It's pretty simple. We can choose life or death. There's a physical life and a physical death.

But how about the next life?

I remember as early as third or fourth grade thinking about Heaven. The TV shows and commercials when I was kid often depicted Heaven as a boring place where you get angel wings and strum a harp and sit on a cloud. Who would ever want to go there?

Well, in fifth grade I found out how wrong I was. Heaven is God's home. It is an opulent place described in great detail in Revelation 22. We will have a purpose there to rule and to judge. And we don't get angels wings. Angels are separate beings, but Angelology is an entirely different subject.

So, in fifth grade, LA Unified School District decided they would desegregate the inner city schools by taking half the kids from those schools and busing them to the suburbs schools and vice versa. My sister and I were tagged to go to Compton and South Pasadena (both parts of the LAUSD).

Mom wasn't having it. My parents had worked hard and paid a lot of money to live in the suburbs where schools were at least safer if not better academically. Especially with my health issues, they weren't going to have us bused downtown.

So, like almost every parent who could afford it, they scrambled for a private school for us.

Mom was Catholic, so she tried the local Catholic schools. Small problem—she hadn't been to the Catholic church since she had arrived in America 17 years earlier. They were only taking students who were active members of the parish church.

The secular privates were all full. The Lutheran church was full. But there was this one Christian school that was open.

The first day I was in the school,

I heard the simple truth from the Bible about

God, Heaven, Hell, and Jesus Christ

✞ God loves me. My sin separates me from Him and is sending me to Hell.

✞ He came in the form of the man Jesus Christ, who never sinned, to pay the penalty for my sin.

✞ All I had to do was to accept this gift He offered me: eternal life and life more abundantly now!

➊ God loves every single person. He has created us to have fellowship with him.

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.

❷ God is holy and cannot stand the presence of sin.

Psalm 99:5 Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.

Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

❸ We are all sinners.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

What is sin?

1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Transgress = to violate a command or law: sin; to go beyond a boundary or limit [m-w.com]

What is the law? The commandments (all 880 of them)

Here are the most popular Ten Commandments from Exodus 20:

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness. (for worshipping)

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.

4. Remember the sabbath to keep it holy.

5. Honour thy father and mother.

6. Thou shalt not kill.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness (lie).

10. Thou shalt not covet (desire what belongs to another).

James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

❹ There is a penalty for sin.

Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death . . .

But we're not just talking about the death where you lay buried in the ground or are cremated down to ashes. The Bible speaks of two deaths: physical and spiritual. This verse is referring to spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God in the Lake of Fire.

Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

I knew I was fearful and an unbeliever, but there was no way I was abominable or a murder or even a whoremonger. I didn't mess with the occult, and we didn't bow to idols in my house.

However, I knew I was a liar.

And a thief.

And a cheat.

If you say you've never lied, you just told a lie. We're all sinners. We've all lied. We inherited this sin nature through our ultimate grandparent Adam.

Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

I knew I was on my way to the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: that second death.

Matthew 13:50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Luke13:28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

❺ Good news! Jesus paid the penalty.

There was no way I had the funds for this transaction. My sinful life couldn't atone. Only the pure, sinless blood of Jesus Christ could. Because He was man, He could lay Himself down for one man, take that one man's place. Because He is Infinite God, He could pay the price fall all men.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23b . . . but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

❻ Jesus rose from the dead

Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

If you believe these truths from the Bible and want to be set free from sin, call upon the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to save you. In order to be set free from sin, you must repent of your sins (turn your back on them) and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in your heart.

Repentance = voluntary change in the mind of the sinner in which he turns from his sin

Belief = voluntary change in the mind of the sinner in which he turns to Christ and trusts Him as Lord and Saviour

❼ Jesus will save you if you call on Him

Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

So I heard this for the first time. I was scared of going to Hell. My cousin had burned me with her cigarette once. That hurt so much. I never wanted to be burned again. I could only imagine an eternity begging for a drop of water and in constant pain and darkness.

But I didn't trust Christ then.

Why? I didn't want to turn from my sins. I didn't trust God to take care of me. I didn't think I could get by in my horrible life without lying, cheating, and stealing. I thought I would have more fun seeking pleasure, or at least seeking relief from home.

But God.

He wasn't done with me yet. He drew me like the gentle Father He is, working in my heart.

✬Why am I typing this furiously today when I don't really have time?✬

Because I know God is drawing someone who needs to hear these truths,

who needs to trust in Him today.

Two years later, I repented of my sins and placed my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. I accepted the free gift of salvation.

My sins were paid in full. Not just my past sins, but my future ones, too.

And from that moment, I had a new life in Christ. The Holy Spirit dwells in me.

✞ He is my strength when I am weak.

✞ He is my joy when things go wrong.

✞ He is my purpose when life seems pointless.

✞ He is my Dad when I need comforter and protection.

✞ He is my provider when I don't think I'll make it to the next paycheck.

✞But mostly, He is my Redeemer who loved me before I loved Him.

He loves me just the way I am. If I stray, He guides me back. Sometimes I am too stubborn and need a bit of correction, but other times it's by His gentle leading.

After thirty years as a Christian, I can testify that this was the best decision I have ever made. I don't know how I would have made it through life's struggles without Him.

Yes, I still struggle with depression at times. But, I have Jesus to pull me through. I have a God who is always there for me, always loving me.

Yes, I can still sin. I still have my old nature, and it likes to lie to me, telling me sin will be worth it. But sin is only pleasurable for a season, and it does bring sorrow with it. God's blessing is rich and true.

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

So what are you going to choose?

Abundant Life or Eternal Death

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.