Today, a log truck driver ahead of me lost control on a mountain road. He hit the cement barrier, preventing him from going over the cliff, but the weight and momentum of the loaded trailer pushed the cement blocks over the edge.

The driver fought for control, but the trailer slid over the embankment. The truck careened along the barrier, only the passenger side tires touched the ground. Power poles along the edge snapped like toothpicks and swung over the edge, hanging only by wires.

Fortunately, the logs flew off the trailer, or the truck would have been pulled over the edge. The truck finally came to a stop with the truck and trailer in pieces.

Inside the truck, the driver looked straight down through the passenger side of his truck and saw a river a few hundred feet below. In the river was his load of logs, floating downstream.

The driver was able to crawl out unhurt. He was badly shaken and all he could say was, "That river is a long way down."

Later, when I resumed driving, I shook, thinking of how close that man had come to entering eternity, either in heaven or in the lake of fire. As I thought about it, I realized that all of us are hanging over the edge. We are all just one heartbeat from eternity.

Are you ready for eternity? Jesus said, "You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" (Luke 12:40).

Are you avoiding the fact that you will die? The Bible says, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27 KJV).

You are living on the edge. Are you safe in the arms of Jesus? It is hard to relinquish control. My instinct when I enter that garage is to use my own judgment in steering, because I trust myself. I know I have my own best interest in mind. But if I rely on myself, I'll probably put a front tire right into the opening in the floor, and that just doesn't sound like a good thing to do!

Trusting God is hard. We like to rely on ourselves for security. Dependence on self will eventually lead to trouble or heartache of some kind. We make decisions to protect ourselves, but sometimes we can't see the whole picture so we drive ourselves straight into trouble. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." You must trust that He sees more than you can see.

In the book of Jeremiah, God promises His children, the Israelites, who are exiles in Babylon, that He knows what lies ahead for them. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (29:11).

We can also claim that promise. God's plan for your life does not include harm; He wants to give you hope and a future. Before you can have that kind of hope, you must put your trust in Jesus Christ.

1. Admit you are a sinner: "As it is written: There is none righteous, not even one… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10,23).
2. Believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and for eternal life: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
3. Confess Jesus as your Savior and Lord and turn from your sins: "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved… for 'Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved'" (Romans 10:9,13).