Too late?
My Dad recently asked me why would anyone want to live a good life if, at the last minute, you can turn around and throw yourself upon the mercy of God and be saved? And the hard truth is, we know God will save a murderer if he turns to God at the last minute, whereas someone who has generally been a good guy but rejects Jesus is not going to be saved. The Bible is quite clear that the last minute people are still going to be saved, just because they believe, and not because they've actually done any good deeds. The thief on the cross had no chance to do any good deeds - he just said "Remember me when You come into Your Kingdom", and that was enough. And in the parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20, Jesus makes it quite clear that it is not our place to grumble about people who come in at the last minute. If the Master wants to be generous, who are we to complain, since we ourselves are the recipients of grace? And of course, everyone THINKS they're the hardworking ones who came in from the start, when in God's eyes we could well be the last minute ones!
But to expand on what is, frankly, one of Jesus' harder-to-accept teachings, I think it's important to understand that turning away from the precipice at the last minute is easier said than done. Coincidentally (or possibly providentially) my pastor spoke about this just this Sunday, so I'll combine my thoughts with what was said in church.
I think that there are two main reasons why it's NOT a good idea to wait for the last minute even though God saves even the last-minute. First - and this is the obvious one - no one knows when God is going to call time on our lives. You may never have the chance to turn around. A flowerpot could fall on your head. You could get a heart attack. That's simple enough.
But second, and more importantly in my view, is that if a person persists in walking apart from God, there's a certain momentum that takes time to arrest, and in some cases, that momentum may be irresistible - like a raft that's going over a waterfall. Let's say you have been committing adultery for 1 year. If you stop then, maybe there's a good chance to be repentant. If you go on for 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, at some point, you start rationalising your behaviour. How can I turn my back on my 4 year lover? I must have made a mistake when I married my wife. That was outside God's will, and now I've found the right partner. Or it can be an omission. Let's say you stop going to church for 1 month, then 2, then 3. You start thinking, as long as I use my time on Sunday to bless other people, how can God complain about that? Then you start finding fault with the church. Then finding fault with the pastor. And eventually there are a million GREAT reasons why you SHOULDN'T be going to church.
The point is, after a while, YOU STOP THINKING THAT YOU NEED TO REPENT. There's nothing to repent for, because you've totally rationalised it in your head. And once you reach that point, it's practically impossible to turn back, because it's like trying to turn an ocean liner around, with all the baggage that's built up around your rebellion. In Daniel 5, God gives King Belshazzar the warning of the writing on the wall. Why would God give a warning, unless there was still a chance to turn around? But despite Daniel's dire interpretation, there's nothing to indicate that King Belshazzar heeded the warning or repented, and that very night God took his life. It had been the last warning, yet King Belshazzar demonstrates for us that it can sometimes be too difficult to turn around.
And the even scarier thought is, sometimes God can continue to use you, and you can experience great earthly success, in work, in family, even in ministry! Just because God uses you doesn't mean you're OK! Look at Samson, who was used mightily by God even though he was clearly NOT OK. And in fact I think in many cases, one of the Devil's best tactics can be to DISTRACT you with success, so that you NO LONGER NEED God. Doesn't mean we try not to succeed, and doesn't mean God doesn't want us to succeed, but we should be wary in success.
So today, if you feel that God is speaking to you, gently warning or reprimanding you, turn back, before it's too late! It's not as easy as we think to turn around later. Hebrews 3:15 says "TODAY, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."
But to expand on what is, frankly, one of Jesus' harder-to-accept teachings, I think it's important to understand that turning away from the precipice at the last minute is easier said than done. Coincidentally (or possibly providentially) my pastor spoke about this just this Sunday, so I'll combine my thoughts with what was said in church.
I think that there are two main reasons why it's NOT a good idea to wait for the last minute even though God saves even the last-minute. First - and this is the obvious one - no one knows when God is going to call time on our lives. You may never have the chance to turn around. A flowerpot could fall on your head. You could get a heart attack. That's simple enough.
But second, and more importantly in my view, is that if a person persists in walking apart from God, there's a certain momentum that takes time to arrest, and in some cases, that momentum may be irresistible - like a raft that's going over a waterfall. Let's say you have been committing adultery for 1 year. If you stop then, maybe there's a good chance to be repentant. If you go on for 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, at some point, you start rationalising your behaviour. How can I turn my back on my 4 year lover? I must have made a mistake when I married my wife. That was outside God's will, and now I've found the right partner. Or it can be an omission. Let's say you stop going to church for 1 month, then 2, then 3. You start thinking, as long as I use my time on Sunday to bless other people, how can God complain about that? Then you start finding fault with the church. Then finding fault with the pastor. And eventually there are a million GREAT reasons why you SHOULDN'T be going to church.
The point is, after a while, YOU STOP THINKING THAT YOU NEED TO REPENT. There's nothing to repent for, because you've totally rationalised it in your head. And once you reach that point, it's practically impossible to turn back, because it's like trying to turn an ocean liner around, with all the baggage that's built up around your rebellion. In Daniel 5, God gives King Belshazzar the warning of the writing on the wall. Why would God give a warning, unless there was still a chance to turn around? But despite Daniel's dire interpretation, there's nothing to indicate that King Belshazzar heeded the warning or repented, and that very night God took his life. It had been the last warning, yet King Belshazzar demonstrates for us that it can sometimes be too difficult to turn around.
And the even scarier thought is, sometimes God can continue to use you, and you can experience great earthly success, in work, in family, even in ministry! Just because God uses you doesn't mean you're OK! Look at Samson, who was used mightily by God even though he was clearly NOT OK. And in fact I think in many cases, one of the Devil's best tactics can be to DISTRACT you with success, so that you NO LONGER NEED God. Doesn't mean we try not to succeed, and doesn't mean God doesn't want us to succeed, but we should be wary in success.
So today, if you feel that God is speaking to you, gently warning or reprimanding you, turn back, before it's too late! It's not as easy as we think to turn around later. Hebrews 3:15 says "TODAY, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."
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