IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE - Are YOU Ready?

Terri and I went to Wal-Mart today after lunch to get a few things and Terri was told some news that really affected me. One of her assistant store managers, Chandra (who I saw Friday - she was shrink-wrapped to a pole in Wal-Mart to raise money for a local charity), was killed in an automobile accident Saturday. In the blink of an eye - she was gone. That quick. No warning. Nothing. This feeling has come upon me before when someone that I knew or Terri knew died suddenly. It makes me stop and realize how precious our relationships with family, friends, and fellow human beings are. Everyone is a creation of God but not everyone knows Jesus as their personal savior. Those are the ones that I cry for. The ones I pray for. I don't want anyone to spend eternity in hell just because they won't accept the gift of salvation that God gave us - his son Jesus. People say they believe in God. But do they REALLY know what that means? Have they asked for forgiveness of their sin and asked Jesus into their heart? Do they really KNOW Jesus died for US so we can spend eternity with Him? That He is the son of God, died for our sins and rose again 3 days later? So many people think it is so difficult to get to heaven. It is not - if you truly believe:

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-10

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

We cannot "work" our way into heaven - we get to heaven by grace, through faith - by believing in Jesus and confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness. I know, without a doubt, that Jesus is my savior and I will spend eternity with Him.

This young lady who died, Chandra, we think was a Christian, but are not positive. I hope she was. When something like this happens, I want to just hug everyone I know and tell them I love them. Because I may not be here tomorrow. I want them to know how special they are. I want to live my life in the way I know Jesus would want me to - giving glory and honor to Him, to do everything I do FOR Him. Even the little things. I want to do this not because it will get me into heaven but because I love Jesus and want others to know that I do and that they can too. And ask them to not put off till tomorrow their acceptance of God's gift of salvation - accepting Jesus as their savior - their personal savior. Because tomorrow may be too late --- In the Blink of an Eye---Are YOU Ready?