When we die...

Where will we go when we die?  What happens to us?  Well,  many have made predictions and guesses,  but the Bible tells us for sure there are only two options: heaven with God or hell with Satan. It also tells us that we have to accept Jesus to get to heaven while we live,  because once we die,  we no longer get a choice. Our choice,  or lack of choice (read hell here) is sealed for eternity.

So, to give us the chance for eternity in heaven, Jesus came down as a sacrifice for all our sins; sins that would have prevented us from entering heaven. If we accept His sacrifice, we have chosen heaven.  If we do not, we have chosen hell. It is really that simple and complex. 

But here is what I found so interesting today about all of this.  As I read the passage below, something jumped out that I hadn't noticed before. 

Luke 23 :27-31
27A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30Then “ ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’[a]  

Jesus, as He carried His cross, after He was falsely accused, after His disciples deserted Him, after He was beaten, whipped, spit upon, scourged, and humiliated in all sorts of ways, He  wept for those that would go to hell! Did you see that in the scripture?  "Weep for yourselves and your children." In other words, forget that I am dragging a cross to my death, forget that I have been beaten and humiliated, think about what is going to happen to you and possibly your children if you don't believe in Me!  

That is amazing to me, first of all, because Jesus, even at this horrible time, was only thinking of others, the reason He came down to earth. He was concerned for their future both on this earth and then for eternity. The second thing that amazes me about it is that this is Jesus' example to us...this is how we should behave.  It reminds me of the first sentence in the book, The Purpose Driven Life.  It starts with,  and reinforces throughout the whole book,  "It is not about you."

I pray,  Father,  that I can remember Jesus' example every minute of every day no matter what my situation is and put others first; not myself.