I praise God whenever someone accepts Christ, even on their death bed after a long life without Him. The most famous death bed conversion is recorded in Luke’s Gospel. “But the other criminal protested. ‘Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.’ And Jesus replied, ‘I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” (Luke 23:40-43)
Is it fair that criminal squeezed into heaven by the skin of his teeth in the very last minutes of his life, while I have labored in the field as a follower of Jesus for more than 65 years and He isn’t done with me yet? No! It isn’t fair! That man had no time to experience the thrill of baptism or the joy of sharing his faith with others. He didn’t have the opportunity to live life with God’s Holy Spirit within him or bear the fruit of that Spirit in his life. He didn’t get to walk with God every step of the way to pick him up when he would fall and keep him from falling as his steps become painful and slow with age. He didn’t have God to thank for saving him from a house fire and from a potentially fatal disease or healing him from chronic sciatic nerve pain. He didn’t have the priceless experience of spending over 50 years of his life with a wife who shares his faith in Jesus and a strong love for each other. No, he didn’t know or experience any of those things or the other countless blessings I have known and experienced in this life and continue to experience every day God gives me here. I am so thankful that I could encounter and accept Jesus Christ as my savior at a young age and then enjoy a long life with Him before entering heaven.
Comparison is a counterfeit coin minted by Satan with envy on one side and pride on the other. Heads he wins – tails you lose. We need to be too smart to fall for that con game. We must concentrate on our own relationship with God and our countless blessings. We must pray for those who are less fortunate and reach out a helping hand whenever possible. We must praise God with those who have experienced victories and success. We must love them all as God loves us.