Why “I’m Fine” is the Devil’s Softest Lullaby
Tokyo winters come early. The sun drops behind the skyscrapers by four-thirty, and the streets fill with tired people hurrying home. Many carry a quiet, comforting sentence in their pocket: “I love Jesus. I’m fine.” It feels warm and safe.
But the Bible keeps whispering: be careful. That same sentence can become the devil’s softest lullaby, lulling us into spiritual complacency. The danger is not saying you are a believer, but believing that your current state is sufficient.
What Real Faith Looks Like (And Why It Changes Everything)
Real faith isn’t necessarily loud, but it changes things profoundly. It is a genuine, growing reality in a person’s life, showing itself in action and attitude.
- It causes a man to hate the sin he once loved.
- It pulls him to the Bible like it’s essential bread.
- It drags him to other believers, even when he’s tired.
- It softens the tongue, bends the pride, and keeps saying, “Lord, have mercy on me.”
This faith is never perfect, but it is demonstrably alive and growing. If your faith isn’t changing you, we must ask: is it real?
The Bible’s Two Great Examples of Last-Minute Repentance
Scripture offers incredible hope for those who find faith late. Two people in particular were saved at the very last second, proving that salvation is always possible through Christ:
- The Thief on the Cross: He hung there, facing a lifetime of wrong, and simply cried out to Jesus, “Remember me.”
- Rahab in Jericho: This woman hid the Israelite spies on her roof and hung a scarlet cord from her window—an act of faith that saved her and her family from destruction.
A lifetime of wrong, one moment of true, desperate faith, and both were safe forever. Late is not impossible.
Why We Dare Not Wait to Repent (The Door Will Close)
But late is rare.
While God’s mercy is limitless for the truly repentant, most of us are offered a whole lifetime to turn to Him, and we keep saying, “later.” This is the heart of the urgency.
Jesus himself issued a severe warning about procrastination:
“Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord…’ and I will say, ‘I never knew you’” (Matthew 7:22-23).
The door to the Kingdom is narrow, and it does not stay open forever. The chance to genuinely wait to repent is a gamble no one should take.
Borrow a little Tokyo urgency: The last train is coming. Run to Him while it is still called today. There is mercy for every last-minute heart that truly turns—but only for those who reach for it before the sun finally sets.
