Perhaps you have heard of Arthur Malcolm Stace, who became affectionately known as Mr. Eternity and lived in Australia. Early in life he was an alcoholic derelict who, before reaching middle age, was converted through a rescue mission and later himself became a street-corner preacher.

Shortly after becoming a Christian, he heard a sermon entitled “Echoes of Eternity.” He was so captivated by the importance of the word “eternity” that he began using his free time to spread the one-word message across Sydney. “Eternity went ringing through my brain. Even though I could scarcely write my own name, I felt the divine urge to write this word.”

Fifty times a day for over thirty years, Arthur Stace wrote Eternity on the sidewalks of Sydney, usually in the early morning, with white chalk and with faultless script. When he passed away, the Sydney morning newspaper carried a story of this unusual man who had chalked Eternity on the city streets over half a million times in that metropolis of significant population. The thought of eternity impresses upon us the seriousness with which we must regard our soul.²

Multiplied thousands of Aussies saw this message on Sydney sidewalks. Plus on the eve of the new millennium celebrations more than a million people, gathered around the Sydney Harbor Bridge, saw it emblazoned in neon lights across the bridge. It was also beamed around the world to more than two billion TV viewers and shown again at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games later in the year.

Eternity. It is a powerful word with eternal consequences. In his own simple but profound way, Arthur Stace was posing the question, “Where will you spend eternity?”

Eternity! Where will you spend it?

If you should die tonight are you 100% absolutely certain you would spend eternity in heaven with God? If not, be sure to read the article: “How to Be Sure You’re a real Christian Without Having to Be Religious” at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You that You have provided the way through the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus, so that all who believe in and accept Him as their Savior have Your promise and guarantee of spending eternity with You in heaven forever. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Hebrews 7:25 (Amplified Bible).
2. Echoes of Eternity, Dennis Kastens, CSS Publishing Co.

When Mahatma Gandhi was attending university in London, he became almost convinced of the validity of Christianity, seeing it as possibly the one true supernatural religion.

After graduation, he continued to seek evidence that would persuade him to become a committed Christian. When he accepted employment in East Africa, and lived with a family who were members of an evangelical Christian church, he believed this would be his greatest source of evidence for the Christian faith.

Gandhi lived with this family for seven months, but after seeing their causal attitude towards God, hearing them complain about making sacrifices for Christ, and becoming acutely aware of their religious apathy, he became disillusioned.

“No,” he concluded, “Christianity is not the one true, supernatural religion I had hoped to find. A good religion, but just one more of the many religions in the world.”

While the circumstances were vastly different between King Agrippa who heard Paul’s testimony and rejected it, Gandhi, too, was almost persuaded to become a Christian, but didn’t become one because of a Christian’s very poor testimony.

May God grant that that may never be true of me. Every day I seek to pray the following prayer: (Can I challenge you to do the same?)

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I’m available today. Please make me usable and help me to be an effective witness and be ‘as Jesus’ in some way to every life I touch today. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

NOTE: If you are not sure you are a real Christian, please don’t be like King Agrippa or Gandhi and miss the opportunity to receive God’s forgiveness for all your sins and his gift of eternal life. For help click on: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9.

1. Acts 26:28.

“Believing in absolutes doesn’t make one an absolutist,” writes Chuck Colson in his news report Jubilee about a TV interview where the host accused him of being an absolutist.

Colson said, “When that TV host asked me why Christians always try to cram our views down people’s throats, I was getting nowhere. Then I remembered he loved to sail.

“Have you ever sailed at night, navigating by the stars?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied.

“Could you use those stars to navigate if they appeared in different, random positions every night?”

“Of course not,” he said slowly.

“I think he got it. Christians are not intolerant absolutists. We just don’t want our culture to be lost at sea, unaware of the stars above that could so quickly right our course.”

Jesus not only stated emphatically that he was the only way to God the Father but also that, “Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes that choose its easy way. But the Gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.”²

Had there been any other way Jesus would not have had to die on the cross for our sins. Let us thank God that he provided the way to God (through Jesus)—the only way to God—heaven, and eternal life.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You with all my heart that You provided the only way to make my peace with You through giving your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay the just penalty for all my sins, and therein pay the price for my forgiveness, and to give me gift of eternal life. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name. Amen.”

To receive God’s forgiveness click on: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

1. John 14:6 (NIV).

2. Matthew 7:13-14 (TLB).

Georgie Anne Geyer, a syndicated columnist and author wisely observed: “I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to have a moral community or nation without faith in God, because without it everything rapidly comes down to ‘me’ and ‘me’ alone is meaningless ….

“If anyone thinks there is not a direct and inviolable relationship between personal integrity … and that society’s prosperity, that person has simply not studied history. And this should not surprise us. Great moral societies, built upon faith in God, honor, trust and the law blossom because they are harmonious; because, finally, they have a common belief in something beyond themselves.

“Alexis de Toqueville said it best when he realized even at the very beginning of our national life: ‘America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.’”²

The same is true of Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Mexico, New Zealand, South America, and the rest of the world. Nations only become truly great and remain great to the degree that they are moral and upright, that they retain integrity at every level of society, and that they put and keep their trust in God and abide by his rules as found in his Word which says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”¹ and “Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”³

Righteousness with moral and upright living begins with you and me.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, today I pray that You will send a great moral and spiritual awakening to my country and let that awakening begin in me. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name. Amen.”

1. Psalm 33:12.

2. Bits & Pieces, September 17, 1992, pp-23-24.

3. Proverbs 14:34.

While visiting a church one Sunday in the town where there was an earthquake the night before, the pastor and people testified to the “fact” that God sent the earthquake as a wake-up call to the people of this city.

But was this true? Does God also send floods, tornadoes, forest fires, hurricanes and cyclones as wake-up calls for people to turn to God? He may, but I doubt it. We just happen to live in a world where natural disasters happen. For me, if I don’t want to experience earthquakes, one thing is certain, I need to move out of Southern California. But if I choose to stay here and an earthquake destroys my home, will it be God who does it?

Or will it be because I have knowingly chosen to live in a place that is prone to earthquakes?

Also, if I choose to live in a low lying area close to a river that is prone to flooding and my home is washed away, will it be God who causes me to lose my home? Hardly.

As Jesus said, if we build our house on the sand and the rain pours down, and the streams rise, and the winds blow, we can expect our home to be destroyed.

And if I don’t build my life on a solid, godly foundation and live an upright, moral life, I can’t blame God if I crash. God may use my crash as a wake-up call to bring me to my senses, but it won’t be God who causes me to crash. I will do it to myself.

And if I fail to accept God’s free pardon for all my sins and his gift of eternal life, it won’t be God who will keep me out of heaven and send me to hell, it will be me. I will do it myself.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to be wise, not only regarding the important matters of this life, but especially so regarding the life to come. Help me to build my life on the Solid Rock—the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name. Amen.”

1. Matthew 7:26-27 (NIV).

Another asked, “So what is sin? Everything God has made is perfect. And only God can create. So how can sin exist? Let’s illustrate: A hand can be perfectly made, and that perfect hand can be rolled up into a perfect fist and pushed at a perfect speed into someone’s perfect nose. And somehow now it doesn’t seem quite so perfect. Sin is: the improper application or use of things that God has perfectly made. So sin is not a created thing; it is the word used to identify when things are used improperly.”²

One of the reasons God is so opposed to mankind’s sin is because it is so totally destructive of those whom he loves—us!

Sin is totally destructive of sinful man because sin is an offence to God who is a God of absolute holiness. In His Word God has been described as a “consuming fire.” Spiritually speaking, that means unforgiven sinners can no more survive in God’s presence any more than a moth can survive in a flame.

To put it another way, sin is a deadly spiritual cancer and either we get the cancer or the cancer gets us. That is, the cancer of sin causes spiritual death. Realize that spiritual death is not the cessation of life—for beyond the grave the soul lives forever. While forgiven sinners will live in the presence of God forever, unforgiven sinners will live forever in the place the Bible calls hell (whatever and wherever that may be). Of one thing we can be sure, spiritual death means eternal separation from God—the author of all love and life.

Fortunately, God is not only a God of absolute holiness; he is also a God of absolute love. Because God loved us so much, he gave his only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die an excruciating painful death in your place and mine on a Roman Cross at Calvary some 2000 years ago. Jesus died to pay the penalty (death) for all our sins so that all who believe in him “should not perish but have eternal life.”³

Do you believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty for all your sins? And have you asked for and accepted God’s forgiveness and his gift of eternal life? If not, I urge you to do that today. For further help read and accept God’s Invitation at http://tinyurl.com/6k49w or at http://tinyurl.com/8glq9 read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian—without having to be religious.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to grasp the severity of sin’s consequences and to understand that the only way to be forgiven is by believing that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins, accepting Him into my life as my personal Lord and Savior, and therein receive your gift of forgiveness and eternal life to be with you forever in Heaven. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name. Amen.”

1. Hebrews 12:29 (NIV).

2. www.musingsaboutgod.com/Words.htm
3. John 3:16.

Today in the United States is Memorial Day—a national holiday “originally held in commemoration of soldiers killed in the American Civil War (1868). Its observance later extended to all U.S. war dead. National observance is marked by the placing of a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.”²

It is good to remember every day, and to celebrate this day with special thanksgiving for all who gave their lives to give us freedom. May we also remember in prayer today all of our Christian brothers and sisters who live in countries where they don’t know the freedoms that we have.

As a kid growing up in Australia during World War II, how well I remember what the Americans did for my homeland. Had it not been for the American soldiers with the backing of the American Congress and people, Australia would not know the freedom it knows today—neither would the rest of the Western World. And if it weren’t for the strength and determination of America today, we would all be living in a much different world. What if a Saddam Hussein or an Osama Bin Laden had the military might of the U.S.? The consequences would be unthinkable!

Someone asked Albert Einstein what kind of weapons would be used in the third World War. “Well,” he answered, “I don’t know … but I can tell you what they’ll use in the fourth world war. They’ll use rocks.”In spite of its weaknesses Americans still enjoy many freedoms for which its citizens need to be extremely grateful. However, unless America turns back the tide that is rapidly taking it away from its Christian moral heritage and roots, it is highly improbable that our children or our children’s children will continue to be blessed by the great freedoms that America still enjoys today. And for all who live in this great land of opportunity and despise, misuse, and/or abuse it, unlike many countries, America gives them the freedom to leave! Very few do though!

May we in the West never take our freedoms for granted for, “Eternal vigilance is still the price of freedom.” And above all, that includes moral vigilance. For as God’s Word says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”³ And as Jesus told us to remember his death for us, let us also remember all who have given their lives to give us the wonderful freedoms we know today, for there is always a great price to purchase and maintain freedom.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You especially today for all who have given their lives to keep us living in a land that knows unprecedented freedom. Help all of us in the free world awaken to our need to be eternally vigilant in moral integrity, righteous living, and trusting in You. And we pray for all those living in lands where they are under great bondage, and where the gospel is forbidden to be preached, proclaimed or followed. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Luke 22:19 (NKJV).
2. Encyclopedia Britannica
3. Proverbs 14:34 (NIV).

The culture of Jesus’ day was vastly different from ours except, perhaps, for cultural prejudice. On one occasion when Jesus wanted to reach a Samaritan village with his message of salvation, he stopped by a well and made friends with a Samaritan woman. This definitely was not kosher for a Jew because the Jews looked down their noses at Samaritans and had no dealings with them.

Not so Jesus. After asking this woman for a drink of water and some small talk he directed the conversation to spiritual matters. Not only was this woman a Samaritan but one who had led a very colorful life and Jesus knew exactly what type of person she was. She was a social outcast, which was obvious by the fact that she was drawing water from the well in the middle of the day. All the other women from the village did so in the cool of the evening.

Jesus said to the lady, “Go and get your husband and come back with him.”

“I don’t have a husband,” she replied.

“I know,” Jesus said, “you’ve already had five and the man you are now with is not your husband!” That would be quite a reputation even today, let alone in that society. And yet, this was the woman that Jesus chose to be the messenger to carry the gospel to her village—which she did—and the people there came to see and hear Jesus for themselves. How many of us would treat such a woman this way?

Jesus, who upheld impeccable moral standards and high ideals regarding marriage, wasn’t shocked by this woman’s lifestyle. He saw beyond the externals and looked at her heart. Here was a woman who needed salvation and was willing to admit it.

Neither is God shocked with you or me when we are willing to admit our needs, sins and faults and bring them to him for his forgiveness—and when we acknowledge our brokenness and come to him for his healing and deliverance.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You that You love and accept me as I am. Please heal all my brokenness and help me to love and accept others as You love and accept me. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. John 4:29 (NIV).

According to Joe Sandven in Church Worship, “At the time the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic, a ship by the name of the Californian was only ten miles away. Unfortunately, the Californian had tuned out and had turned off its ship’s radio.

“The Carpathia was a greater distance away, but its radio was on. This ship heard the distress signal of the Titanic and came to the rescue as quickly as possible, but many lives were lost by the time she arrived. Once she arrived she was able to save hundreds of lives. But it was the Californian that could have been instrumental in saving many, many more lives had she only been listening.”

When it comes to serving God, personal experience has taught me that if I am always “tuned in and on the ready” and available, God always opens doors of opportunity for service.

The key is to keep our “spiritual listening” turned on at all times and be available for God to use us. As another has said, “The greatest ability is availability.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to live in tune with You and in obedience to Your Word and always be available to do Your bidding. Give me a loving heart, a listening ear, and a willing attitude so that I will always be obedient to Your leading. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Genesis 24:27 (KJV).