Vacation time had come again, and we had put our suitcases on the bed to begin the packing process. We left the room to make some other preparations and then came back into the bedroom to add more to our suitcase. It was then we discovered something else in our suitcase: our little black pug named Charlie. Evidently, he knew we were going away and wanted to go with us. He was saying, I don’t want to be left behind.
Those of us who know Jesus are looking forward to a far more important trip. We do not know when it will happen. However someday Jesus Christ will return for us in the air, and we will join Him as He takes us to the Father’s House where we will spend eternity. This trip is called the rapture and is described for us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord”. What an exciting trip we have to look forward to. It gives us comfort in the difficulties of life when we know that one day, we will travel from this earthly realm to be with our Lord forever.
However, not everyone will be included in that blessed hope called “the rapture”. Many will be left behind. To make sure you have your ticket purchased for that wonderful trip you must receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. God loved us so much that He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins. When we repent of our sins and believe in Christ, we will become a child of God.
Charlie didn’t want to be left behind. He wanted to be where his master was. How about you, are you ready for the trip?