Police Devotional 8-19-20
Earthly-Wise but Eternity-Foolish
“And he [Jesus] spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)
This man was rich, successful in business, and knew how to handle money. His workers were likely well-paid and well-treated. By any estimate, he was a decent human being. Yet he KNEW he wasn’t ready to face God, but he figured he’d deal with that issue later: “And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” (Luke 12:19)
As a politician, you may have business experience and can handle money. Politicians need to be wise with money. Someone who can’t take care of his or her own money shouldn’t be allowed to handle taxpayer money. You probably also spend much time on politics, like this man no doubt spent on his business. Political office is a big commitment for you and your family, which is why politicians should receive a decent wage. Hopefully, you’re also involved in politics because you care about people.
Yet one day—you don’t know when, where, or how—you will go into eternity. “There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death:” (Ecclesiastes 8:8) Please don’t think you have plenty of time to prepare for eternity later. You may not have time.
So how does one prepare for eternity? There must be a way. Jesus said, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26) The way He said that there must be a way to be sure. There is! First, you first need to realize your sinful condition before God: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23) Like everyone else, you are guilty of sins against God. As a result, you are “short of the glory of God” and can’t get into heaven on your own.
Next, realize that God’s punishment on your sins is death: “For the wages of sin is death;” (Romans 6:23) If you die separated from God, you spend eternity separated from God in the lake of fire: “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Revelation 20:14) How horrible.
Yet here’s wonderful news! Jesus, God the Son, took every sin you would ever commit and died in your place on the cross: “Who [Jesus] his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,” (1 Peter 2:24) He was buried, rose again, and is alive today! “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen;” (Revelation 1:18)
Now that you know this, you need to receive Him! “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (John 1:12 To receive Jesus is to come to Him as a repentant sinner and invite Him into your life, trusting entirely in Him to forgive you your sins and get you to heaven by His grace.
If you want to do that, you could call on the Lord like this: “Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner and deserve hell. Thank you for loving me and dying for my sins. Forgive me of my sins. I repent. I’m receiving you now into my heart and life as my God and Saviour. I’m trusting entirely in you to get me to heaven. Thank you.”
God’s promise is sure for anyone who receives Jesus: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:” (John 3:36) If you’ve received Jesus as Saviour, we’re glad that you didn’t put off eternity as the foolish rich man did. If you have any questions, please contact us. Our info is below. We are also online at www.clevelandbaptist.org.
Brian Miller 8/19/2020
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822