DEAR REV. GRAHAM: I don't understand my cousin. Whenever I talk with her about Heaven or salvation, she just laughs and says she's not going to worry about it, because it will all work out in the end. Why is she like this?
-- J.G.
DEAR J.G.: Unfortunately your cousin has deliberately blinded herself to the fact that some day she will enter eternity and stand before God -- and then it will be too late. The Bible warns, "People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).
Why is she like this? She's not alone; many people willfully refuse to think about eternity or what will happen to them when they die. One reason is because they simply want to live for the moment -- enjoying its pleasures or wrapped up in their daily cares. They also may sense that their lives will have to change if they begin thinking seriously about God and eternity -- and they don't want this to happen. They're like the man in one of Jesus' parables who refused to think beyond the pleasures of this life. He said to himself, "Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry" (Luke 12:19).
But God called that man a fool, because that very night death overtook him -- and then it was too late. Death is real ... eternity is real ... Heaven is real ... and so is Jesus Christ. Pray for your cousin, that God will open her spiritual eyes and convince her of her need of Christ. He sacrificed His life for her, and He loves her and wants her to be part of His family forever.
Pray too that you will be a witness of Christ's love and hope to your cousin. Often the strongest testimony to Christ's transforming power is the witness of a changed life.
Write to Billy Graham in care of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C. 28201 or visit the website at
billygraham.org
ActiveStyle on 08/29/2016