It Does Make a difference!

(Oratory)

As I lay down, I closed my eyes…I took my last breath…my heart beat its’ last beat.

Then someone took my hand.  I opened my eyes and saw Jesus standing beside me.  He smiled at me, helped me up, gave me a huge bear hug, and said, “Welcome to heaven.”

Suddenly, we were standing before the throne of God.  There were no words to express God’s splendor and being as He sat on his throne in all his magnificent glory.  His pure warm white light shone brightly and surrounded me as his love enveloped me.

Jesus turned and walked into God’s radiant light.  As he did, He took his place at the right hand of God.  For the first time, I realized what  the Bible meant when it said that Jesus was fully man and fully God.

I immediately fell to my knees and bowed before God.  I felt the same love, joy, peace, and happiness that I had felt from God on earth but it was multiplied a thousand times.  I knew I was finally home.   I never wanted to leave God’s presence.

Eventually, Jesus reappeared from the light.  In his hands, he carried a “Crown of Life”. He walked over to me, placed the crown on my head, and said, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  He reached down, helped me up and kissed my cheek.

Instantly we were standing on a gold paved road that wondered through a vast beautiful meadow.  As far as the eye could see, the meadow was covered with tall grasses waving in the breeze, streams of cool clear water rippling through the grass, and trees and bushes of all kinds and sizes scattered throughout the fields. It was incredible!  But as I looked over the meadow,  something seemed different.  I studied it.  I finally I realized what it was.  There were no shadows.  There was not one place that God’s light did not shine.

Jesus took my hand and we started walking down this golden road.  We walked and talked for such a long time.  We talked about my life on earth, about his life on earth, about his future plans for me, about God, about so many different things.  The fellowship, friendship…oh such joy in just walking and talking with my Savior, hand in hand.

As we walked, I heard children’s laughter.  I looked around and saw children running and playing tag. I saw a lion sitting under a tree beside a child.  The child was lying on the ground using a sleeping lamb as a pillow and watching the birds in the sky.  Then I heard dogs and saw them running towards me.  I immediately recognized them as my pets that I had on earth.  My two birds were flying above them and my three horses came running behind them.  They all seemed so excited to see me.  As I looked around, I knew…this is the way that God had meant for earth to be.

As Jesus and I continued to walk down this road, I could see that it led to a beautiful palace in the distance.  As we got closer, I saw streets paved with gold and lined with precious gems.  The palace, made from gold and silver with crystal windows, sparkled in God’s bright white light.  It sat on the shore of a glistening crystal sea. It was breath-taking.

When we arrived at the palace, Jesus led me up a set of staircases that look me up the side of this magnificent building.  At the top of the stairs was a door with my name beautifully carved on it.  An angel was standing guard.  I had never seen him before but I immediately recognized him as my guardian angel that had walked with me my whole life.  He smiled at me and opened the door for Jesus and me.

I stepped inside.  This was the room that Jesus prepared for me!  I was overwhelmed by the sight.  It was so enormous that it would take me forever to explore its’ contents.  In the distance, I saw a large pond with a weeping willow tree by it.  My pets from earth were gathered around it waiting for me.  And just to the left of the door, was a small table covered with some of the things from earth that I  treasured.  There was the hand-painted quilt that my mom made for me…and  her harmonica.  As a girl, I used to watch her play and tap-dance at the same time.  I saw my dad’s mouth harp that he used to boing tunes on as I sat at his feet and listened.  And right in the middle of the table, sat a small Mason canning jar full of dandelions that my kids picked from the lawn.  They giggled as they brought the pretty yellow weeds to me.  And my wedding ring was there, my bagpipes, and other treasures that represented my life on earth.

To the right of the door was a huge banquet table filled with every one of my favorite foods.  I knew that Jesus had a sense of humor, because right in the middle of that table was the most humongous bowl  I had ever seen.  It was filled full and piled high with cherry chocolates, my favorite food of all  time.  I walked over, picked one up and ate it.  WOW…an eternity full of all the cherry chocolates I could ever eat.  This had to be heaven!  Jesus chuckled and led me back down the steps to the street.

The streets were empty.  The only people I saw was a small group of people in the distance, walking quickly towards us.  As they hurried closer, I recognized them.  It was my family and friends that had gone before me.  One by one, they came up, hugged me and welcomed me home…my mom, my dad, my grandparents along with other relatives and friends.  I was so excited to see them.  It was a grand reunion!

As we were getting reacquainted, I notice a long line of people in the distance coming towards us.  The line was so long that I couldn’t see the end of it.  As it got closer, I saw my friend Susan leading the line.   She came up to me, gave me a big hug, and said, “Thank you!  I’m here because you shared Jesus with me and I accepted Christ.  I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”  Then her husband, Steve, stepped up and hugged me.  “Thank you,” he said.  “I’m here because you shared Christ with Susan.  She took me to church and I accepted Christ.”  A friend of Steve’s then stepped up and said, “Hi, I’m John.  Steve is a good friend of mine.  He helped me through a really tough time.  He shared Jesus with me and I accepted Christ.   I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t shared Christ with Susan, so she could share with Steve and Steve with me.”  Then his son stepped up and said, “When I went to church with Dad, I started going to youth group.  I learned about Jesus there…I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.  And it went on and on as others came one-by-one, telling how when I shared with Susan, God had used that to reach them.  It was like a spider web as it reached on and on.  I marveled at how God used that one act of obedience to further his kingdom.

Every act of love and kindness that I did in his name was acknowledged.  Again and again, through each act, God’s word spread on and on.  Person after person came up and thanked me for testifying  for Christ in one way or another.  It was overwhelming to see how God had used me to further his kingdom.

Since forever has no time, I don’t know how long I was listening.  It could have been a few hours or a thousand years.  But when it was finished, I sat down on a golden bench by the road.  I was overwhelmed at how God had used the few things that I had done for Him and multiplied it a thousand fold.

As I thought about it, I could feel a little pride start swelling up inside me…Look at what God did through me…Look at how God used me…Look at how God used ME…Look at what I did with God’s help…God couldn’t have done this with out my help…Look what I did!  As this pride grew, I became a little light-headed, a little dizzy.  I closed my eyes.

When I opened them, I found myself sitting on the edge of a cliff instead of the golden bench.  As I glanced down in the ravine, I saw a river of fire.  Flames were licking at my toes.  As I looked around me, I realized that I was surrounded by flames.  My skin was starting to turn red and blister as the flames got closer and hotter.  Suddenly I realized that God was not with me.  I felt his absence, I felt empty and alone inside.  I got scared, then mad.  Anger, bitterness, fear and hatred started filling me.  My skin continued to burn and blister more.  I realized, I was in hell!  I had to get out of there.

I jumped up and started to pick my way through the flames.  As I did, I heard a woman crying and wailing.  I decided to see if I could help her.  She was sitting on the ground surrounded by flames, and her skin burned and blistered like mine.  I stepped up to her and quietly asked, “Is there anything I can do for you?”  She looked up at me and suddenly we recognized each other at the same time.  It was a lady that I had worked with for years.  “You!” she cried.  “You!!  You knew!  You knew that Jesus loved me and died for me, but you never told me!  I’m here because you never told me!”  She started screaming at me.  All I could do is say, ” I’m…I’m sorry.”  I took a couple of steps backwards and turned to go but ran into a man that was lying on the ground, crying and cursing.  I recognized him as my cousin.  He saw me.  “Cousin, he cried out.  You knew me all of your life, but you never told me about Jesus.  You knew!  I’m here because you never told me!”  He started cursing at me.  I turned to run again but every time I tried, I ran into someone else that I had plenty of time on earth to tell of Christ’s love, but never did.

Suddenly in front of me, I saw the most beautiful angel I had ever seen.  I ran up to him and fell on my knees.  “Help me!” I pleaded.  “Get me out of here!”  The angel looked at me and just started to laugh.  He laughed the loudest, most wicked, evil, horrifying laugh I ever heard.  Immediately I knew it was Satan.  He disappeared, but his laugh remained and echoed over and over in my ears.  I covered my ears with my hands to block out the sound.  As my body burned and blistered more, I closed my eyes and fell to the ground screaming and writhing in pain.  The wailing and cursing and evil laughter was so loud…then I suddenly realized that it was me crying out.

After what seemed like forever, things grew quiet.  Opening my eyes, I found myself lying in the grass in the park.  It seemed to be an average day.  Kids were playing, parents were sitting and chatting.  I realized that this had been a dream.  I sat against a tree and tried to pull myself together.  After a bit, I felt better and began to relax.

Then, as I looked up in the sky, I suddenly saw the sky split open.  Light shone down from heaven, and I heard a voice say to me, “Go witness, go witness.”  I knew it was God’s voice.  He was speaking to me.  So I looked around and found a couple sitting on a bench chatting.  I went over and sat by them and told them of Christ’s love, of how he died for our sins, and all we needed to do was ask forgiveness and accept his gift.  Then I ran back and sat down under the tree.  Again, I heard his voice say, “Go witness, go witness!”  I hurried over to a mother who was sitting on the grass and watching her child play on the swings.  I told her the gospel of Christ.  I returned to my tree only to hear God’s voice again.  Again and again, every time I sat down under the tree, the Lord told me to go witness.  Finally I became so tired that I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was lying in bed.  It was a dream!  I laid there for quite a while, thinking about what God was trying to tell me.  As I pondered what I had just experienced, I finally knew what it was.  There were four things.

-First and most of all, Jesus wants that special relationship with me, one that we can walk and talk together.

-And what I do here on earth for Christ, makes a difference now and throughout eternity.

-And what I don’t do here on earth for Christ, make a difference now and throughout eternity.

– Also, my work for Christ is never done, not until I take my very last breath.

I laid in bed for a while, just thinking and pondering about all that I dreamed, all that God had shown me.  Finally, I felt I needed to get up.  I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.  Then I saw a note on the bedside table that someone had left for me when I was asleep.  It was written on white parchment paper.  I picked it up and read it.  It said;

          Dear Marsha,

          Will you meet and walk with me today?  We have a lot of work to do and a lot of people to love.  Help me make a difference.

          I Love You,

          Jesus

What about you?

-Are you walking with Jesus?  Are you making a difference for Christ?

-What you do here on earth for Christ, makes a difference now and throughout eternity.

-What  you don’t do here on earth for Christ, makes a difference now and throughout eternity.

–Your work for Christ is never done, not until you take your very last breath.

          What you do for Christ really does matter, now and forever!

                                                                                           By Marsha K. Hood