The recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump was a shock to many, including me. We need to be praying for the former president, 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 Trump’s head. It barely missed penetrating his skull. One inch was the difference between a flesh wound and a death wound.
THE BREVITY OF LIFE
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, and the like.
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 had fallen an inch or two in a different direction, she might still be alive today.
I’ve buried car-accident victims who may have lived if the drivers had turned the steering wheel a mere inch in a different direction.
When death comes unexpectedly, 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?
THE CERTAINTY OF DEATH
Jesus made it clear that one of two things takes place after death:
‘Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.’
John 5:24
Put succinctly, when you die you will go to either Heaven or Hell.
So the big question I have for you is this: Do you know you’re 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 I know I’m going to Heaven. The following acrostic explains how I can know. It spells out the word Gospel, which means Good News:
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 10:28)
I encourage you to look those verses up in the Bible and see for yourself what God’s Word says.
THE URGENCY OF SALVATION
If you’ve never seen yourself as a sinner in need of a Savior, then you can 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 you’ll 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 recent tragedy as a spiritual wake-up call to millions of Americans as to the brevity of life, certainty of death, and urgency of salvation.
My prayer is that it’s a wake-up call for you.
