Tim McNatt

AN INCH AWAY FROM ETERNITY The shooting yesterday was a shock to so many…including me. We need to be praying for @realDonaldTrump as well as the other victims and their families. But one truth is often overlooked when tragedies like this happen. It’s this: You and I are always an inch away from eternity. There’s a picture circulating on the internet where you can see the bullet and its trace as it whizzed by Donald Trump’s head. It barely missed penetrating his skull. One inch closer could have been the difference between a flesh wound and a death wound. In the same way you and I are always an inch away from death, probably not from a bullet, but from a prognosis, a heart attack, a car accident, etc. Having officiated funerals throughout the last 40 years, including my grandfather’s at the age of 15, I can tell you that many times a person’s death is sudden and unexpected. I’ve officiated a funeral for a 16 year old girl whose skull was crushed by a tree that was cut down by some teenagers goofing off in the mountains. If that tree would have fallen an inch or two in a different direction she may of still been alive today. I’ve buried car accident victims who may have lived if the drivers had just turned the steering wheel an inch in a different direction in time. Death often comes suddenly, tragically and unexpectedly. It’s during times like this that our mortality awareness index heightens. It’s at times like this that the BIGGEST question of life should bubble to the top of our minds, “What happens after you die?” Jesus made it clear that one of two things take place after death, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” John 5:24. Put succinctly, when you die you will either go to heaven or hell. So the big question I have for you is this, do you KNOW you are going to heaven after you die? I do, and it’s not because I’m a good person. I’m a sinner. If you don’t believe me ask my friends and family. But here’s how I know I’m going to heaven. I’ll share this message in an acrostic form that spells out the GOSPEL message: God created us to be with him (Genesis 1:27.) Our sins separate us from God (Romans 3:23; 6:23.) Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Ephesians 2:8,9.) Paying the price for sin Jesus died and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3,4.) Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life (John 3:16.) Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever (John 19:28.) I encourage you to look those verses up in the Bible and see what God’s Word says for yourself. If you have never seen yourself as a sinner in need of a Savior, then put your faith in Jesus right now based on his death in your place for your sin. The moment you transfer your trust to Jesus to save you, you receive the FREE gift of eternal life and you, like me, can be sure that you will go to heaven when you die (1 John 5:13.) Why is this crucially important? Because all of us are an inch away from eternity. Where will you spend it? My prayer is that God will use the tragedy that took place yesterday as a spiritual wake up call to millions of Americans as to the brevity of life, surety of death and urgency of salvation. My prayer is that it is a wake up call for you. #TrumpAssasinationAttempt