Thank you for your concern — and I hope your letter will make an impact on those who read it. Perhaps your life would have been different if someone had made an effort to help you understand the consequences of your habit.

Why should we take care of ourselves? It isn’t only so we’ll live longer. The real reason is because it’s God’s will for us to take care of ourselves — physically, emotionally and spiritually. God gave our bodies to us, and He meant for us to take care of them and use them for His glory. The Bible says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you…? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

My real concern, however, is that very shortly you will enter eternity and meet God. Are you prepared for that day? You can be, by opening your heart and life to Jesus Christ and trusting Him alone for your salvation. Christ came to erase the charges against us by His death on the cross. Make sure of your salvation by putting your life — and your eternal destiny — into His hands today.

Then let the promises of God’s Word, the Bible, fill your soul every day. Even in the face of death we can have peace, because we know we belong to Christ — now and forever.