Six Inches

             

  There are many things that come to mind when I think of half of a foot.  Six inches made the difference when the Tennessee Titans were in the Super Bowl.  If the receiver could have stretched just six more inches, then they would have won a title.  Around lunch time every day, you can see people flooding sandwich shops looking to feel their stomachs with a six inch sub.  The phone you carry is probably about six inches long (unless you are me and you need the bigger screen).  A dollar bill is around six inches long.  So in the grand scheme of things six inches is a very small measurement unless you break it down and then it becomes a pretty important part of life.

                Six inches also could mean the difference in life and death.  I have a friend that can testify to how half of a foot meant that he could tell me the story.  He was inspecting a roller coaster and fell off of it.  When he hit the ground, he broke bones and was injured, but he was alive.  The piece of ground that he fell on was about six inches from a concrete sidewalk.  Had he been over just a few inches, then his head would have hit the concrete instead of landing on the grass.  So six inches meant everything to him that day. 

                Eternal life and eternal damnation can also be measured in six inches.  When you measure the distance from your head to your heart, it measures about six inches in length.  Jesus is a very well known historical person.  You can do the research and find Him without any trouble.  All the Jewish leaders knew who Jesus was before they put Him to death.  They all used their heads and never allowed Jesus into their heart.  The disciples on the other hand got to know Jesus with their heart.  They followed Him because they wanted the relationship with Him.  They decided that the relationship with Jesus would ultimately lead to eternal life.

                The choice is the same today as it was then.  You can be like the Jewish leaders and know Jesus with head or like the disciples and know Him with your heart.  Knowing Him with your head will lead to Him telling you depart from me, I know you not.  While building a relationship and allowing Jesus into your heart will gain you an eternal life.  And you will hear the sweetest words to ever be spoken, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” 

                So six inches in worldly terms is a very small distance, but could have lasting effect on you.  But in the eternal life, six inches is the greatest gap ever to be seen.  Don’t allow half of a foot to cause you to be separated from God.  You have an opportunity today to go from knowing about Jesus to Jesus knowing you.  All you have to do is develop a relationship with Him.  He will stay closer to you than any other person you know.  He will be there when you are down and feel like no one loves you.  Even when you go through the dark times in your life, Jesus will still be right beside you.  So the real question that needs to be asked is, how big is six inches?

                Lord, thank you for putting people in my life to show me how important six inches can be.  I pray that six inches doesn’t keep anyone from the eternal life that You have promised to all of us.  Lord I pray for anyone right now that knows about You, but has not allowed You to get to know them.  I pray that the six inches between their heart and head is not what stands between them hearing well done and depart from me.  I pray that anyone reading this, which is not in a relationship with you, find someone to pray with them about their salvation.  Thank you Lord for allowing me to continue writing the things that You put on me to write.  In Your precious name I Pray, Amen.