Are You Prepared
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6
Unless you live in a cave without modern media, you have probably seen the life insurance commercials advising us to prepare financially so our loved ones will not have to pay for our final expenses. My favorite one is the nine-ninety-five plan, where the husband and wife talk about the 76-year-old man who runs marathons and died “just like that!” Nearly everything we do is in preparation for something. The motto of the Boy Scouts is “Be Prepared.” We prepare because a lack of preparation leads to great displeasure and failure.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”
Benjamin Franklin
While preparing for events here on earth is relatively easy, you must ask yourself, “Am I prepared for what happens after I die?” When you die, your body goes through several physical changes. So you prepare your final arrangements to care for your body, but what will happen to your SOUL and SPIRIT.
The Bible tells us we are made of three parts, the body, the soul, and the spirit. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23. Our physical bodies are easily seen, but our souls and spirits are not. Think about a two-layered circle. The outer is the body, the interior is the soul, and the center is the spirit.
Our bodies consist of the physical, meaning using all five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. The soul and spirit are a little harder to define. What makes it more difficult is many people frequently use the terms “spirit” and “soul” interchangeably; however, they are not synonymous.
Through your mind, heart, will, and imagination, your SOUL expresses your inner life concerning your experience. It also includes your thoughts, desires, passions, and dreams. Your soul is your humanity, which drives you to feel emotions.
Your SPIRIT is your more profound connection with the Lord when you believe in God and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. The purpose of your SPIRIT is spiritual. It is the sole means by which you communicate with God and can only be used if you believe in God and receive Him through the salvation of Jesus Christ. God gives you your SPIRIT; King Solomon wrote, “For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7
Preparing for the future leads many to consider whether there is another existence after this life. Many people cannot escape the thoughts of what will happen after death, and they are prone to erasing those thoughts from their minds. They busy themselves with the things of the flesh and the world, placing thoughts of death, Heaven, and hell into the distant future.
The majesty of Heaven and the horrors of hell should convince you that Heaven must be your permanent destination. If you are to get this gift, you must make a decision. A choice must be made. To do nothing will mean being eternally lost. Those who do not repent of their sins will spend forever in hell. Jesus stated, “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.” Mathew 25:46
Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him – should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. That is God’s promise to those who believe. Those 25 words in John 3:16 are the cornerstone, the foundation, and the bedrock of the Christian faith. It states that He (God) gave His only Son (Jesus) for us to pay the ransom for our sins, the God who loves us so much. Can there be a greater love than that?
God cares for you and me! It is this Amazing Grace that God has given us, the gift of everlasting life. As the song goes, “Amazing Grace – How great the sound – That saved a wretch like me.”
How do you get this gift of Grace? How do you get to Heaven? You cannot “EARN” your way into Heaven. You can’t “BADGE” your way in; you will not get there because you are sinless; that’s impossible, as we are all born in sin. The mere “belief” that you somehow “deserve” Heaven because of your “GOOD” works or deeds is false. Good deeds do not earn God’s Grace; only believing in Jesus Christ will save you. In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul wrote, “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
How do you get God’s Grace; only believing in Jesus Christ will save you. You must Admit that you are a sinner, and you must repent of your sins, and
You must believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior and believe;
- that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin mother,
- that He lived a sinless life,
- that He was persecuted by the Jews and crucified on a cross by the Romans, and
- His Father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, resurrected Him from death.
1 Corinthians 15:26 tells us that death is the last enemy that shall be destroyed. Meaning;
- Death was the last of the enemies to come and will be the last to be destroyed. Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Those who are in Christ will be raised to eternal life in the presence of God and will die no more. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6
- Even unbelievers will live eternally in the lake of fire; “then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death.” Revelation 20:14
- Physical death is the last enemy to be destroyed for the righteous and the wicked.
To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. When we depart this world knowing our eternity is secure through the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, there is no weeping or sorrow. The promise of Jesus reminds us that our bodies will die, but our souls and spirit do not.
God says those who love and trust in Jesus Christ will be with Him forever – “that whoever believes in Him – will not perish but have everlasting life!” That is His promise! How good it is to know such a God as this. A God who loves us. Why should I believe in God’s promise, you ask?
“Because you can’t tell me it all ends in a slow-riding hearse.”
“I Believe” recorded by Brooks & Dunn
It is that Amazing Grace that when we experience physical death as believers, “we will not perish but have everlasting life.”
As first responders, we have answered to a unique calling and profession that requires certain aptitudes, commitment, training, and preparedness for duty. We fill places in our society that people cannot live without, regardless of whether you’re a firefighter, a police officer, a paramedic, an EMS ambulance driver, a dispatcher, an emergency room nurse, or a doctor. We must remember God is the ultimate First Responder; He is the First Responder in all situations in life.
Do you know God?
Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ?
If not or if you are unsure visit your Department’s Chaplain or click here
Make that decision today.
