"What if after you die there's nothing?" I asked.
He was one of the godliest men I'd ever met. We often talked about religious
subjects. With him, I could discuss the deep things without fear he would judge
me for my questions. Knowing his lifestyle, I asked if he had ever considered
the question and possibility. "I wouldn't regret the way I've lived," he
answered. A reply seasoned by age and reflection. And one I've used myself since
then.
Perhaps Paul had been questioned or was thinking about the possibility himself.
"And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than
anyone in the world." (I Corinthians 15:19 NLT)
"I don't drink, smoke, chew, or hang around with those who do," is an old saying
but one that reflects a person's intention to live a pure lifestyle. I could add
a few more items to the list: theft, murder, lying, adultery, idolatry, drugs,
pornography, gambling. In place of the things I subtract from my life would be
added worship of a God who I assume loves me and has prepared a place in heaven
for me after I die. But suppose it's a lie. When my eyes close in death, they
never open again. Nothing. Silence. No golden streets, no pearly gates, no
heaven, no eternal state of bliss. What then?
Of course, if there's nothing in the hereafter, I won't be aware of it. But as
another gentleman recently commented to me, "What if there is something in the
hereafter and I'm not prepared for it? Then I end up with hell." I'm with him.
I'd rather take my chances that the Bible's true, that there is a God who loves
me and has made provision for the forgiveness of my sins, and that there is a
heaven awaiting my open eyes after I close them in death.
Like so many other religious concepts, belief in a hereafter takes a step of
faith. I haven't seen it, no one I know has been there and returned-even those
who claim to have visited have no pictures. Yet I'm convicted in my spirit that
it exists and is mine for the asking. Are you taking the chance that heaven is
for real or are you living in misery with your only hope being your present
existence?
Prayer: Thank You loving God for preparing an eternal place where You and Your
followers can live forever.
Martin Wiles
Hodges,
South Carolina, USA
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