death will
strike,
regardless if
the cause of
death is due to
natural causes,
an illness, the
result of a
crime, in
warfare, or by
way of an
accident.
We just
all
need to be
ready to meet
our Creator God,
and sometimes
without any
advance notice!
Randy's death is
not the only one
to strike close
to home for me
recently.
In just a
few weeks time I
have also loss
my two next door
neighbors and a
cousin, all due
to illnesses.
It really
doesn't take
long in this
life to look
around one day
and realize that
a lot of people
you once knew
are now gone,
either to one
eternal
destination or
another...because
after all, there
are only
'two'
eternal
possibilities...Heaven
or Hell.
To
utilize a few
sports
analogies, a
football field
only has two end
zones, a
basketball court
only has two
hoops, and a
soccer field and
hockey rink only
have two
goals...and so
it is in the
very serious
'game of life
and
death'...there
are only the two
'end game'
options for us
of either Heaven
or Hell...and we
will each spend
eternity in one
place or the
other...based on
either our
'acceptance or
rejection' of
the redeeming
work of God's
Son, Jesus
Christ, by what
He did for us by
His death on the
cross, followed
on the third day
by His
resurrection.
What foolish
people we are,
because we will
exhaust
ourselves
preparing for
the next day,
the weekend, a
holiday, or a
vacation, but
many of us
seldom give a
serious thought
about preparing
for an 'eternal'
destination...and
it is certainly
not a trivial
decision you
want to
procrastinate
about...because
a no decision is
the same as a
bad decision!
If you
want to go to
Heaven, you
have to make
an affirmative
decision to
accept Jesus
Christ as your
Savior.
Today,
will you prepare
yourself
spiritually to
meet your
God...right
now...at this
very moment in
time?
You
should you know!
All you
need to do is
confess to Jesus
that you are a
'sinner' in need
of forgiveness,
and then place
your belief and
faith in Jesus
Christ as your
personal Savior,
and let Him save
you from an
eternity in Hell
and the Lake of
Fire.
Preparing
to meet your God
is one 'trip'
preparation YOU,
and only you,
have to make
alone,
because your
salvation is a
'heart' thing
between only you
and Jesus, and
no one else
can make
intercession on
your behalf with
God the Father,
except His Son,
Jesus Christ!
Will you
'Prepare to Meet
Thy God' at
this time...at
this moment...by
affirming your
belief in Jesus
Christ and
accepting Him as
your Savior?
If you do
this, then one
fine day you
will be in
Heaven for
eternity, and
very 'thankful'
to be there with
Jesus, all the
saints, and all
your Christian
family and
friends!
"For God so
loved the world,
that He gave His
only begotten
Son, that
whoever believes
in Him should
not perish, but
have eternal
life.
For God
did not send the
Son into the
world to judge
the world, but
that the world
should be saved
through Him."
(John 3:16-17)