Life Goes By Really Fast - Then It Is Permanently Over

  I have clear memories of playing with Colorforms and my little record player. Some of the toys I played with actually gave me shocks (like my record player and my Easy Bake Ovens)! I remember watching Lassie on our black and white television set.

  But today, I am looking back, not just on memories that I had as a child, but memories of my grandchildren.

  I was thinking of the times when my mom's cousin would come over and stay with us. I had to be only about 4 or 5. My mom's cousin was 11. My mom would have been around 25 back then. To think that my mom is in her 80s (good for her!) and her cousin is in her 60s. Where did the time go?

  When I was 9, I went to my aunt's wedding. Ten years later, my aunt would be my maid of honor in my wedding. Now I have been married most of my life. And my aunt and uncle are now in their 70s.

  All of my grandparents are deceased. Most of my aunts and uncles are gone. Some of my cousins are even gone. This is a sad part of life. No more parties or family gatherings. Most of the people who were there, aren't here anymore.

Here is what the Bible has to say about the brevity of life:

"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—  yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. "

James 4:13,14 ESV

Here it is put another way:

"There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, you're not there any more."

This is from the Ghost of Christmas Present, Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

Friends, we only get a certain amount of 'time' to live on earth. Are we making an impact for the kingdom of God? Or are we using our blessings to enrich ourselves?

Here is a little poem. Not sure who wrote it:

Tis only one life, t'will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last.

Once we are gone, there is no more returning to earth. The Bible says that we have an appointment with death. Then after that the judgment.

We live in time. We die, and go into eternity. Eternity never ends. Each of us will spend eternity in one of 2 places; heaven or hell. 

Those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior, will spend eternity with God, in heaven. Those who try to be good enough for heaven will never make it. Unless a person repents of his or her sins, and turns to God, believing in (trusting in) Jesus Christ, the person will spend eternity in a place of torment called hell. 

Between heaven and hell is a huge gap that no one can cross over. Once a person enters eternity, there is no switching back and forth. Those in heaven will stay in heaven. Those in hell will stay in hell. 

The Good News is that everyone reading this can respond to God, right now. We don't have to wait until we die to find out where we can spend eternity. If God is at work in our hearts, we can trust in Him, today, at this moment. 

For more information on salvation and knowing God, please go to http://thegospelconversation.blogspot.com or http://test4gp.wordpress.com

We Are Either The Scent Of Life Or The Scent Of Death To Those Around Us

I have a funny story of something that happened today. Let me go back and explain first, the context of this story.

I have been using essential oils for the past couple of years. One of the most popular blend of essential oils is called 'Thieves' or '4 Thieves'. One company names it 'On Guard'. Well, I make my own blend of this and put it in a dropper bottle I keep in my purse.

Many times, I have put this oil on, and people will smell it and find it attractive. A lot of times, people come up to me and tell me that I smell really good.

A couple of weeks ago, I put some of this oil on my hands. When I got outside, I gave some tracts to a couple of young men and they loved the scent on the tracts! Later on that week, I went to a store and put some on my hands. A lady who was sitting nearby in a motorized chair was so intrigued by the scent. She finally identified me as the person wearing the scent and wanted more information on it.

That is the kind of response I usually get from people when I use the scent on my hands.

But today, I had a surprise. We were at the doctor's office, waiting for my mom's appointment. I put some oil on my hands. Some lady came out of the door and started sniffing. "What's that smell?' she asked while crinkling up her nose. While she still had a sour face, she said, 'It smells like pumpkin pie'. This lady's expression indicated that she was everything but happy about the wonderful scent I had just used on my hands. The lady then took a seat next to another woman and the conversation about this 'smell' continued. Finally, the lady got up and walked to the other side of the room and sat down there!

This reminds me so much of what the Bible says when it talks of us being an aroma of Christ. Here is what the Bible says about this subject:
"But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one, we are an odor of death and demise; to the other, a fragrance that brings life." 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 Berean Study Bible

When we are around others who have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ and have trusted in Him for their salvation, we are like a fragrance that is delightful to be around. But when we are around those who have a hardened heart, then the aroma is like death to those around us. It is not pleasant to them when we are around these people. 

Are people who are coming to know the Lord, attracted to us? Do we smell like sweet perfume to them, spiritually speaking? Or does our presence around people bring to their attention the condition of their spirits, which are dead?

Whenever Paul preached the Gospel message, he got three different responses. One response was that people were convicted of their need of a Savior and repented of their sins. Another response was that the hearers were interested and wanted more information. The last type of response was that of people hardening their hearts against God. 

We are in no way responsible for the conditions of people's hearts. But, we are responsible for representing Jesus Christ in such a way that people will see Him for who He is, as He lives in us. When people truly see Jesus Christ in us, we will get the same kinds of responses that Paul had. But if we are not abiding in Christ, there will not be the aroma of Christ in us that will affect those around us.