One Split Second is All it Takes

Video shows bystanders ignoring hit-and-run victim


78 year old Angel Arce Torres is left in critical condition, paralyzed from the next down because people seemed to ignore the situation. There were calls in to 911 within minutes but I don’t see anyone trying to stop traffic, or checking on him or whatever. You can read the news story linked above and the video below shows the terrifying incident. It has been stated that The Hartford, Connecticut people are doing some soul searching. I certainly hope so.



Now I wonder, was this guy a Christian? His life could’ve been over in a split second… just like yours or mine.

If you were to have your life taken from you, do you know for a fact about where you will spend eternity? If you don’t, please consider the following:

Let me ask you a few questions.

Would you consider yourself to be a good person? Then read on to find out if you really are good. The following is a test of self-examination to see if you have upheld goodness by the only true standard as given by God – The Ten Commandments of Exodus 20 found in the Old Testament of the Bible.

Have you ever told a lie? What does that make you?
The Ninth of the Ten Commandments is "You shall not lie." Telling even just one lie, even one little, white fib, according to God's standards, makes you a "liar."
Revelation 21:8 says, "…all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone…”

Have you ever stolen anything, no matter how small or how long ago? What does that make you?
The Eighth of the Ten Commandments is "You shall not steal." The value is irrelevant. Taking something that doesn’t belong to you makes you a “thief.”
In 1 Corinthians 6:10, God says, ”[Neither] thieves… nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”

Have you ever committed adultery? Before you answer to this one, read on.
The Seventh of the Ten Commandments is "You shall not commit adultery." One definition of adultery means marital infidelity. Another states: Lewdness or unchastity of thought as well as act. And another describes it as: Faithlessness in religion.
In Mathew 5:27-28, Jesus says "You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not commit adultery.' But I
say to you that whoever looks [with]…lust…has already committed adultery…in his [or her] heart.”

Have you ever murdered anyone? Again, read further before you give your final answer.
The Sixth of the Ten Commandments is “You shall not kill." To kill is to murder. Murder is defined as willfully putting an end to life. Another definition means to mutilate or mangle.
In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother [has murdered and] shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother [has murdered and] shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, 'You fool!' [has murdered and] shall be liable to the hell of fire.” 1 John 3:15 says that “Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life…”

Have you ever used any of the names of the One who gave you precious life in a manner that was anything but respectful or appreciative? If not, that is blasphemy.
The Third of the Ten Commandments is "You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain." If you've ever used the name
"God," "Jesus," or "Christ" as a curse word, what you've done is commit "blasphemy," and according to God's standards, you are a "blasphemer." Even the seemingly innocent “OMG” qualifies.
In Luke 12:10, Jesus says, “…he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.”

Do you love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength? Do you let anything in life interfere with your worship of God?
The First AND MOST IMPORTANT of the Ten Commandments is Exodus 20:3: "You shall have no other gods before me." That means that we should love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. Even our love for family and friends should seem like pure hatred in comparison (Matthew 10:37, Luke 14:26). And to put other things in life above God is a horrible sin.

In Psalm 14:2-3 The Bible tells us that no one has kept this commandment – “The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Therefore, even if we obey all of the nine other commandments, there is no one who is not guilty of this commandment.

Your deeds will NOT guarantee salvation:
In Isaiah 64:6, the Bible says, “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” Therefore, no matter what good you do in this world, you WILL NOT get into Heaven. Forget what good deeds you have done, as they don’t matter in front of a judge. Think about it. If a mass murderer were found guilty in a court of law, but pleaded for the judge to let him go free because he gave to charity and volunteered at a soup kitchen, the judge would pretty much laugh in his face and send him up the river anyway.

From the above, we have only covered six of the Ten Commandments and there is no way you could have answered “no” to all of them. It is pretty certain that you have pleaded guilty to all six and would have to plead guilty to the rest as well.

Therefore, by those standards, would you be innocent or guilty? Would you go to Heaven or Hell? Do you feel like you are in trouble? Does this have you thinking and concerned about your eternal fate?

And while it may seem that God's goodness will cause Him to overlook your sins in forgiveness, the opposite is actually true. The very thing you are counting on to save you on the Day of Judgment -- namely God's goodness -- is going to be the very thing that will see to it that justice is done. Because God is so good He will make sure that every murderer, rapist and thief receives justice... but He won't stop there. He will also make sure every liar, blasphemer, and adulterer is punished.

While this is something that is extremely tragic and far from God's ultimate, loving desire for any person, the Bible is clear that the place of punishment for those who do not turn from their sins is Hell. The Bible refers to the fate of the unsaved (HELL) with such fearful words as the following:

* “Shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2)
* “Everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46)
* “Weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:51)
* “Fire unquenchable” (Luke 3:17)
* “Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish” (Romans 2:8,9)
* “Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
* “Eternal fire...the blackness of darkness for ever” (Jude 7,13)
* “He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone...the smoke of their torment ascended up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day or night." (Revelation 14:10,11)
But the most terrifying thing is that once you are in hell, it will be like God never existed to you and you to God. And there is no way you will ever be able to be redeemed.

Does the possibility of going to hell concern you? It should!
Do you know what God did for you so that you wouldn't have to be punished for your sins and spend eternity in Hell?

The cliché is true: God does have a wonderful plan for your life. But because you are a sinful person and separated by your sins from God, you CANNOT know God’s love and plan for your life until you accept Jesus Christ as God's ONLY provision for your sin. Through BELIEVING in Jesus, and individually RECEIVING Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord; then you can BECOME a child of God and know and experience His love and plan for you life. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me."

God loves you so much that He sent His son for you so that He would pay the price for your sins and be punished in your place. All you have to do is confess and repent (forsake or turn away from) your sins and Trust in Jesus with Faith as your personal Lord and Savior. Make Him the master of your life and follow His standards for living your own.

John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

The life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are told in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John in the New Testament of the Bible. For an explanation of what Jesus suffered on the cross, go to:
http://www.konnections.com/Kcundick/crucifix.html or watch “The Passion of the Christ,” to experience the last twelve hours of Christ’s life. Jesus life, punishment, death and resurrection were accurately prophesied in verses of the Old Testament, written from c. 1500-400B.C.! You can read them and their explanations as well as future prophesies of Jesus at http://www.bible.com/jesus/prophecies.html.

If concern over your eternal fate is weighing heavy on your heart, it is now time to repent and ask God to forgive you and accept His grace through the cleansing blood of Jesus.

You can pray something like this –
"Dear God, I repent of all my sins, I have (name your sins) against you. I now and forever put my trust in Jesus Christ as Lord (to say Jesus is your Lord means you are now making Jesus the master over your life) and Savior (Proclaiming Jesus as your Savior means that you recognize that He is the only way to salvation). Forgive me and grant me your gift of everlasting life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen." (God knows your heart better than you, so please be honest with Him in praying)

I know this has been a long read and I truly thank you for staying until the end. Because I know that some of you may simply ignore this. But remember how I started this blog? All it takes is a split-second for someone else to put your life in jeopardy. And if you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, it’s time you make that change in your life so that you can have an eternity in paradise with God.