Pretty much everyone knows John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  But do you know the next verse?  “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”   You have to CHOOSE to serve the LORD and be saved, and  many don’t want to.

Oh, it may not be because they don’t want everlasting life, maybe they think it isn’t worth the bother, or that if God wants them to have everlasting life, they will have it with no effort on their part whatsoever.  There are many reasons people don’t CHOOSE LIFE.  But regardless of the reason, we all still have a choice, and God recognizes that choice because He is the one who gave us free will in the first place.  And He won’t interfere with that free will.  That’s why mankind goes to war and engages in other destructive behavior.  Though God is the Creator and the Almighty Authority of the universe, He won’t violate His own laws, including the fact He gave mankind free will.

Think about this: even in the Garden of Eden, when the serpent was talking Eve into partaking of the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, God COULD have thrown the serpent out of the garden, thereby preserving Adam and Eve’s innocense.  But He chose not to because He had given Adam and Eve dominion over the earth.  In other words, God was no longer in charge here because He put Adam and Even in charge, and THEY were the ones in authority on earth now.  Thus, it was like a landlord who actually owns the apartment, but gives the keys to the renter and stays out unless he is invited in by the renter.  God owns the whole earth and everything (and everyone) in it, but unless He is invited to get involved, He keeps “hands off”.

Have you noticed how wickedness is filling the earth?  Have you noticed how violent things are becoming?  Could God prevent it? Yes, but He won’t, for mankind is still in charge here, but his lease is almost up.  Then watch out.  I say again, THEN WATCH OUT!  For God WILL deal with the wickedness, and there is NOTHING any man can do to stop Him.

And if the wickedness of many is not bad enough, yesterday a woman in Kentucky was sent to jail for upholding God’s Word at her workplace.  True, many say she should “leave God out of the workplace”, but does a Christian leave their conscience outside when they enter the workplace?  And this is just the beginning of persecutions that God’s people will face for the Word of God.  People must make a choice who they will serve: God or the devil.  You may not want to be pushed into making that choice, but indeed YOU WILL MAKE THAT CHOICE!

Actually, that’s the one place God WILL interfere with man’s will, in that He will MAKE you choose whom you will serve.  You see, just because the Lord Jesus paid the full price for the forgiveness of your sins, it will be YOUR choice that will dictate where you will spend eternity, not His.  Nobody will stand in the judgment and be able to condemn God and say to Him, “I didn’t have a choice in the matter”.  We ALL have been given the choice.  Actually, each of us choose daily what we will do with that day.  We can think on God’s Word, or we can think about other things, God isn’t going to grab hold of your mind and make you think about Him, or talk to others about Him, because He loves you enough to let you choose for yourself.

Here’s the scary part:  When God says enough is enough and the Trumpet of God is blown and He gathers His own unto Himself, will YOU be going with Him?  Or will you find yourself left behind with the wicked of the world?  You might cry out, “I haven’t killed anyone!”  “I haven’t robbed anyone!”  “Why, I even go to church sometimes when there’s nothing better to do!”

Or maybe you actually went to church every week, maybe you put money in the offering, and maybe quite a bit of money at that.  Maybe you served on a committee at church or served in some other capacity, but just never got around to making God the number one priority in your life.  Maybe you’re realizing that the things of the world got your mind off of the things of God and you wish you had another chance to get it right.  Well, actually, you DO have another chance to get it right, because the Trumpet of God has not blown YET.

The Bible tells of Holy Days that are God’s appointed Feast Days, days that GOD appointed according to HIS own choosing that we are to observe, as reminders to us that things on earth are patterns of things in heaven.

The Feast of Trumpets is coming up on September 14th, and though we know not the hour that Christ will return to the earth, or the year,  we can know the day by the pattern of the Holy Days, which will be on the Feast of Trumpets.  Could it be THIS Feast of Trumpets when Christ returns?  Or could it be hundreds of years away yet?  Is it worth YOU losing out on everlasting life because you put off choosing to live for God until it was TOO LATE????  Like I said, God is giving you a choice in the matter, and it will be YOUR choice that will determine your eternal habitation.   The Trumpet of God is going to blow.  It’s not a matter of IF, but WHEN.  And when it blows, will YOU be ready to go be with the LORD?

Let’s look at Matthew 25 starting in verse 1:

1. Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten virgins which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3.They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

4. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5. While the Bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6.  And at midnight there was a cry made, behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

7.  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

8  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for oiur lamps are gone out.

9.  But the wise answered, saying, not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

10.  And while they went to buy, the Bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11.  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, LORD, LORD, open to us.

12.  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

13.  WATCH THEREFORE, FOR YOU KNOW NEITHER THE DAY NOR THE HOUR WHEREIN THE SON OF MAN COMETH.

How about it?  Is your soul worth putting God first on your “TO DO” list?  The Trumpet will be sounding soon.  There is still time for you to make the Kingdom of God before the door is shut forever.  Choose wisely!

Oh, just one more thing:  for those who are kind of “Half-hearted Christians”, look at Revelation 3:15-19:

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore; and repent.