With Joy or With Misery

The other day on the anniversary of our "courting,"  Glen and I were discussing the paths the Lord led us through during that time.  We were friends and did things together as friends, neither of us realizing at the time that we were also falling in love.  We remarked how there were so many choices we could have made that would have kept this wonderful experience we have had together from ever happening.  There were also unexplained and unpredictable choices we did make that facilitated our meeting and courting.

Have you ever had an opportunity for something you knew was wonderful and just didn't make the choices for that to become a reality in your life?  What misery must accompany the knowledge that we missed out on something great by our own actions or lack thereof.

A great number of people will experience this misery in the greatest degree.  The Scriptures tell us,

"For it is written, 'As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.' " (Romans 14:11.)

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name:  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 

of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 

to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11.)

There is coming a day when, no matter what people proclaimed in this life -- whether they be Christians, atheist, agnostics, whatever -- every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  Some, who accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and have come to know Him in spirit and truth, will do so with hearts full of "joy unspeakable and full of glory."  Those who have rejected Christ in this life will see Him as He truly is and will confess Him as Lord with hearts full of misery, also unspeakable.  They will spend eternity knowing what they could have had, having seen the glorified Lord Jesus Christ but forever being separate from Him.  It breaks my heart to think of it even as I write.  No wonder the Lord often said, "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Let us pray for all that their eyes will  see the "goodness and forbearance and longsuffering" of God which leads to repentance.  May those who confess in misery be few and those who confess with joy be "exceeding abundant."

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, 

as some men count slackness; 

but is longsuffering to us-ward, 

not willing that any should perish, 

but that all should come to repentance."  

2 Peter 3:9