Beech Tree News Network

            A good friend of mine spoke to me about a traumatic event in his life. His words were quite sobering as he talked about his co-worker’s “last chance” to be saved. This person ignored the spiritual warnings he had been given by the Bible and by friends and died in his sins. My friend’s words were sober reminders to tell others about the Lord while we can. We may not get another chance! We never know what will happen in a day (Prov. 27:1). Will today be our last day on earth? Only God knows the answer. Will the last chance we had be “our last chance”?

            Who knows (except God) whether or not today will be our last day to hear the gospel? Who knows whether or not this day will be our last day to repent? Someday, our last chance we had will indeed be our “last chance.” What then? Will our lives show that we wasted the opportunity or that we used it to God’s glory?

            The urgency to not waste our time is seen on numerous occasions in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit inspired this writing: “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Heb. 3:7-8, 15, 4:7; Ps. 95:7-8). These Christians were also told to “Exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today’ …” (Heb. 3:13). After quoting Isaiah 49:8, the apostle Paul told the Corinthians, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Cor. 6:2). In addition to these passages, we might also add the example of the Philippian Jailor and his family, who became Christians “straightway” or immediately after hearing the gospel preached (Acts 16:33)! Neither on this occasion, nor in any other case of conversion, do we read about people being encouraged to wait days, weeks, or months to be saved. At the moment they understood that they were sinners and knew what to do to be saved, folks were encouraged to obey without delay (Acts 2:38-41, 8:35-39, 10:48, 16:14-15, 31-34, etc.).

            Why are these examples important? They are important because they show us the Biblical emphasis on taking advantage of our choices “here and now”! We never know when the last chance we had will become “our last chance”!

What if this article is the last article you will read?

What if the last time you heard a sermon preached would be your last time ever to listen to a sermon? Were you paying attention as God’s word was explained? What was the subject?

What if the last invitation you heard and ignored was the last one to which you would be able to respond?

            These are serious questions and demand serious answers. This is because one day, you will answer all of those questions! Men are finite creatures facing an infinite future. Will we spend our eternity in Heaven? Will we spend our eternity in Hell? The answers to these questions are determined while we live on this earth. If God allows us to live for another month, another year, ten years, or twenty, how will we live? Are we wasting our time on earth or using it to God’s glory (I Pet. 4:11)? Let us compare our lives with the word of God and answer that question (Jas. 1:22-25). When will our last chance be “our last chance”? We never know until it is too late (Prov. 27:1). Don’t waste another minute (Ps. 90:12)!

-- You are invited to visit with the Caneyville church of Christ. Times of services: Sun.: 10:00 am, 10:45 am, 5:00 pm; Wed.: 7:00 pm. Website: http://caneyvillechurchofchrist.com Tune in to our radio program 101.5 FM at 5:30 am, Mon-Fri. Questions? Call: (270) 589-4167