"He who overcomes...."

Sometimes I read the obituaries in the paper, noting how many of the deceased have "entered into heaven," or "gone to be with the Father," or other similar assurance that they are saved. But Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' " We would like to believe that everyone is going to be saved, but that is just not reality...according to Jesus.

Revelation chapters 2 and 3 uses the expression, "he who overcomes......." a number of times. That is, he who overcomes the challenges and temptations of this life is the one who will receive the reward. It also uses the expression, in these same two chapters, "He who has an ear to hear, let him hear." We need to really listen to what the Bible is teaching!

I like the passage in Hebrews 12:1, "...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...." Being a Christian is like running a race, and running to win, not just to finish. A lot of people who are good people, living a good life, will be surprised at the judgment when Jesus says, "I never knew you." We must know Jesus, and have a relationship with Him. We must be believers of Him, and followers of Him.

Thanks for reading; see you next week.