Hebrews 12:1-2.
As the clock ticks away the hours, and the days of our lives fly past by, timeless eternity draws near and with it comes the burden of where we shall spend eternity.
Many have trod this path of life in which we now walk and many more will walk it after us for as long as this world continues. How they ended their life’s journey and how we would also end ours on the other side of life should be the most important personal issue that rests in the consciousness of every Christian who’s serious about the afterlife.
The Holy Bible teaches that there are two ways in life’s journey which lead to two different destinies in the afterlife. Jesus Christ spoke about this in Matthew 25:34,41,46 where He said: “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…”
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…”
” And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (NKJV)
The dead who have gone before us to eternity have had their chances, and those who will follow after us will also have their own, too. But for now we the living are having our own chances to make the journey to heaven, each person in the best way they believe would grant them a place in God’s heavenly Kingdom.
But as far as God’s heavenly Kingdom is concerned, though, there’s only one way by which all who follow faithfully are bound to end up in heaven’s delightful city. This Way is Jesus Christ.
John.14.6 : ” Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. “ (NKJV)
This is not a new revelation, anyway, as Jesus Christ has been widely preached and declared to the world, by His faithful witnesses, since more than two millenias ago, as Lord and Saviour of the repentant sinner. But what’s disturbing is how reluctant the world is to follow this Way to a happy ending in heaven, even when they know that they need Jesus Christ to save them from their sin and misery. If this has struck a chord in your heart, then, this message is meant to help you identify and deal with the common hindrances to a faithful and fruitful walk with Jesus Christ.
The common mistake some people often make is to assume that as soon as they have acknowledged and repented of their sins, and have accepted and confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, then their salvation is secured. While this may sound good and assuring to the penitent sinner it, nevertheless, is not what most of them experience long after they have said the sinner’s prayer; most of them soon realise that life still feels the same and their struggle to be right with God is still much intact, thus diminishing their hopes of getting to heaven at the end of their life’s journey. The preacher may blame this on a lack of faith, but there’s more to it than that as the following practical steps, meant to provide guidance, will prove. So, if you want to have and sustain the hope of going to heaven, the scriptural guide below will go a long way in helping you to achieve that.
- Show Sufficient Interest In Knowing And Walking With Jesus Christ.
John 1:35-39; 11:7-16; Luke 9:57-62; 22:31-33.
In most cases where Christians have lost their relationship with God, or have failed to establish a successful one, the cause is not that they have not genuinely repented of their sins or that they lacked faith in Jesus Christ’s finished work of redemption for the lost; the pertinent question to ask is whether over time they have shown sufficient interest in knowing, pursuing and actively practicing the principles of God’s Word.
The same level of interest, time and perseverance that a person is willing to invest in making a true love relationship work is not different from the one required to start off a good relationship with Jesus Christ either. If you let some other interests to get in the way, then it’s obvious you’re not yet in love with Jesus Christ. Love is what works in this case, and the gospel of Jesus Christ is a love letter, the constant reading and practicing of which endear the heart to Him. Any excuses for not having the time to walk with Jesus Christ through the Word is actually a sign of a dwindling interest in Him, and it should be quickly dealt with.
Consider the scriptural example below: Luke.9.59 – He said to another person, “Come, be my disciple.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
Luke.9.61 – Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” (NLT).
The two persons in the account above each had an excuse which they might have considered tenable for not immediately following along with Jesus Christ. But let’s see one of Jesus’ response to it in Luke.9.62: “But Jesus told him, ‘Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God’ “. (NLT)
The point here is that God demands prompt obedience, irrespective of what lies ahead of anyone, once He has called them to follow Him.
It would be rational to say that, as possessing God’s attribute of omniscience, Jesus Christ knew beforehand what lay ahead of those two persons before He extended the call to discipleship to them; perhaps it was a test to prove their worthiness. And they failed. People still fail in much the same way today when Jesus calls.
By contrast, however, let us see how some other people responded to the same invitation from Jesus Christ and, thus, established a lasting relationship with Him their whole lives, as the Holy Scriptures do also prove:
Matt.4.18 – “One day as Jesus was walking along the shore beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers–Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew–fishing with a net, for they were commercial fishermen .
Matt.4.19 – “Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!’ .
Matt.4.20 – And they left their nets at once and went with him.
Matt.4.21 – A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their nets. And he called them to come, too.
Matt.4.22 – They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.” (NLT).
The prompt responses of those busy fishermen must be commended! I can only imagine what responses Jesus Christ would have gotten if he had done that in our time with some busy sales clerk or an ambitious chief executive officer: they’d have told him that they were busy at work. Some may have even walk Him out of their office.
In case you are thinking that Peter and the two sons of Zebedee were some simple folks who could simply dispense with their jobs and follow a man that they had hardly known, I want to invite you to consider the next account also.
Matt.9.9 – “As Jesus was going down the road, he saw Matthew sitting at his tax-collection booth. “Come, be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. “
We see the same response above with Matthew who’s obviously an educated busy civil servant. So, what’s the catch here? What made the difference between those who responded favourably and those who did not? Priority!
What worked for Peter, James and John is what still works today for anyone who puts God’s interest above their own, and what didn’t work for those other two persons is still what doesnt work today for anyone with excuses.
There’s hardly any acceptable excuses for refusing God’s invitation to walk with Him, no matter how well thought out they may seem. Matthew 22:1-5; 19:16-22; Proverbs 1:20-33.
If our interest in ensuring that we daily walk with Jesus Christ matches our desire to make it to heaven at last, we would definitely experience a meaningful progress in our relationship with Him.I
- Be Consistent Even When Others Are Not.
John 6:66-69; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Matthew 24:10-13; 2 Peter 2:1-2; Romans 8:35-39.
” John.12.26 – “All those who want to be my disciples must come and follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And if they follow me, the Father will honor them. “ (NLT)
Some people get discouraged in their walk with Jesus Christ somewhere along the line because of the attitude of someone else. However, the real test of our love for God and commitment to continue walking with Him lies in not quitting at all, no matter whoever else does, and for whatever reason! The race to heaven is a personal one, and it must be treated as such by all true Christians. To quit serving God because some prominent Christian figure had back-slided and brought shame to the body of Christ is simply a convenient excuse which some uninterested people usually give for relapsing back into the world of sin. Interestingly, though, we do not see this same scenario playing out in the secular society! Where have we seen anyone quitting a lucrative job because of the inefficiency of a colleague? Where have we seen corporate organizations folding up because of the incompetence of their competitors? Of course they do not, for the simple reason that they have their own interests to protect, just as any Christian should not quit walking with Jesus Christ because they have their soul’s interest to protect.
If we can’t sacrifice a temporal vocation over the misdeeds of another person, shouldn’t we hold tight to the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus, even when others around us have betrayed the Christian faith, thus proving themselves unworthy of eternal life? Yes, we should!
If the fall of any corporate entity becomes a rallying call for other competing entities to safeguard against the same fate, why shouldn’t we translate this common sense into a spiritual reality? By default this should be the saved soul’s trajectory, unless they have lost interest in continuing their daily walk with Jesus Christ. John.6.66 – “At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.
John.6.67 – Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you going to leave, too?”
John.6.68 – Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life.” (NLT) As faith is validated by the works it produces, so does consistency in our walk with Jesus Christ validates our love for Him. The true test of our relationship with God lies in our consistent walk with Him, come what may. This is the point of separation between the Christian who knows what they want, who know whom to believe in and who know where they’re headed for, as against the one who’s just observing a religious obligation because they want to belong with the crowd. John.8.31 – “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings’ “. (NLT)
Consistency is the watch word for the victorious Christian.
- Let God’s Love Be Your Motivation For Walking With Jesus Christ .
John 21:15-17; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 . Rom.8.35 – “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?” It is amazing to know the extent to which humans ( even animals, too!) could go in proving that they are in love. Actually, in the romantic love vocabulary, there is hardly any thing like convenience or discouragement unless where the embers of true love were never kindled. Song.8.7 – “Many waters cannot quench love; neither can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with everything he owned, his offer would be utterly despised.” (NLT)
It is no secret that God loves us so much, therefore His love for us should make us love Him, too.
If we could dare to fall in love with Jesus Christ just as we are naturally prone to fall in love with those with whom our hearts have bonded, we should no doubt arrive at heavens blissful city in holiness, when our time is ripe, without any worry of being rejected, because true love for God is the panacea for backsliding . Although it is clear from our human experiences that God created us with the capacity to love one another, the scriptures below prove that we could even love God more than anything or anyone else.
Matthew 10:37; 19:27-29.
Matt.19.29 – “And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will have eternal life.” (NLT)
Jesus Christ’s first disciples gave up so much for the sake of His call because their love for Him increased as they constantly walked with Him . Nothing fosters a closer relationship and an enduring love as a constant communication and fellowship. This is true in human relationship as it is in our spiritual ties with the Godhead.
We are each responsible for how our love for Jesus Christ fares because, after having loved us so much that He died for our redemption from sin and all it’s consequences, the burden of proof now lies in us to show that we can also love Him that much, too. The health of our love for God is vividly captured in the depth or shallowness of our fellowship with Him.
People in love do not often realise how much time they’d spent being in each other’s company, but, and that sadly, it is not always true of their fellowship with God. Love drives fellowship, and the quality of love is seen in the depth of fellowship. Anyone who truly loves God gives much attention and time to Him.
If Jesus Christ is not getting all the time and attention He needs with us, then something else ( or someone) must be getting it: a lover, a gadget or device, movies, job, friends, pleasure and all those stuff! We can hardly love the Lord and the world equally. One must be cherished above the other; who is it in your heart? Your priorities will prove who it is because characters don’t lie, and daily habits speak with astounding clarity!
Matt.6.24 – “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
If, however, you’re concerned about truly making Jesus Christ your companion in life’s journey each day, without any rival, then the following activities outlined below would be of much help in building that much needed trust, love and commitment to God that can make it possible.
- A Dedicated Daily Prayer Life.
Luke 18:1-7; 6:12; Colossians 4:2 . 1Thess.5.17 – “Keep on praying.
1Thess.5.18 – No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
A constant prayer life is necessary for the purpose of developing intimacy with God. Make it a habit to talk to God about everything going on in your life. Even when it is certain that He already knows about them, yet He’d prefer that you talk to Him about it so that His response will not seem to you to be a random occurrence. This will in turn help build your trust in Him.
Ps.50.15 : “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (NKJV) - A Disciplined Fast Schedule.
Joel 1:14; 2:15-18; Jonah 3:5,10; Zachariah 8:18,19; Acts 13:1,12.
When we talk about fasting some people can not help wondering if God wants us to go hungry before granting us audience. That’s by No means the case here! Fasting is not for His sake, but for ours. As humans who survive primarily on food and water, abstaining from them for some hours in order to honour God is considered a great sacrifice, and it lets us realise how important God is for whom we are making the sacrifice. On the other hand God sees our sacrifice and it pleases Him enough to want to bless us even more for giving up our life’s sustenance for His sake.
The lengthier the fast, the greater the sacrifice, and so also the more solemn the cause seems to be for which we fast. And the more xconstant we fast, the more we get in tune with the Spiritual atmosphere of God’s presence.The combined effect of all this is a quiet, focused and reverent atmosphere which disconnects us from any thing sensual and, thus, allows for a deeper harmony with God in the Spirit, where we can see, hear and freely interact with Him. - A Continuous Study Of The Holy Bible.
Joshua 1:8; Psalms 1:1-3; Deuteronomy 17:18,19; Psalms 119: 9-11; Acts 17:10, 11; John 5:39; 2 Timothy 2:15 .
God places a high premium on obedience to His Word. It is necessary then that if we want to live in obedience to Him, we must know what His Word commands us to do.
Josh.1.8: ” And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed . (MSB)
Knowing God’s will and doing it whole heartedly guarantees our continued relationship with Him.
- A Sustained Practice Of Evangelism And Visitation.
2 Timothy 4:1,2; Acts 8:4-8; 15:36; 2:44-47; 4:33; 20:17-24. 2Tim.4.1 – “And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus–who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom :
2Tim.4.2 – Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. “
Sharing the good news of God’s Kingdom with others and inviting them to partake in God’s Grace and mercy, through Jesus Christ, for the salvation of their soul, is a great experience no true child of God should hesitate to embark on at any given opportunity.
The gospel is to be preached everywhere souls can be reached. Planned visits to hospitals, prisons and public parks, where we can share God’s word with those interested in knowing Jesus Christ, is a great opportunity to explore.
But the best place to begin our evangelism may be our home, among our family members.
In conclusion, I want to draw our attention to the one factor which can make all the four activities above possible to be carried out: it is love for God. Without the compelling love for God, we would see no reason to do any of them.
John.14.23 – “Jesus replied, “All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them.
John.14.24 – Anyone who doesn’t love me will not do what I say. And remember, my words are not my own. This message is from the Father who sent me.”
God is love and His love for us is made manifest through His patience with our failings and the offer of full and free forgiveness for the sinner who returns to Him in repentance.
There are more than enough reasons for the coldest heart to love God unless they have made up their mind to not love Him. But , what about you? Do you love Him? If you do, then walk with Him wherever He leads you.