On the edge of eternity

It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. — Hebrews 9:27

During the dark days of World War II, Adolf Hitler was tyrannizing Europe and herding millions of people into concentration camps. No wonder there was a widespread belief that the end of history had arrived.

Sophie Scholl, a heroic resister of the Nazi regime, made this comment in a letter to a friend just before she was executed in 1943: “People believe that we live in the endtimes, and many terrible signs make such a belief all too credible. But isn’t it irrelevant? Don’t we all realize that, no matter when we live, God can call us at a moment’s notice? How do I know if I’ll even be alive tomorrow morning?”

We need to take those words to heart. All of us live on the edge of eternity. That’s why Peter’s words to first-century followers of Christ are so important for us today (1 Peter 4:7-19). We too must live as if “the end of all things is at hand” (v.7), realizing that we are accountable to God (vv.17-19) and that at any second, death may terminate our earthly existence.

Are you prepared for that event? Do you view that possibility with confident assurance, knowing that the end here will mean a new and glorious beginning there? It will if your faith is in Christ, the death-conquering Savior. — Vernon Grounds                            

If I gained the world but lost the Savior,

Were my life worth living for a day?

Could my yearning heart find rest and comfort

In the things that soon must pass away?  — Olander

READ:1 Peter 4:7-19

To make the most of each day,

keep eternity in mind.

The Bible in one year:

• Acts 6-9