OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - TUESDAY - 18/03/2014 - THE COST OF ETERNAL LIFE BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

THE COST OF ETERNAL LIFE

MEMORISE

And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

Mark 9:47

READ

Matthew 13:45-46

45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

MESSAGE

Jesus Christ gave a parable in our Bible reading today on the importance of making sure we are not exempted from the kingdom of God. He likened the kingdom of God to a precious pearl that a rich merchant sought for, and after he had found it, went and sold all that he had just to buy it. In Mark 9:47, Jesus gave another serious instruction, showing just how important it is for everyone to strive to gain entrance into the kingdom of God. He said that if your eye, as precious and important to living as it is, will disqualify you from gaining entry into the presence of God at the end of your life, you should pluck it out! This is food for thought when we observe how careless we could be when it comes to the matter of making it to Heaven at the end of life. We seem to trivialise the problem of sin and what sin is capable of doing against our souls.

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Revelation 21:8

It is unfortunate that modern day theologians are writing and teaching people to be comfortable in their sinful lifestyle. They are explaining away the reality of Heaven and Hell. These two realms are real; they should not be explained away. As we continue to live on this planet earth, we should always remember that we do not have a permanent stay here. No matter how blessed we are with long life, eternity is not here on this present earth. A new earth and a new heaven are in the making for us according to Revelation 21:1-2. Therefore, whatever will disqualify you from gaining entry into the new earth and the new heaven should be discarded immediately. The reason is not far-fetched; death may come at any given time and the expected tomorrow may not come. Failure to enter to the kingdom of God leaves room only for the second option which is disastrous – hell. Today is the day of salvation, now is the acceptable time. Every weight that besets us must be done away with in accordance with the admonition in Hebrews 12:1:

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”

PRAYER POINT

Father, please grant me strength in my inner man to stop doing whatever I am doing that will make me a candidate for hell, in Jesus’ Name.