The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. That scripture verse (Romans 6:23) was placed on the front of a Scripture Memorization packet given to young Sunday School children in 1948. In order to obtain little prizes, I had to memorize scripture verses. As an eight-year-old boy, I was not very diligent in memorizing scriptures, but those words were always before me - particularly, the part that said "the wages of sin is death."
I rarely opened that scripture memorization packet as it lay around my bedroom, but Romans 6:23 was always visible on the cover. As I grew older, no one had to tell me what I already knew in my heart - that I was indeed spiritually dead and separated from God because I had sinned and I had received the just wages for my behavior. I was a lost soul.
But, lost souls can become "found" souls too. A troubled man once asked a traveling evangelist a profound question; he said, "What must I do to be saved?" The answer to his question was quick and simple: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (and your household too)." No, not just an informational belief such as that the ocean is one hours drive to the west; but a life and death belief, such as when you jump from an airplane and you believe that your parachute will open and save your life.
Now that I have trusted Jesus and accepted him as Lord and Savior of my life, I am no longer a "lost" soul, but I am a "found" soul. I have become a part of God's vast army of laborers sent into the harvest field to rescue other lost souls. And this, then, becomes my problem! If I was lost, and am now found; if I am now commissioned by Christ to rescue other lost souls on his behalf - and in his place and stead - then what should my daily life be? If I truly believe that every death sends a person's soul to eternal damnation, or to eternal joy and peace with God, then what must my daily life be?
Death is eternal separation from God. Are we consumed with a desire to reach people facing that destiny? Do we sugarcoat death into meaninglessness? Do I influence lost souls toward the Savior each and every day? If not, what am I really all about as I live out my remaining days? Does it really matter if my ATT stock jumps another six points? Is it all that terribly important that I get one more vacation under my belt or build the addition to the house? Can I really be happy if all I have to put on my spiritual scales is more wood, hay and stubble? Don't we already have enough of that stuff in the barn.
If in this life you accumulate twice the amount of wood, hay and stubble you now store in your barn, all you have really accomplished is a capacity to build twice as big a bonfire. The only important bonfire is called "hell," and we should face that fact squarely. It is souls that count; yes, it is souls that count! Of more value than diamonds, rubies or gold, costing the precious life of the Savior himself - souls really count.
I rarely opened that scripture memorization packet as it lay around my bedroom, but Romans 6:23 was always visible on the cover. As I grew older, no one had to tell me what I already knew in my heart - that I was indeed spiritually dead and separated from God because I had sinned and I had received the just wages for my behavior. I was a lost soul.
But, lost souls can become "found" souls too. A troubled man once asked a traveling evangelist a profound question; he said, "What must I do to be saved?" The answer to his question was quick and simple: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (and your household too)." No, not just an informational belief such as that the ocean is one hours drive to the west; but a life and death belief, such as when you jump from an airplane and you believe that your parachute will open and save your life.
Now that I have trusted Jesus and accepted him as Lord and Savior of my life, I am no longer a "lost" soul, but I am a "found" soul. I have become a part of God's vast army of laborers sent into the harvest field to rescue other lost souls. And this, then, becomes my problem! If I was lost, and am now found; if I am now commissioned by Christ to rescue other lost souls on his behalf - and in his place and stead - then what should my daily life be? If I truly believe that every death sends a person's soul to eternal damnation, or to eternal joy and peace with God, then what must my daily life be?
Death is eternal separation from God. Are we consumed with a desire to reach people facing that destiny? Do we sugarcoat death into meaninglessness? Do I influence lost souls toward the Savior each and every day? If not, what am I really all about as I live out my remaining days? Does it really matter if my ATT stock jumps another six points? Is it all that terribly important that I get one more vacation under my belt or build the addition to the house? Can I really be happy if all I have to put on my spiritual scales is more wood, hay and stubble? Don't we already have enough of that stuff in the barn.
If in this life you accumulate twice the amount of wood, hay and stubble you now store in your barn, all you have really accomplished is a capacity to build twice as big a bonfire. The only important bonfire is called "hell," and we should face that fact squarely. It is souls that count; yes, it is souls that count! Of more value than diamonds, rubies or gold, costing the precious life of the Savior himself - souls really count.
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