A lot of people have already planned for their summer vacation. People, budget, save up money, decide where they want to travel to, route the best way to get there, make plane and hotel reservations, etc.
These are all wise things to do and many people do this year after year. It's always good to plan for things, especially travel plans. But I'm afraid that a lot of people never plan for the most important trip of their life - their final trip. A lot of people don't make any plans at all for their final destination.
That's too bad. This is the most important trip they will ever take and it has the most long lasting consequences - good or bad. Are you prepared for your final trip? Are you prepared for the day that you will die? Obviously, most of us don't know when that day will be. So, it's even more important to prepare now and be ready at all times.
Are you ready for your permanent vacation? Where will you spend eternity? Will you spend it in Heaven? Or will you spend it in Hell? Most people think that they are basically good. Unfortunately, we don't set the standard, God does - and He has a really, really high standard. How high? How about perfection? God is perfect, Holy and righteous, so His standard is perfection. None of us can meet His standard.
You see, even sinning once in your life makes you miss God's standard. God isn't cruel or mean. He is just as merciful as he is righteous. Our sin has to be punished, and it will be.
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 says, "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power."Because God is good, a good judge, He must punish wrong doers. If He let us go free then He would be a corrupt judge.
Thankfully, because God is a good judge, He allows someone else to pay our fine for us. Jesus is willing and able to pay your fine for you. Ask Him to do so! Ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins, turn away from your sins and put your faith in Jesus. Believe that He will rescue you, believe that He paid your fine for you. If you do this, God can legally and lovingly allow you to go free. Then you can continue on your journey knowing that when you take your final trip, you can rest assured on where you will spend eternity. Now that's a vacation I'm looking forward to!
