For many years I was not interested in this question. I lived selfishly for myself and was not concerned with spiritual things. I was just not interested in whether I went to heaven or not. Although, I was raised in a Christian home and regularly went to church as a boy, when I left home after High School I ignored all I had been taught. I spent the next seven years in the Armed Services, with three years in the Army and four in the Air Force. During the first ten years after I left home I only went to church about three times. One of those was to marry my wife Carolyn. I was too busy with life to be interested in anything as distant as dying and going to heaven or hell.

          In 1972, all that changed in one day. That was January 22, the day my wife's grandmother was buried. I was asked to be a pall bearer and although I felt uncomfortable I agreed. At the funeral service the pastor began telling about how this lady had truly loved the Lord and had died trusting in Christ to take her to heaven. Even though she was my wife's grandmother I knew very little about her. She was in her eighties and had been sick for many years. I listened as the pastor told of how she would try to comfort her children as they waited on her. She was totally an invalid and could do nothing to help herself. Amazingly, she was always in good spirits and would sing the old Gospel songs about the love and grace of the Lord Jesus. She would tell the children to not to worry about her; to let her go on to be with her Savior the Lord Jesus. She said she knew she was dying and would never get better and she was looking forward to heaven and being with the Lord.

          Over the years I had seen a number of people die. I had spent a year in Vietnam and I was familiar with death. But this was different! This was the first time in my life I had seen a Christian die. As I looked at the coffin, the reality of both life and death became very clear to me. I that moment realized that I too would go the way of all men. I, too would one day die and leave this world. The pastor after telling about Mrs. Narron's trust in God, preached a simple Gospel message. He said the Bible teaches that if a man will believe in his heart in Jesus Christ and receive him as his Savior that man too could be assured that when he died he would go to heaven. He also warned that the Bible says also, that if a man rejects Christ, then God will reject him and that he will spend an eternity in the fires of Hell. He read from the Bible that all men are sinners and the wages or result of sin is death. He said that, yes the wages of sin was death, but the gift of God was eternal life. At first I did not want to admit it, but deep down I knew the Bible was true. I know now that God was speaking to my heart and drawing me to Him. I was a lost sinner and I needed God to save me from sin. That day I believed!

          That day God saved me, just as the Bible promises and I received eternal life. How do I know? Well, two ways: First, that is actually what the Word of God, the Bible says. God says in the Bible, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13) Acts 16:31, God says, ". . .Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." The Bible says, "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 10:9-10)

          These are the promises of God. That day I truly believed with my heart and I asked God to forgive my sins and save me. Based upon God's own word, I can truly say that He promised to forgive me if I would believe. Therefore, because I believe I can claim God's promise of forgiveness of sins and heaven when I die.

The second way I know I am saved is best expressed by another verse in the New Testament. It says, "Therefore IF any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are now become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17) That day God changed my life and truly the old things were passed away and God gave me a new life. The old things that I had meant so much to me before, lost their appeal. The old life I had lived for so long, with all its sins began to pass away as God worked in my life. It has been now over twenty four years since God saved me at that funeral. It has been a wonderful life. I really now enjoy this new life God has given me. There have been hard times and the way has not been easy, but I have in my heart the peace that God gives to those who trust in Him.

          That night after the funeral I went to church. It was the first time in many years. The pastor gave the invitation for those who wanted to receive Christ as their Savior to come to the front of the church and make their salvation public. I quickly went forward. From that day, I started to serve the Lord. I faithfully attended every service at the church, because I just loved to be there and to be taught in the preaching and classes. In a year or so I was ask to teach a teenage class and later an adult class. My wife and I began working with the youth in our church and I loved it.

          Yes, it was hard work, but I wanted everyone to know about the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and experience for themselves what God did for me. I was a very successful businessman running a security systems company. Things materially were going great. God was blessing my wife and I very abundantly. I had a beautiful new home on a lake. I loved to fish and there was a forty foot pier with my bass boat parked by it on my property. I was living in a material dream world. By the world's standards I was a great success. Had I remained with the company, I would have become very well off financially. However, four years after God saved me, He called me to be a preacher of the Gospel. My wife and I then sold our dream home and we took the money and I went to Bible college.

          My friend if you have taken the time to read this far, maybe you too, are realizing that this life is short and we all one day will face death. I wonder if you are like I was the day I went to that funeral. I surely was lost in my sins and according to God on my way to an eternity in hell. Thank God, that I was able to hear the Gospel, which is the Good News that Christ died for my sins and would give me forgiveness if I would believe and by faith accept the free gift and offer of salvation.

          Would you admit that you too are a sinner, just as God says. And would you believe and ask God to forgive your sins and give you eternal life? I am so glad I did and I hope you will too. God says, "For whosoever ( includes you too) shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13)

          Why not right now, sitting at your computer, bow your head and simply ask God to save you. He most surely will!

          Maybe you have questions? If I can be of any help to you please let me know. I have a booklet I would like to send you about what God wants a new Christian to do. I'll send it to you at no cost via US Mail.

          For those who are not sure about all this I have a book called "The Compelling Christ." It explains about the Salvation, the Bible and Jesus Christ. I would like to send it to you too, at no cost.

          If you would like more information please write. I'll promptly reply.

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