Expiration Date

Ever notice that most products have an expiration date? What about people?

“Now hold on just a minute! How could people have an expiration date?”

Think about it. No one gets off the planet alive. How long do you think you’ll live? Forever?

Reader’s Digest recently conducted an interesting worldwide survey. They asked people if they’d like to live forever. The results were published in the May 2009 issue.

If you think a majority said, “Yes, I want to live forever” – you’d be wrong.

Not even the younger generation consistently chose immortality. The report found that more than 50 per cent of those younger than 45 in seven countries (including the U.S.A.) said they don’t want to live forever!

The Digest’s conclusion was “Most respondents…are just fine with their limited shelf life here on earth.”

As interesting as such surveys are they are pointless. Let’s face it folks—we don’t get to choose whether we die, do we?

The Bible says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (That kind of knocks reincarnation out of the game, doesn’t it?)

That’s the bad news. But there’s also good news. The Bible continues by saying, “So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Some people avoid talking about death—as if ignoring life’s one certainty will somehow allow them to avoid it. But the Bible takes a better approach. It confronts one of our greatest fears head on and offers the only way to face death without fear.

The Bible reminds us that, after death, we will all live somewhere forever. And God wants every one of us to spend eternity with him.

Frankly, the other alternative, hell, doesn’t sound very people friendly.

Thankfully, God’s solution is simple. You must give up the idea that you can somehow be good enough to earn Heaven. If you doubt it, read the Ten Commandments (God’s standard for goodness) and see how you measure up. They’re in Exodus chapter 20 of the Bible.

Next you must recognize that God provided the solution through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. The Bible says that through faith in him, your sins will be forgiven and you will receive the gift of eternal life.

So now the issue is no longer your goodness or badness. The issue is what will you do with Jesus Christ? Will you accept him as the Son of God and obey him as your Lord? That one decision determines your eternal destiny.

God doesn’t play games with our future. Here’s what the Bible says: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

Then it adds this: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” Not “hope” you have it. “Know” you have it.

So here are the facts of death: Regardless of your expiration date, through Jesus Christ you can receive an eternal extension. The only condition is that you must ask God for it to receive it.

How’s that for simplicity?

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!