I recently read an article concerning flight 1549 that landed on the Hudson River in January 2009. All 150 passengers and crew survived. Many referred to it as the “Miracle on the Hudson.” It was an incredible story. What caught my eye was that many disaster survivors felt driven to change the way they had been living and start a new life with a new purpose. It was important that their lives became more fulfilling with more meaning. I came across another article and according to the National Earthquake Information Center in the past 25 years, 2008 was the year that had the most earthquakes recorded with 31,777. After disasters there seems to have been a number of miraculous events. A person who feels God spared their life has a tendency to have a different perspective of life’s future.

My thought—isn’t this what is supposed to happen when a person accepts Jesus Christ and receives salvation? How difficult it is for most to free themselves from the ways of the world. I understand the difficulty to make a complete change in how one lives and behaves. First, a Christian must realize we had a sin problem that could have cost our life forever. We must accept that we have been controlled by the world, sin and self-centeredness. Many of us have lived for instant self-gratification. Instead of a desire to have everything the world has to give, we now must live for what God has to offer. We must live a holy life with a goal, possibly requiring delayed satisfaction, of a life in Heaven throughout eternity

I wrote in a past blog that if we were to go through what some of those living through the past two earth quakes are encountering, our lives afterward probably would become simpler and our needs would be fewer. Once we become use to a certain standard of living and then possibly find ourselves having to tremendously cut back, it is difficult to adjust. Becoming a Christian requires that we must repent and restructure our lives. One example, we are commanded by God to tithe. Most find their financial situation such that it is all they can do is to pay their bills. Or, they just refuse to tithe and look everywhere in Scripture to justify their belief that tithing is not necessary. (Where your treasure is there is your heart)

Too many do not realize that they were headed for the Day of Judgment and were saved from a disastrous eternity. Accepting Christ and the Holy Spirit into our lives should help us to react similarly to those who were a part of the “Miracle on the Hudson”. A complete change should take place. Yet, this is not always what we see.

Many years ago there were more sermons on what happens when a person goes to Hell. The story Jesus told of Lazarus and the rich man got my attention. The rich man suffered and cried for Abraham to have Lazarus dip his hand in water and tough his tongue. But there was a gulf that separated them and it couldn’t be done. When I was able to compare the difference between Heaven and Hell it didn’t take much consideration as to where I wanted to spend eternity.

Then 1 John 3:10 told me what to do. “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” And then 1John 3:24 – “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” From then on I did everything to obey His commands. I then realized that the Holy Spirit had become a part of my life and ever since has checked me at times and continually has given me guidance.