There is an African wisdom that says, “The fowl that lays its eggs on top of a tree is not yet ready to be called a mother.”
In the same way, being around spiritual things does not necessarily mean that a person is spiritually alive.
You may attend church and still not know Christ.
You may carry a Bible and still be a stranger to its Author.
You may speak Christian language and yet never experience Christian transformation.
Jesus told Nicodemus:
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3 KJV
Jesus did not say, “Become more religious.”
He said, “Be born again.”
The new birth is not cosmetic improvement; it is spiritual transformation.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV
There is a difference between turning over a new leaf and receiving a new life.
RELIGION CANNOT REPLACE THE NEW BIRTH
A person can say “Amen” without knowing the God to whom the “Amen” is directed.
A person can sit in church for twenty years and remain spiritually unchanged.
Nicodemus was religious, educated, respected, and knowledgeable in Scripture. Yet Jesus told him that he needed to be born again.
We can become busy around the altar without ever surrendering at the altar.
We can preach repentance without repenting.
We can speak about holiness without pursuing holiness.
Jesus said:
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 7:21 KJV
The question is not merely, “Do I know the language of Christianity?”
The question is:
“Do I know Christ?”
THE STORY OF THE WOMAN WHO DID NOT BELIEVE IN HEAVEN
Let us imagine this as a parable.
There was once a woman named Mara, a harlot who had become convinced that life had no sacred meaning.
She mocked the idea of God and heaven.
One day, she told a Christian woman:
“You Christians talk about heaven because you are afraid of death. I have never seen heaven or God. When a person dies, that is the end.”
The Christian woman did not argue.
She simply said:
“You may doubt heaven today, but I pray that before you leave this earth, you will meet the One who made heaven.”
Those words remained in Mara’s heart.
One night, after another painful experience, she sat alone and asked:
“Is this really all my life will ever be?”
Then she remembered those words.
She knelt and prayed:
“Jesus, if You are real, find me. If heaven is real, prepare me for it. I am tired of this life. Forgive me and make me new.”
Something changed.
She began reading Scripture, praying, and living differently. The woman who once mocked heaven began preparing for it.
Not long afterward, Mara became seriously ill.
As death approached, someone asked:
“Are you afraid?”
She smiled and said:
“I used to be afraid of death because I did not know where I was going. Now I am not afraid to meet the One I have learned to love.”
She closed her eyes.
And in the language of the parable, she awakened beyond the veil.
There stood Jesus.
The One she had doubted.
The One she had eventually surrendered to.
The One she had discovered was greater than everything she had once pursued.
She fell before Him.
And the greatest discovery of her life was not merely that heaven existed.
It was that Jesus was there.
LESSON OF THE STORY
Never assume that a person’s past has the final word over their eternity.
A heart that once doubted can believe.
A life that was once broken can be transformed.
A person who once lived far from God can come home.
The grace that saved Mara is still calling today.
HEAVEN IS NOT THE REWARD FOR BEING RELIGIOUS
Jesus said:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
John 14:6 KJV
Heaven is not something to casually assume.
The Bible says:
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
Hebrews 9:27 KJV
The question is not merely whether you have entered a church.
Has Christ entered your heart?
The question is not whether people call you a Christian.
Do you truly belong to Christ?
THE FINAL WARNING
The greatest tragedy may be hearing about Jesus repeatedly and continually postponing surrender.
“I will repent later.”
“I still have time.”
But tomorrow is not promised.
Jesus said:
“Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.”
Luke 12:20 KJV
Do not wait until death teaches you what life was supposed to teach you.
Jesus said:
“Ye must be born again.”
John 3:7 KJV
That is not merely a religious slogan.
It is an eternal invitation.
Do not merely be religious. Be born again.
Do not merely know about Christ. Know Christ.
Do not merely prepare for church. Prepare for eternity.
One day titles, possessions, popularity, and applause will disappear.
But eternity will remain.
And the greatest question will not be:
“How successful were you?”
It will be:
“Did you know Jesus?”
MORAL LESSON
The wise person does not wait for death to become serious about eternity.
Be born again while you still have breath.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Mark 8:36 KJV
The world may teach you how to live for today; Christ teaches you how to live for eternity.
And when your earthly journey ends, may you not merely discover that heaven is real; may you discover that Jesus is waiting for you there.
