Life's Most Important Question

AUTHOR: Joshua Goodling

There is an old story told of a king who had a very foolish jester. No matter how bad of a mood the king was in, the jester was always able to cheer him up and make him laugh. One day the king told the jester, "Certainly no one in all the world is a bigger fool than you! I want you to take my golden staff, and travel the world. If you can find one person who is a bigger fool, give them this staff. The jester went off on his journey, travelling far and wide, seeking out a bigger fool. While he was gone, the king became very ill. Upon the jester's return, he found the king about to die. The king called all of his family and servants to his bedside and said, " I am about to leave you. I am going on a long journey, and I shall not return again to this place; so I have called you to my bedside to bid you farewell."

The jester stepped forward and spoke, "Your Majesty, may I ask a question? When you have journeyed abroad visiting your people, or other countries, your heralds and servants have always gone before you making preparations for the trip. May I ask your Majesty, have you made preparations for this long journey you are about to take into eternity?"

Alas!" replied the king, "I have made no preparations."

Then," said the jester, "take this golden staff with you. For if you have made no preparations for your destiny, you indeed are a bigger fool than myself."

The most important question in life, has nothing to do with money, fame, or fortune, but with your eternal destiny. Like the story of the king and the jester, making preparation for life after death is greatly important. It matters not where you attend church (or if you attend church), what society or lodge you may be a member of, how good a life you have lived, or what religion you ascribe to. Only you can make the choice of where you will spend eternity.

There are two choices for spending eternity (1) Heaven and (2) Hell. We will spend eternity in either of these two places. Those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior will spend eternity in Heaven, and those who have rejected Him, in Hell. Now, that statement brings up a lot of disagreement among many people. There are those who argue that if they live a good life, or go to church, or help others, etc., they will go to Heaven. And there are those who would say that God couldn't send anyone to Hell. But, by not accepting Jesus as our Saviour, God is not sending us to Hell, we are sending ourselves to Hell. It is quite simple, accept Jesus as your Lord. Not only will it secure your place in Heaven, but it will also make your life on this earth 1000 times better.

Now, what steps does one need to go through to accomplish this? Well, the Bible says; "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23). Easily understood, we are all sinners. Now, before you go off the deep end arguing and saying, "What? I'm not a sinner.", when was the last time you drove over the speed limit?, When was the last time you told a lie (even a little one)?, When was the last time you took something that didn't belong to you?......... we all have done wrong, therefore we are all sinners. And because Heaven is a place without sin, we are not worthy to enter it on our own, we are all doomed to spend eternity in Hell. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6:23) See, we are not worthy to go to Heaven, and are on our way to Hell, but God has given a gift to us, His Son. Over 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for our sin, he paid the wages for us. All we have to do is accept that gift, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. " 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:16,17) God didn't send His Son to destroy us, He sent Jesus to die so that we may be saved from our sin. However, He also allowed us to make the decision for ourselves. In other words...He didn't "cram religion down our throats."....It is simply a matter of accepting this gift, asking Jesus to be our Saviour, and repenting of our sin.

The most important question in life, has nothing to do with money, fame, or fortune, but with your eternal destiny. It matters not where you attend church, what society or lodge you may be a member of, how good a life you have lived, or what religion you ascribe to. Only you can make the choice of where you will spend eternity.

To put it simply: We are all must pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus Christ has already paid the penalty for us by His death on the cross. If we accept Him as our Saviour, we will go to Heaven.

What is the most important question in life? It is: "WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY?"

The way to truly prepare for eternity is quite simple:

1. You must admit you are a sinner, and in need of a Savior. The Bible tells us we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

2. You must realize that payment must and will be made for your sin. If you do not accept the payment that Christ has already made for you, you must be held responsible yourself, and this means spending eternity in Hell. (Romans 6:23) "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

3. You must believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin, and has made this payment for you by giving His life. (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."

4. Simply pray a prayer like this one: "Dear Lord, I admit that I am a sinner, I am sorry for my sins, and confess them to You. I believe that You died on the cross to pay for my sin, and in Love and Appreciation, I accept You today as my Lord and my Savior. I surrender my life to You and to Your control."