Today, I gave a salvation message entirely in Spanish to a class of teenagers. After I finished, our Colombian host explained further with blocks that explained the Gospel visually. On one of the boxes was a picture of the flames in Hell. I listened as she explained that if you accept Christ into your life that you will go to Heaven. I remembered back to when I was a teenager; my faith had been empty. I was a “Christian”. I wanted to go to Heaven and I hoped that Jesus would save me. I tried to pray and not sin so I wouldn’t burn for eternity in Hell, not so I would have a personal relationship with Christ.
In the class today, I began to think deeper. What if there was no Heaven or Hell after we died? What if I just had the choice to follow Christ in this life and it wouldn’t affect what happened after I died? Would I still follow Him?
If I would have thought about this a few years ago, my answer would have surely been no. I would have said that it is too hard and that there wasn’t a point. The only thing that was important was going to Heaven.
However, over the past two years God has changed my heart.
Yes, absolutely I would choose to follow Christ even if it didn’t affect my afterlife.
You might be asking, “But why?”
Because Christ is more now than I could have ever hoped for. I ask Him questions and He responds. He helps me through all of my trials and doesn’t condemn me for my faults. He loves me through them. He gives me a joy that cannot be extinguished, no matter how my day goes or how people treat me. He gives me a peace each morning that surpasses my understanding. I have come to realize that I don’t have to wait until I die for Heaven. God wants to pull us close and bless us now.
