September 2, 2019
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You know the title song of the musical "Oklahoma"? It talks about that being the state "where the wind comes whippin' o'er the plains." Yeah, I guess! How about the tornadoes come whippin' o'er the plains? That's not as poetic, but man, it sure has been true. Especially in recent years. It just seems like Oklahoma gets hammered over and over again with that severe weather. I actually saw an interview with some folks whose homes had been hit by one tornado that moved along the northern edge of Oklahoma City. And, you know, it was amazing to see a lot of people who faced their loss with a determination to rebuild. And actually some even faced it with a sense of humor, believe it or not. I remember one guy who described what had happened pretty creatively. He said, "Well, it was sort of moving day without notice!"
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Moving Day Without Notice."
You know, we're all going to have one of those, no matter what the weather's like. On God's calendar is the day that we will all breathe our last and we will keep our appointment with Him. As the Bible says, "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). No reincarnation. No second chance. No do-over. Death - then judgment. So, for each of us it is going to be "moving day" without notice.
That's why the Bible gives this advice in Proverbs 27:1. It's our word for today from the Word of God. "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." Well, man, we have plenty of proof of the wisdom of that statement. We all know people who were literally here today and gone tomorrow: one car crossing the center line, one deadly spasm in your heart, one deadly surprise. We live as if tomorrow's a sure thing. It isn't.
And nowhere is it more foolhardy or more potentially fatal to postpone what we need to do than in our relationship with Almighty God, or the fact that we really don't have a personal relationship with God. You may have seen this Bible verse on a highway billboard and laughed it off, but it's way too serious to take lightly. The Bible simply says, "Prepare to meet your God" (Amos 4:12). We prepare for an exam, we prepare for company, a vacation, retirement. We don't prepare for eternity? That's a fatal mistake.
And the Bible makes it clear there's only one way you can prepare to meet your God; to prepare for that day when you will move without notice, either to heaven or to hell. The most urgent issue in our lives is to get all the sins of our life somehow forgiven, because without that, we don't stand a chance with a holy God. And the only One who could forgive your sins is the One who died to pay for your sins in your place, and that is Jesus. The Bible couldn't be more clear. It says, "He that has the Son (that's Jesus) has life; he that does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12). Either you have Jesus because you've consciously given yourself to Him, or you don't have Jesus. In which case, you don't have eternal life.
It just doesn't make sense to risk another day without Him does it? God puts it this way, "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). If you have never reached out to Jesus, never had a day of salvation like the Bible talks about, have never consciously given yourself to Him, don't wait any longer. Today - this would be the best day to tell Him, "Jesus, I am Yours. You died for me. Then you rose from the dead and you can walk into my life today, and I want you to. I want to belong to you. I give up the running of my own life, and I'm putting all my trust in you." If that's what you want, this will be the day you actually begin your relationship with Him if you'll tell him that. You have every sin forgiven today and you trade hell for heaven.
I'd love to help you at that crossroads moment. And that's what our website is for, so can I suggest the next step for you? Go to ANewStory.com. That's the website. You'll find, there, everything you need to know about securing your own relationship with God.
See, today's all you've got for sure. And there's just too much at stake to wait.