What Love Really Means

What Love Really Means - J.J. Heller


Have you ever heard anyone ask if it was too late for them to go to Heaven? Have you ever asked that question yourself? Do you think that you have past the point of no return? J.J. Heller in the above song gave the answer to that question, although I admit that it may have not been the aim or motivation for writing her song. For those who have never heard the song, or just don't wanna click the provided link, I'll explain. This song is about people who are left behind, abandoned, or forgotten, who are searching for true love. The first one a child, the second one a wife who's husband has left her, and the third an inmate on death row awaiting his execution. The death row inmate in this song does as follows:


He utters a cry from the depths of his soul
'Oh Lord forgive me! I wanna go home!'


The song then continues on


The he heard a voice, somewhere deep inside.
It said: 'I know you've murdered, and I know you've lied.
I've watched you suffer all of your life.
And now that you'll listen, I'll tell you that I...
I will love you for you
Not for what you have done or what you will become.
I will love you for you
I will give you the love,
The love that you never knew.


Heller demonstrates here what is essentially a deathbed conversion. This is where someone accepts Jesus Christ either at the point of death, or faced with the serious possibility of death. Believe me, I am not under the impression that what is said in music, even Christian music, is necessarily true. The Bible tells us to check the claims of others against what is in the scripture.


When Jesus was crucified, he was crucified with two robbers, one on each side (Luke 23:32). When they were at the point of death, one of the robbers shouted at Christ saying "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us" (Luke 23:39). The other one responded telling him that they were criminals being punished as they deserved. However, Christ was being executed and He had done nothing wrong. At this point, the second robber looks over at Christ and says "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." To which Christ replies "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:40-43).


The man next to Jesus who turned to Him (both literally and spiritually) was a robber, and the man in the song was a murderer. Both of them at the point of execution. Both of them living a life without Christ. Both of them saved by Christ in the last minutes of their lives. However, they had an advantage over the rest of us. They knew they were about to die. For those of you not reading this blog from a cell on death row, you are probably sitting in a comfy chair at home or at work in relative safety with no rational fear of immediate death. In other words, you don't know when or how you will die. Most people hang on to the fact that they will die peacefully at a ripe old age surrounded by loved ones. While death may happen then, it didn't happen like that for my 17 year old brother who got into a car accident on his way home with dinner. It didn't happen that way for my 19 year old neighbor who was the target of a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. 


The point of it all is this: It is not too late for you. You can accept Christ at any point of your life and be saved. Be you a death row inmate, or sitting in your kitchen, or even at your office. If you have a genuine conversion, you are saved.


Amen.