People who think they will never have anything to do with the living God are living in a land of make-believe. They are dreaming that they can leave God out of their lives and all will be well.
They think that they are improving the world God has made by leaving all notion of Him out of it.
They make believe that this gorgeous world we live in somehow made itself. They make believe that life on earth was caused by something they refer to as “random chance.” They make believe that intelligence in the universe arose over a vast expanse of time from things that have no intelligence.
They make believe there is no universal code of morals in the world, and men and women are free to choose whatever they want to do with impunity. They make believe that humans have the ability to satisfy the deepest longings of their own hearts by their own endeavors. They believe sin is not a deadly thing.
Are you living in a world of make-believe? If so, know this. The real world is far more interesting, beautiful and livable than any make-believe world could ever be. In the real world, God made all things in His wisdom and for His pleasure. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:1111Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11)).
In the real world, God gave men and women the ability to love and understand Him. In the real world, God orders all things by His providence. His eye is in all places. He gives breath to every creature, opens His hand and satisfies their desires. In the real world, God loves sinners and in an act of supreme love that surpasses our ability to understand, God became a man and gave His life for His creature’s sin. In the real world, sinners who could never have deserved it may share in the very life of God throughout eternity through faith in Christ.
In the real world, there is a heaven waiting for those who come to love and trust the Savior. In the real world, the God who made all things is not far from any of the men and women He made, and if they call out to Him in faith, He will certainly make Himself known to them. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:1313For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)). In the real world, God wants all to come to Him in repentance and faith. He wants all to trust the Savior for the forgiveness of sins and then to love Him with all their hearts.
If you think you are going to live a long and happy life and then at death just cease to have any being at all, like the animals that perish, you need to think again. Your make-believe world is certain to come crashing down around you. After you die, you will come into judgment before God. (You might have believed your sins were harmless and trivial, but God does not. He knows the terrible insult they are to true holiness.) “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)). After this judgment, those who die in their sins will be cast into the abyss of hell. There will be nothing make-believe about the miseries of hell. Once there, people will never escape the suffering.
In the real world, what we do always has consequences attached to it. In the real world, what we do with Christ will determine where we spend eternity. In the real world, decisions really do matter.
Because we are living in the world God has made, won’t you believe in the name of Jesus Christ, who came into the world so that eternal life could be yours? “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)).
What an absolutely wonderful truth this is! The Creator came to earth in the person of the Son so all those who would believe in His name may look forward to spending eternity in the glory of heaven. What a Savior is Jesus the Lord!
Can You See? gives a fresh and needed way of pondering what is ahead for all of us.