Imagine Heaven DevotionalSample

No Condemnation

Professor Howard Storm was an atheist most of his adult life, and during his NDE found himself in a brutally hellish experience. He described to me what happened next:

And as I’m thinking . . . “There’s no hope. There’s no way out,” . . . this memory comes of myself as a little boy, sitting in a Sunday school classroom singing “Jesus Loves Me….” But more important than the words was what I felt as a little boy. This simple, this beautiful Superman figure—better than Superman—loved me, cared about me. And when I prayed to Him, He took care of me.

But I had put all that away behind me . . . and denied it all and mocked it all. And now, all of a sudden, it was all I had. I had nothing else. [I said], “Enough of this! I’m done! I don’t have anything else. Jesus, please save me!” 

And when I said that, I saw a tiny, little speck of light, and it rapidly got very bright and came over me. And I saw hands and arms emerge out of this impossibly beautiful light . . . and they reached and they touched me. And in that light . . . I became whole. If I took all my experience of love in my entire life and could condense it into a moment, it still wouldn’t begin to measure up to the intensity of this love that I was feeling. 

[And then Jesus’s arms] gently picked me up and held me up against Him real tight, up against His chest. So there I am, with my arms around Him, His arms around me. And I am [sobbing] with my head buried in his chest . . . like a mom or dad with a child.

Because Howard had not permanently “crossed” the boundary between temporal and eternal life, he could still call on the name of the Lord and be saved. God doesn’t make mistakes. He loves every person He ever created— even when they reject Him—and He longs for all of His children to be with Him for eternity. You could never drift too far out of God’s loving reach. No matter what you have done, Jesus will rescue you when you call out His name. His love for you is greater than you can imagine, and it’s available to you today.

Lord Jesus, thank you for your amazing love for me --a love that does not condemn me,  but forgives and heals me because of your sacrifice on the cross. Amen.