Destination Check

All of us airline passengers have just squeezed down that narrow aisle to our seats and - everyone is just getting settled in. And the ground agent comes onboard and says, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a destination check. This is flight 305 to Atlanta." The next part is what I love - it's so diplomatic, it's almost ridiculous. "If Atlanta is not in your travel plans for today, this would be a good time for you to exit the aircraft." In other words - "Hey, pal - make sure this flight is going where you want to end up!"

It doesn't matter how nice the plane is, how nice the people are, how sure I was that this was the right one - if it isn't going where I want to go, I can't afford to be on it. That's obvious when it comes to our travel destination. It should be obvious when it comes to our ETERNAL destination. But often we don't do a destination check.

In a recent survey, 78% of Americans said they thought their destination when they die would be heaven. Since this is the one thing you can't afford to be wrong about, there's an important question that those folks need to consider - all of us do - "Based on what?" On what can a person base their eternal expectations? How nice the people are? How nice the religion is? How much I think this ought to be the way to get to God? It's not true for an airplane flight - and it's not true for getting to God and to His heaven. Only God can tell us how to get to Him, what He says - and only what He says - is the final word.

Here it is - in the words of Jesus Christ Himself. Our word for today from the Word of God, John 3:3 - "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." Those two words have been over used, they've been misused, they've been abused. But they weren't invented by some cult or some right-wing religionists. It was the Son of God Himself who told us that's the way to give ourselves a destination check - to see if, in fact, you will go to heaven when your heart has beaten for the last time. "Are you born again?"

The Bible explains just two chapters earlier how you can be born again - speaking of Jesus - it says, "To all who received Him, to those who believed in Him, He gave them the right to become children of God." You have to be born into His family to be His child, just as you were born into your earth-family. And you are born again at the moment you "receive Jesus" - that means welcoming Him into your life. And then it says, "You believe in Him." That refers to totally putting your trust in Him as your only ticket to God's heaven.

Why? Because it's your sin that will keep you out of heaven - sin that carries an eternal death penalty - according to the Bible. The Bible calls it Hell. And only Jesus could . . .only Jesus did - die to pay that death penalty so you don't have to. That's how much He loves you. So only He can remove your sin from God's record - and only people with their sin forgiven can enter God's sinless heaven. Jesus left no room for any question - He said in John 3:5, "You must be born again."

You have no more important thing in your life to do than to make sure you have boarded the flight that is going to end up in heaven. To be sure, you have told Jesus you are putting all your faith in Him alone to forgive your sin and take you to heaven. Only He died to make it possible. If you are trusting anyone or anything other than Jesus to get you where you want to go, please don't stay on this flight to disaster. That is the deadliest mistake a person can make. But today there is still time to change and get on the only flight God says is destined for His heaven.

If you're interested, there is more information about:
The most important event of all time and
The most important Book of all time.

email this message to a friend   |   DW Home

Today's Daily Wisdom is written by Ron Hutchcraft, based on his popular "A Word With You" broadcast (Available in transcripts or RealAudio format.) Ron Hutchcraft Ministries has been on-line with GCN since February, 1996, providing practical answers to real life issues. Copyright Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.