Perhaps it is because I have always been a rugby ‘nut’ and a cricket ‘fanatic’, but ever since childhood I wanted to go to New Zealand and Australia. The trouble has always been both it was hard to muster the cash or that my wife and I never felt able to justify spending the money needed on a holiday...

However points for air miles came to the rescue. After years of accumulating those points, New Zealand beckoned free of travel charges (except taxes of course!).

Such a lot to organise!

We were thrilled that such a trip could be arranged. Thanks to the internet and advice from friends, both inside and outside New Zealand, we could arrange our travel schedule and accommodation. It took a lot longer than we had anticipated, but special deals and kind offers of hospitality (including from churches where I was invited to speak at Sunday services) enabled us to keep expense down and to plan well in advance. Then currency and travellers cheques were acquired, and we began to pack our cases. We had decided to go via Singapore and (only for a few hours) Sydney, and return via Hong Kong. All that had to be arranged additionally.

Imagine if we had not prepared properly!

Can you imagine our waking up on the day we wanted to go, with no destination chosen, no seats booked on the plane, no timing or route selected, no accommodation reserved, no currency secured, no cases packed, or no transport to the airport arranged? Would we just go to Heathrow and expect everything to ‘click together’? Of course not! You cannot relax and enjoy your journey unless you know where you are going and how you are going to get there sensibly and safely.

But how about the most important journey of all?

I suppose you could say that it is not the end of the world if a holiday comes unstuck. After all you could reschedule your time to something less expensive and less exotic. But what if your journey is a one way ticket into eternity? Is it not especially important to be sure where you are going and to make all the necessary preparations?

Jesus taught in Matthew Chapter 7, verses 13 and 14, about a broad road leading to destruction, meaning Hell, and a narrow road leading to life, or Heaven. All of us will end up either in Heaven or in Hell in eternity. To go to destruction we need do nothing at all – just continue as now. Our sins have already separated us from God and we shall be judged eternally for them after death. No preparation for eternity means we spend it in Hell. However, we can prepare to spend eternity in the blessing of Heaven. How?

Although God must judge sin, Jesus Christ, who was both God and man, lived a perfect life and died on the cross to bear our sins and punishment in our place. If we trust in that, admit our sins to God, and turn from them to ask Jesus to come into our lives to lead us in His way in the future, God will forgive us now and welcome us into Heaven then.

Are you prepared for that most important journey and destination? If not turn from your sins to Christ, and do it now!


- Gerard Chrispin