My neighbor Mrs. Anderson was excited. Her son had just bought her a ticket to fly to Guyana, a country in South America. She had a sister living there who was ill. She would be leaving in a week, with very little time to prepare. I helped her get some gifts for the relatives and children down there whom she would be visiting. When the day came, she was all ready with gifts for everyone.
The next evening I had a phone call from Mrs. Anderson. “Where are you?” I asked excitedly, thinking she must be calling from Guyana. “I’m at home,” she said rather sadly. And then I heard the story.
Mrs. Anderson’s son had picked her up around 6:00 in the morning and taken her to the airport where they got in line to check in. When her turn came, the attendant took her ticket and passport.
“This passport has expired,” he said.
Mrs. Anderson and her son looked at each other and then at the passport. “I didn’t know it had expired,” Mrs. Anderson said. “And I never thought to check it,” her son added.
“Well, I am sorry, but you cannot leave the country without a valid passport” was the short answer.
And so, for all her hopes, plans and efforts, Mrs. Anderson was turned away because the most important document, her passport, was no longer good. What a disappointment!
However, a disappointment like that will be small compared to what will happen when many people stand before God after this life on earth is over. These people might plan to tell God of all their hard work and how they have done the best they could, but all of it will be worthless if they do not have a valid “passport” to heaven. Jesus said, “No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)). Peter told the religious leaders, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)).
God has made the passport to heaven easy to receive. In fact, He offers it to everyone as a gift: “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:89). Have you received this gift?
My neighbor took the earliest opportunity to try to renew her passport. She made her way into the busy city and went to the Passport Office. There, to her dismay, were people out front, holding signs announcing that the Passport Office was on strike. This meant she could not get a valid passport. Again, she returned home disappointed. She would have to go back in a few weeks to try again.
But there will be no second chance for those who stand unprepared before God. All excuses will be worthless. Only the passport of faith in the Lord Jesus opens the way to heaven.
Thank God there is a passport waiting for you if you will accept His offer of forgiveness of sins. And that offer still stands today, for God does not go on strike. Hear what the Bible says: “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:67).
Be sure you have a valid passport to heaven, for the Bible also tells us, “Now is the accepted time. . . . Now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:22(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2)). Once you have received it, you will not be turned away at heaven’s door.
ML-02/10/2002