I considered leaving these final thoughts out of this narrative simply because their inclusion might intimate some level of doubt in my mind about God’s existence. I have none.

But I think it is more important to plant a seed in the reader’s mind regarding the consequences of being wrong. After all, we’re only talking about eternity.

The fact is that my faith leads me to live my life in a particular way – ideally, in a manner that honors God. What does that mean?

For one, it means that I profess my faith – and, thereby, expose myself to persecution and ridicule by nonbelievers. As a Christian, this is far from a bad thing. When I consider how my Savior was persecuted and crucified to save me from death, I am humbled to be ridiculed for His Name. I certainly don’t view it as a negative aspect of the Christian lifestyle; instead, I embrace it.

I endeavor to be guided by God’s word. I wasn’t always that way. Prior to coming to Christ, I was consumed by pride, and engaged in an endless pursuit of wealth and other lusts that would make my short time on earth enjoyable. So, if indeed I am wrong about God (I’m not), then I will have missed out on opportunities to fulfil my ego, enrich my bank account and satisfy my fantasies.

Interestingly, those pursuits consistently fell short because there was always more to get. And while there were indeed moments of satisfaction, achievement and pride – anger, anxiety, fear, hate, deception, manipulation and disappointment were equally prevalent.

In return for foregoing those pursuits, I will have lived my Christian life without anxiety over money, preoccupation with vengeance over a personal affront, or anger in competitive defeat. Rather, I have immense and persistent satisfaction in knowing that my faith ensures me of a glorious eternity with my Lord in heaven. And if I’m wrong about it all, I’m still far more contented with my life today than before Christ revealed Himself to me.

What if you’re a nonbeliever and wrong about it all? For starters, you will miss out on spending eternity in heaven with Jesus. But that’s only half the bad news. Instead, the rest of eternity will be spent somewhere far less pleasant in the company of those with much less love. What is hell like? I don’t know and hope never to find out. But among the biblical descriptions is “the eternal fire.” Certainly, it will be quite unpleasant.

So, for a nonbeliever, doesn’t it make sense to be sure? Would it not be prudent to invest the time in reading the Bible and seeking Jesus therein? Isn’t the punishment for being wrong worth that investment? One simply should not allow pride, arrogance or inconvenience to engender eternal damnation.

And, if you read it and remain unmoved, you will at least have a deeper knowledge of the most influential piece of “literature” in the history of the world.

Personally, I think it would be very hard not to find Him. As He tells us in Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Of course, there are those who believe that they will simply earn their way to eternity through good behavior in spite of unbelief – that a just and loving God would be reticent to cast a “good person” into the lake of eternal fire. Think again.

In John 3:16, Jesus explains the depth of God’s love:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”

There is no requirement for God’s love. It is there for all who have faith in Him. Those who have that faith are indeed good people whose belief is manifested in behavior that honors God.

Jesus makes it perfectly clear in John 14:6:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that those of true belief – those that seek to live by God’s Word on a daily basis – enjoy an innate confidence and contentment regardless of their station in life. It is a confidence and contentment that I do not see with the same constancy among nonbelievers. There is less angst and little fear about what comes next. I pray that any who have tolerated my excessive verbosity come to know such peace.