The memorial for my husband’s cousin yesterday made me think. He was young, had 4 kids, it seemed so tragic. He was the first of 8 people who died last week that were family, friend, or family of a friend. My husband’s response was that people die every day, we just don’t hear about it. Death is an unfortunate part of living in this sin-filled world. It will happen to all of us, and never when we expect it. If we can’t stop it, how can we learn from it?
Genesis 3:19,22-24 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
By the sweat of your face
You will
eat bread,
Till
you return to the ground,
Because from
it you were taken;
For you are
dust,
And to dust
you shall return…
Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one
of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and
take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore
the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground
from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the
Death is the result of sin. Before Adam and Eve sinned, there was no death, no suffering of any kind. The world was perfect, but the wages of sin is death. God never intended for us to sin or know death, but that is what we chose and we face both as a result. We cannot escape death, no matter how hard we try. Since we cannot escape it, how should we respond?
Since we must face death at some point, the only thing left for us to do is to prepare for it. We do that by focusing on life, by making sure we live the best life we can so we are ready, leaving the best life for those we leave behind. My husband’s cousin left behind four children, but he also left a love for the Lord. That was their most vivid memory of him. If it is possible, it seemed he was ready to die. His soul was prepared and his children were prepared by his example.
Matthew 24:42 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
If there is anything to learn, it is that death comes unexpectedly. Of the people who died last week, one was 20, another 41, another 38. I know of an early 20something sitting at death’s door with aggressive leukemia. We don’t know how many days we have. It may be cancer, a car accident, a house fire, an armed burglar; we don’t even know what form it will take. If we can’t be prepared to avoid death, we must be prepared to face death.
Ephesians 5:15-16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
Romans 6:23 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 John 3:23-24 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
We have to be ready. We have to believe. We have to obey. Not that obedience earns us anything, but it proves Whose we are. Obedience is proof of our faith and belief. That is how we get ready, by walking as He walked. That hope, belief, and obedience purifies our hearts so that when we meet Him, we will be confident and not ashamed. That is how we prepare those we leave behind, by giving them the example they should follow, so that they have what they need to deal with our passing, and can in turn be ready for death when their time comes.
Are you ready? Do you believe in and obey the Son of God? If you do not, if you are unsure of the truth, ask God to show you. Ask Him to make Himself real to you. He will. Please, don’t wait until it is too late.
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