YEAR 2022 ENDS – IS JESUS CHRIST YOUR SAVIOUR AND LORD?

Philippians 3:18-19 (AMP)
“For there are many, of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears, who live as enemies of the cross of Christ [rejecting and opposing His way of salvation], 19whose fate is destruction, whose god is their belly [their worldly appetite, their sensuality, their vanity], and whose glory is in their shame—who focus their mind on earthly and temporal things.”
 
Dear people of God, yesterday Friday December 30, 2022 as I was leaving the office for my home, I passed through the recently rehabilitated outer Marina, Lagos Island, road section since few motorists are aware that it has been opened to traffic.
 
As I moved along this road, some 500 metres from the office I saw a road barricade with about 15 street boys (or social miscreants or area boys as they are known in Nigeria) on the road with the intent of extorting money from motorists plying that route.
 
My initial response to them was disdain because I did not understand why they should embark on such criminal behaviour so I sped and as I got close to them, they gave way and lowered the rope tied across the road to let me pass.
 
However, having passed without any major incident, I had a rethink and stopped briefly, wound down my window a bit to give them money. Three of these young men ran to my vehicle and put their fingers into my vehicle all scrambling to take the money.
 
Even when I told them to take their fingers out and not to break my glass, they did not pay any attention till I gave the money to one of them who struggled to take it out from the little space I created and then he and others took off their fingers and I left the place and continued my journey home.
 
This incident happened around 4.30p.m. (GMT+1) and only God knows what would have been the fate of motorist plying that route under the cover of darkness with those young miscreants on the road.
 
As I drove along I thought about those young men and what came to my mind was a nation that had failed them because God Almighty has given Nigeria all the resources to take adequate care of its citizens but unfortunately, we have a political leadership whose only concern is themselves and their immediate families, who brazenly steal public funds and get away with it because there are no consequences here on earth in Nigeria.
 
Those young men were only acting out what they see the law enforcement agents do every single day on different streets and major highways in Nigeria, creating barricades, stopping on coming vehicles, causing traffic and hardship to those behind all with intent to steal from them.
 
Those young men have lost faith in the system and have resorted to self-help, living daily for only their belly, extorting money from people walking and driving, not realizing they are offending God Almighty their Creator.
 
God’s Judgement would surely come on all public sector officials and their collaborators in the private sector who have embezzled the nation’s wealth to the detriment, pain and suffering of the citizens.
 
Anytime I encounter street boys during Evangelism, their interest is not in the Gospel but in money.
 
For them, earthly things are what matters with little or no thought about the afterlife and the dire consequences of dying without Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
 
Unfortunately, this is the same life majority of people are living all over the world. As the Gospel text tells us today, they live as enemies of the cross of Christ [rejecting and opposing His way of salvation], 19whose fate is destruction, whose god is their belly [their worldly appetite, their sensuality, their vanity], and whose glory is in their shame—who focus their mind on earthly and temporal things.”
 
If God is your Father, Jesus Christ is your Saviour and Lord and the Holy Spirit is your Guide indeed, you have God’s unfailing promise never to abandon you but to provide all your needs (Matthew 6:31-34; Hebrews 13:5-6), so you don’t need to steal or cause pain to others to eke out a living.
 
Dear friend, the year 2022 ends today Saturday December 31 and we enter a new year 2023 in a few hours.
 
Everyone reading this is getting older and your stay on earth is getting shortly as you age. However, as I have stated in a previous post, not everyone will see the end of 2022 because death happens per second all over the world.
 
Just today, we have received news about the passing at 95 years of age of Cardinal Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, otherwise known as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
 
People of all ages, young and old will still die today and tomorrow and next and so on and so forth and as they die, their eternal fate is determined.
 
Majority are ending up in HELL because they either rejected Jesus Christ after hearing the Gospel or they accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour BUT not as their Lord because they were living a hypocritical double life of sin despite several warnings to live a righteous life and they are now full of regrets but it is all too late for them forever.
 
You are still alive, and still have the opportunity to assess your life, repent genuinely of sin and evil, confess your sins to God, amend your ways, accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord and commit to living an uncompromised life in obedience to all His commands in the Holy Bible.
 
Thereafter, go to Church this night, thank God and join other Christians who will worship God to thank Him for year 2022 and ask for His guidance, protection and blessings for year 2023.
 
Don’t join sinners tonight to visit night clubs, bars, casinos, to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, take narcotics, listen, and dance to worldly immoral music, fornicate, commit adultery and engage in activities offensive to God.
 
The devil is waiting in all such places to cause chaos and end people’s lives prematurely to an eternal damnation in HELL where all lost souls are full of regrets and have now realized the message of the Gospel is only one they should have listened to and obeyed.
 
See you in 2023 by God’s special grace dear friend.
 
Jesus’ coming for His children in the Rapture is imminent. Are you His child or are you born again? Are you ready for Him?
 
Come to Jesus Christ the Word of God today and now, for tomorrow or later may be too late for you.
 
May the good Lord bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus’ Most Holy Name, Amen.
 
Gabriel Ama.