The two college students who sat in my dorm room that spring semester night of my junior year of college seemed harmless.
They had no idea that with nine words they’d shot a hole through my wall of false thinking. I was quick to say yes; however, the question they asked would stay with me over the next several days: “If you died tonight, would you go to heaven?” I pondered those nine words, “If I died tonight, would I go to heaven?”
Having spent my childhood going to Sunday School, sitting on the family pew during services, and attending VBS, Youth Group, and most church events, I thought I was okay. But was I? None of those things could get me into heaven on their own merit. The only thing that would allow me to say I was heaven bound was if I’d accepted Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” It didn’t matter if I was a good person and was brought up going to church. What mattered was if I had a relationship with Jesus. I knew who He was, but I wondered if He knew me?
Jesus loves you so much that He died in your place so that your sins could be forgiven and you could stand before a holy God. I have accepted His gift of salvation—His saving me from my sins. I believe He died and rose again, and that He is in heaven standing up for me when my enemy Satan accuses me. I spend time with Him by reading His words in Scripture, spending time talking to Him in prayer, and listening to His still small voice.
How would those nine words affect you if you were asked, “If you died tonight, would you go to heaven?”
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Beth Fortune has a passion for God’s Word and a desire to teach, lead, and encourage others. Whether through writing or speaking, she allows the heartbeat of the Father to pour through her words. She is an award winning writer whose articles have been published in magazines such as Focus on the Family’s “Thriving Family” magazine, “Reach Out Columbia,” and Dr. Charles Stanley’s “In Touch” magazine, as well as stories published in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books and other anthologies. She lives in Greenville, SC, and serves with her husband who is the pastor of a church. You can visit her website at www.bethfortune.org.