Have you ever been to a funeral? If not, what about visiting a gravesite? It is quite sobering to just spend some time in a cemetery and wonder about the lives of all the people, small and great, from all walks of life, who have been buried in caskets in the earth, interred in a mausoleum, or otherwise memorialized by grave markers, choice sayings, Bible verses, and dates of birth and death.
AN APPOINTMENT WE MUST MEET
The Bible clearly teaches us, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” (NASB)
ARE WE PREPARED???
Many of us are unprepared for death. A great percentage of people have no will, or have an outdated will. According to a recent Forbes article online, nearly half of those who are over 55 do not have a will, not to mention any durable power of attorney or health care directive.(1) Such is a dramatic example of both “procrastination” and a tremendous “lack of preparedness” for a very significant event!
Sadly, and more importantly due to eternal consequences, an even greater percentage of people in the world are unprepared for the final judgment by God (being in a lost state now)! As our lead passage above teaches, it is an appointment for all to die physically (the exceptions being: those who will be alive when Jesus comes on the judgment day (I Corinthians 15:51-53), and it appears Enoch, Genesis 5:24, and Elijah, 2 Kings 2:11). We are responsible for our own will preparation and estate planning, along with any power(s) of attorney and/or health care directive(s)! Not God, not our children, not our neighbors, and not even our spouse per se! The same is true about planning for where we will be in eternity. There are only two choices: heaven and hell! There is no other place we can be! The Bible teaches that “all” will be separated into two groups….the sheep and the goats of Matthew 25. The sheep go into life eternal and the goats go into the everlasting place of punishment.
THE SOLUTION..TAKING PROPER ACTION NOW TO HAVE THE PROPER RESULT LATER
If you or I have not completed properly planning for our physical departure from this life, we need to resolve and follow through with proper estate planning!
Most importantly, we need to accept the invitation of God to be His children, and properly plan where we will be in eternity immediately!
God has given us the plan, the Savior and His sacrifice, as well as ample opportunity to obey the gospel of Christ and live a life faithfully pleasing to God (according to the law age to which we are particularly amenable). He is more than fair, just and merciful, full of grace! HE desires that no one be lost eternally (2 Peter 3:9).
Our souls are too precious and the consequences of not preparing properly for our spiritual well-being are too severe not obey the gospel and live faithfully according to God’s Will that we might be saved!
Thanks for reading! Share this with a friend and be a friend in so doing.
– mjw
Footnote:
(1) https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiegermano/2019/02/15/despite-their-priorities-nearly-half-of-americans-over-55-still-dont-have-a-will/#14312f825238