Sometimes there is not a warning for things that happen to us. In fact, most of the time we are taken by surprise at many of life’s twists and turns. You may head out to work just as you do each day, only to find a flat tire or that the car won’t start. You may receive an unexpected phone call or letter that changes your day.
Often we feel like we are back in a classroom and the teacher announces a pop quiz that we are terribly unprepared for. However, the reason teachers give pop quizzes is because they believe their students should have enough knowledge accumulated to be able to pass it. The information was already given by the instructor and from the textbook, so there should be no problem with the test.
I had a professor in Seminary who would give us a list of possible questions for every major test in his class. He would list 25 or 30 questions and tell us that ten of those would be on the test in the exact form listed. There was absolutely no reason for anyone to not perform well on his exams. However, many still found it difficult to make an “A”. Why was it difficult to make an exceptional grade? Because he expected perfection. After all, he gave us the questions to the test. Any mistakes were graded harshly. He gave us every opportunity to succeed. The choice was ours to diligently prepare, or merely guess which questions would be on the test.
God has given us fair warning about our lives, and the upcoming test that is involved at the end of them. We will all either take this test when we die or when we meet Him in the air. It is a simple test, and like my professor, He has given us both the question and the answer already.
On test day, we will be asked if we accepted the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. If so, we pass the test. If not, then we fail. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? However, just as there were those who disregarded the warnings from my professor, there will be many who disregard the warnings of Jesus. Many times they don’t disregard spitefully. They simply think they have more time to get things in order.
Jesus illustrates this several times in the scriptures. In one parable, Jesus tells the story of the ten virgins who were waiting on the bridegroom. Five of them kept everything ready for his arrival, while the other five did not prepare. When the bridegroom arrives, he takes the first five with him, while the others scramble around to get everything together. They get left behind. (Matthew 25:1-13)
Do not fail the test given by the Master when that day comes. Make sure you are ready at all times. We never know when He may come for us to take us with Him to Heaven, or when we may meet the end of our lives on this earth.
While there is no guarantee of when it will happen, there is a guarantee that it will happen. We have been provided everything we need in order to hear Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
Would you pass that pop quiz today? If not, please contact me, your minister, a Christian friend, or anyone who can help lead you to the One who can change your life forever. To find out more about becoming a Christian, follow this link. http://www.sbc.net/knowjesus/theplan.asp
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
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