In just a few days our nation will conclude its voting season for the current election cycle.  Next Tuesday will be the final day for making choices for various state and national candidates.  Of course, the only ones who can participate legally in this process are the officially registered voters, those who have followed the destinated registration process for the state where they reside.  Absentee voting through mail-in ballots and in-person voting on election day are the options available to registered voters.

        “Words from Above” tell us that there is one very special choice we all must make, which is where we will spend eternity in our life after death. This choice entirely depends on how we respond to the invitation of God to invite His Son Jesus into our lives.  This choice is undeniably the most important choice that people can ever make in their lives.  Of course, we can either invite Jesus into our lives or fail to do so, and the choice is entirely up to each and every person ever born into this world.  No one else can ever make the choice for us, but we must absolutely make the choice for ourselves. 

        In Romans 10, the apostle Paul discusses this matter in great detail, and he outlines it in a very straightforward way.  He begins by saying that “whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  Of course, what he meant by being saved was that we can be saved from God’s penalty for the sins all the people of the world commit.  Jesus made provision for us to be saved from this penalty by dying on a cross to pay the penalty for us by the shedding of His blood.  He paid the penalty so no one else had to do so.

        Paul then asks a series of questions about calling on the name of the Lord.  First, he asks how people can actually call on Him if they do not even believe in Him.  He goes on to ask how people can believe on Him if they have never heard of Him.  He then asks how people can hear about Jesus if someone does not preach or tell them about Jesus.  Finally, he asks how people can preach or tell us about Jesus if God does not send them.  The good news is that God has asked people who are already saved to tell people who are not yet saved about inviting Jesus into our lives.  If we are already saved, and if we really care about people who are not yet saved, we will absolutely tell them that Jesus wants to save them.

Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  For informa-tion, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.