“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and
fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named
Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s
table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
“The time came when the beggar died and the
angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In
Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with
Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and
send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because
I am in agony in this fire.’
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your
lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but
now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us
and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from
here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
Luke 16:19-26
Todays’ post looks at a portion of what is probably a very
familiar parable for many of us.
There is much which can be learned from this parable.
You, no doubt, have heard the expression: “It ain’t
over ‘till the fat lady sings.”
It is a phrase most often used when a situation is (or
appears to be) reaching it’s conclusion.
Certainly a lesson that the rich man learned was that
life does not end with the grave.
We often, as believers, speak about the reward of
eternal life.
But the truth is we all we spend eternity somewhere.
That ‘somewhere’ is limited to one of two different
destinations: Heaven or Hell.
Not exactly a message to write home about if your current
destination is Hell.
But here’s the good news; I know you are still drawing
breath so your ticket can be punched for the alternate destination.
In Matthew 25:41 Jesus said:
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from
me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his
angels.”
I hope you caught that last part because it assures us
that hell was never created for man.
Yes, there will be men there but that will be because
they chose to ignore the provision God provides through His Son.
God does not desire anyone to perish in Hell.
God does not desire that you spend eternity in Hell.
Rather He delights in making a way for you to be welcomed
into heaven.
What is that way?
Choosing to receive Jesus Christ as your savior and
receiving the work He completed on the cross applied in your life.
Yes, it is that simple.
There may not be any fat ladies singing if you make
that choice but I assure you the angels in heaven will rejoice over your
choice!
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