Daily Wisdom 01-23-2003 Eternity Insurance

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Eternity Insurance

It's always hard to lose someone you love. It's especially hard when it's a child.Recently, my friends lost their precious granddaughter Amy. She was only two years old. She went to sleep with a little cold and a little fever. By the end of the night, Amy was gone from a cause that, at this point, is still a medical mystery. As I talked with the family at the visitation, there was, of course, deep grief, but also a little comfort from something beautiful that happened right before Amy went to sleep that night. Her mother began singing "Jesus Loves Me" to her, and little Amy sang along with her. Her last words, "Jesus loves me, this I know." And then she was with Him.

The way little Amy went into eternity is a wonderful way for any of us to go into eternity - knowing Jesus loves us and that we will be with Him forever. We all have our appointment to keep with God, and what happens there has everything to do with our response to that love. A love that little children sometimes seem to understand best.

Maybe that's why, according to our word for today from the Word of God in Matthew 18, beginning at verse 2, "Jesus called a little child and had him stand among them. And He said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'"

When you put that in the context of a little two-year-old's simple trust in the love of Jesus, you see some of what Jesus is trying to say here. We've got all our sophistication, our questions, our doubts, our analysis, our hardness, and our pride. You and I don't want to believe that we can't earn heaven with our goodness, that all we can do is put all our trust in the Savior who died to remove the death penalty for our sin. No, no. We're strong, we're self-reliant, we're smart, and we struggle with simply reaching out to Jesus in uncomplicated, unreserved faith. But there is no other way to, in Jesus' words, "enter the kingdom of heaven." But when our heart beats for the last time, it won't matter what degrees or positions we held, how many people we knew, what religion we were, what nice things they said about us at our funeral. All that will matter is whether or not you have grabbed the nail-scarred hand of Jesus Christ to forgive your sin and take you to His heaven.

Grabbing a hand in total trust is something a child totally understands and something we grown-up children need to understand again. Because if you haven't trusted Jesus to be your personal Savior from your personal sin, you don't stand a chance in eternity. He's the only One who can forgive and erase what will keep you out of heaven - your sin and its death penalty. He died that death penalty on the cross so you don't have to.

You need to face eternity knowing that Jesus loves you and that you have responded to His love. You don't want to enter eternity, and facing Jesus, knowing that you neglected or rejected His love for you ... poured out on His cross.

If you've never grabbed Jesus' hand to be your Savior, please don't risk another day outside His love. If you want to belong to Him, I'd love to send you the booklet I wrote about this relationship called "Yours For Life." Just let us know you want it.

A little girl enters eternity, knowing that Jesus loves her and showing you and me the love that we so desperately need. "Jesus loves me, this I know."

Today's Daily Wisdom is written by Ron Hutchcraft, based on his popular radio broadcast,"A Word With You"."A WORD WITH YOU" daily devotionals are now available via e-mail. To subscribe send a blank email to:awordwithyou-subscribe@hutchcraft.com,or to request the "Yours for Life" booklet, fill out the form on this site:http://www.gospelcom.net/rhm/yours/yflorder.html. Ron Hutchcraft Ministries has been on-line with Gospelcom since February, 1996, providingpractical answers to real life issues. (c) 2000 Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.PO Box 400, Harrison AR 72602