Rich man and Lazarus story - is it true?

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

A week ago on Thursday we got up and started our day as we normally do. Went
about our business, I working in my office and my wife going with another
church member to visit one of our widowed members. Then I received a call
from Ohio that my wife's twin sister had died in Troy and everything
changed. The next morning we were up at 3 a.m. And heading for the airport
for that long flight home. I made the comment that the morning before I
could never have imagined that we be on a plane the next morning. What a
difference a day makes!

I know that many of you have experienced the same thing, a loved one dies,
an accident changes life dramatically for you, you loose a job, a sudden
illness, your house burns down or any number of things can happen. From that
point on your life is changed. You wish you could go back and do things
differently, say things differently, change relationships, but you can't.


Here is a story from God's word that makes that point. "There was this rich
man that lived in a huge mansion. He loved to party, loved his fancy cars
and loved to be seen with his super model girlfriends.

There was also a homeless man named Lazarus that hung out, outside of the
rich mans gate. When he could he would sneak around to the kitchen door and
beg for scraps or hunt though the trash cans for food.

Lazrus was filthy and dirty and covered with sores. He often would wake up
with stray dogs licking the blood that was dripping from the oozing sores.

After awhile Lazrus died and God took pity on him and had his soul brought
to a place called, "Paradise," where he was comforted and cared for.

Not long after that the rich man died and his soul went to Hell and he was
in constant torment.

As he looked off in the distance he saw the prophet Abraham with Lazrus
laying in his lap being cared for.

The Rich man cried out, "I'm being torchured here and burning up in this
fire, please let Lazrus bring me just a few drops of water.

Abraham said, "Sorry, but that can't happen. Do you see that huge canyon
between us, it ws put ther just so you would have to stay where you are and
live with the choices you made in life... and we can't cross over either.

The Rich man thought about his life and remembered his family still in the
world. He cried out, "Well, what about my father and brothers, can you send
Lazrus back to warn them about this place and what's happened to me?"

Abraham said, "No, that can't happen either and it wouldn't do any good
anyway.They have preachers and the bible, they need to listen to them,
because even if someone came back from the dead they would just think it was
special effects or a trick of some kind. They wouldn't listen then any more
than they do now." (Luke 16:19-31 Paraphrase by R. Lawson)

Now here is the point: Get your life right with man and God while you still
have time. There is no going back, there are no 'do overs,' there is no
"restore function" like you have on your computer. You make your choices and
then live eternally with the consequences. The question for each of us is,
if there is no tomorrow for you are you ready for 'forever'?

By Russ Lawson