Devotional Thought

The ‘Myth’ That Everyone Goes to Heaven

A man was eating at a Chinese restaurant. His fortune cookie read, “True love is a lot like ghosts. Everybody talks about it, but few people have really seen it.”

Most people believe God is to be a loving God. He is! The Bible declares, “God is love” (1 John 4:16).

But we must not equate love with tolerance. It is not loving for parents to let their small children play with electricity. It is not loving for God to let us believe falsehoods. In both cases something must be done.

Loving parents correct and discipline their children as necessary. A loving God teaches us in his Word the truths he wants us to know. If we reject those truths, we bring the consequences on ourselves.

In his Word, for instance, God tells us that he loves us so much “that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

There is only one way that leads to eternal life in heaven. That is through faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior from sin. Anything less, or anything more, distorts God’s truths.

It makes a tremendous difference what we believe. If we believe we are heading east when we are driving west, we will not get to our destination.

The truth that nourishes our souls is that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Other paths may be interesting. We may even be sentimentally attached to them. Unfortunately, they are all dead ends.

Rejoice in God’s gift of eternal life through his Son. Then you won’t have to worry about ghosts.

Pastor R.