Will Your Ticket Get You To Heaven?

Good News – July/August 2012 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Will Your Ticket Get You To Heaven?

I was on the number 28 bus from Taunton railway station to Minehead on the North Somerset coast of England. A lady and her son got on the bus when I did. As they boarded she showed her ticket to the driver. He said that unfortunately the tickets she had bought would not take her as far as she wanted to travel. They were only valid for two-thirds of the way.

A brief but sharp argument ensued during which the woman protested that she had bought this particular ticket by computer, and had been assured on-line that she paid the sufficient amount to reach Minehead. The driver insisted that her tickets were insufficient and that if she wanted to travel to Minehead she would have to pay an extra 4 pounds for her child and 5.50 pounds for herself.

She angrily refused. When the driver asked them to leave the bus, she negotiated to travel as far as Cross Keys using the tickets she had. Both parties agreed and the bus set off at last. When we came to Cross Keys the driver stopped and called out, “We are at Cross Keys.” Nobody moved. He turned off the engine and said, “We are not going anywhere lady, until you pay the extra amount, or get off my bus!”

After some further argument the lady and her son departed while still claiming their innocence. But before leaving she requested the driver’s name and the bus number so she could make a formal complaint to the bus company, First Great Western.

This incident reminded me of the importance of having our journey to heaven securely paid for before we need to make it. Sadly, many people will fall short because they are trusting in the wrong set of facts. Even if you are 100% sincere, relying on half truths or downright lies will do you no good. A secure payment for half, two-thirds or even nineteen-twentieths of the ticket will not be sufficient in the end.

Jesus Christ said, “In My Father’s house are many rooms ... I am going to prepare a place for you ... I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” He also said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn. 14:2,6 NIV). Jesus Christ paid the full fare for you to travel all the way to heaven. He did this when He shed His blood on Calvary’s cross.

I’ll never know whether that lady made an official complaint, and I’ll never know how the company replied if she did. However, I do know that it is vital for every individual to know for certain that their ticket to heaven is not subject to any debate or doubt. Accept everything Jesus Christ has accomplished for you, and make sure you do it now, before it’s too late. We can tell you how.

By Colin Salter