A LETTER OF CONCERN TO MY FAMILY!

A letter to all the members of my family,

       I am sure every single one of you desires to spend eternity in heaven.  Not only that, but I am equally certain that you desire your children, and their children, to be there with you.  That being said, I have to ask you this question:  exactly what priority does Jesus Christ have in your personal life?  After all, He is your Creator (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-2)!  Because He willingly died to pay for your sins, and His Father raised Him from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; etc.), He has earned the right to be the Lord and Master of your life (John 13:13)!

       If you truly believe this, then everyone who knows you should be aware of it; your life should be seen by the world as being "peculiar" (Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9)!  They ought to recognize you are different from those whose lives are filled with "adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21). When they describe you, they ought to use words like "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance" (Galatians 5:22-23)!

       Don't get me wrong here; born again believers still struggle with sin, but the key word here is "struggle!"  They hate sin; they hate their own weakness, and they continually seek the Lord's help in overcoming the temptations we face everyday!  The apostle Paul wrote of his struggle in Romans 7:15-25.  Note that he didn't say he used to struggle with sin, but the entire passage is in present tense!  None of us is perfect, but those who love the Lord, strive to live lives that please Almighty God!  We will not be entirely victorious until we see Jesus face-to-face (1 John 3:1-2), but we long for that day to come and free us from our spiritual weakness!

       Now that being said, I wonder what each of you is doing to ensure your spouse, your children, and you grow in faith in the Lord?  What part does fellowship with other believers play in your lives? Do you teach your children the Bible stories that will help them grow to trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior?  Do they see the Lord as seated on the "throne of your heart?"  I made a lot of mistakes in my life, but one thing I can say without hesitation:  Judy and I took you to church, to vacation Bible school, and we sacrificed to make sure you were able to attend Christian schools.  Yes, I know we failed to live as role models, but you saw us trying!  My question is, do your children have a Christian education?  Do they get to attend church and Bible school?  And what about their children; what place does faith have in their lives?  It is not too late to set them down and admit you, like Judy and me, failed to do the very best we could.  It is not too late to get your priorities right.  But it is getting close!  Whether you believe it or not, the same Jesus Who fulfilled all the prophecies concerning His coming to serve as the Lamb of God, is coming soon to fulfill the rest of the Bible prophecies as the King of kings, and Lord of lords; the Lion of the tribe of Judah!

Do you want to go to heaven?  Do you want your kids to go?  Then turn your lives over to Jesus!