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”My life is a monument to procrastination, to the art of putting things off until later, or much later, or possibly never.“

– Chris Brown, English Satirist and Critic

How many of you can identify with Chris Brown’s statement? I have to admit that in my younger days I procrastinated about some things. I loved writing term papers in college, but there was a “catch”—I did my best writing “under pressure.” I always did the research weeks ahead of time, but didn’t type the papers until just before they were due. I was in Bible School when my wife and I married, so she got to type many of those last-minute papers.

Some things can be put off for a while:

Eating lunch at 1:00 PM instead of noon wouldn’t be a problem for most people.

Your grass won’t get much taller if you mow it Saturday morning instead of Friday night.

Other things, like retirement planning, shouldn’t be put off:

In 2017, 49% of adults ages 56-61 had no personal retirement savings.

The average retirement lasts 18 years. That’s a long time to “get by” on Social Security alone.

Clearly, many Americans are not prepared for their eventual retirement. Even fewer are
prepared for Eternity, which
will last much longer.

Most people have vague notions of Heaven and even murkier notions of how to get there. For the most part, they simply follow various “religious traditions” or they just try to be good and hope for the best.

The Bible is clear—Heaven isn’t an automatic destination because, “…all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

The Bible is clear—Heaven isn’t an earned destination because, “…we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses [good works, good behavior etc.] are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

How then can anyone be sure of Heaven? Again, the Bible is clear. In Chapter 14 of the Gospel of John, Jesus tells His disciples about Heaven: the place He is going to and the place He is preparing for them. When Thomas asks Jesus how they are going to get there, Jesus declares, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

Sincere religious activity and even the most generous good works will never get you, or me, into Heaven. The only way to Heaven is Jesus Christ. The only people going there are those who have been saved, who have admitted their sin and trusted Christ—and Christ alone—for Salvation.

Don’t get the wrong idea. Heaven is not an exclusive “club”. Over and over again, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, God shows how good and how gracious He is. He repeatedly calls on people, Jew and Gentile, rich and poor alike, to repent of their sin and turn to Him.

Read God’s words through the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 55:6-7:

“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.”

What about you?

Have you personally repented of your sin and asked Christ to save you? Have you received God’s abundant pardon? If so, Heaven is yours. If not, I plead with you to turn to Christ today. In 2 Corinthians 6:2, Scripture says, “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Today is here. Yesterday is gone; it cannot be re-lived and there are no “do overs.” Tomorrow is an “unclaimed promise”—only God knows whether you will be here for it. Take a late lunch if you must. Put off mowing the grass if you want to. But don’t procrastinate about the vital issue of Salvation. Don’t put off trusting Christ. Don’t put off settling where—and with whom—you will spend your Eternity. Do it today. Tomorrow may be too late.

Blessings to you!– Daniel E. Benton

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