We get to choose where we spend eternity!

     I don’t like to admit it, but I have been a modern-day Judas.  Through God’s grace, I’ve been shown the error of my ways and repented, asking for help in accepting the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy which I don’t deserve, can’t earn, or do anything to merit. 

     In the past few months, God has made something abundantly clear to me that I happened to miss for many years.  For the longest time, I would spend time in prayer trying to tell God how much I don’t deserve His Mercy or Forgiveness, how I have messed up too often and will likely do it again, so that I should not be granted pardon.  Recently, the Lord helped me see how ridiculous it is for me to spend time telling Him I’m not worthy to be loved, forgiven, or saved, when He knows that better than anyone else.  (Yes, I’m slow enough that this was a major ah-ha moment for me.) 
     In prayer, the Lord made it abundantly clear to me that it isn’t my pride, anger, lust, envy, gluttony, avarice, or sloth that is most abhorrent to Him.  It’s actually when I choose to reject His Mercy and believe that His love is greater than every single one of my sins that I am in the gravest danger of being separated from Him for all of eternity.   
     My view of things has begun to change now that I know the greatest rejection of God is to believe that something I (or someone else) have done, some sin I (or someone else) have committed, some evil thought I (or someone else) has had, is too horrible that it could be forgiven by the Lord of infinite Mercy and the Source of Love.
     Lord, thank You for the beauty, love, and joy in our lives that give us a glimpse of what eternity with You will be like.  Thanks for not giving up on us when we're slow on the uptake.  Draw us closer to You in all ways.  Amen. 
     Where and with whom would you prefer to spend all of eternity?