Yesterday a beloved family member passed away. He was old and very ill and I know that his passing was a blessing. Just before I got news of his death, I had been listening on Libby audio to Erwin W. Lutzer's book "One Minute After You Die". I have read the book before but wanted to hear it again.
I watched this video from the John Ankerberg Show too.
When I heard of my 'Uncle's' death, I had just gotten to the part of the book talking about how differently dying will be greeted by individuals. My uncle, who had been suffering for so long, had been a Christian. I am sure that he was happy to go into his peace and rest. I don't know what it must be like for unbelievers to live their last moments. I can't even imagine.
Here's the most important thing though: my uncle knew he was dying sooner rather than later. Death would not have been a surprise to him. Those of us who are not on our death bed forget that we aren't going to live forever. We make plans far in advance for things like vacations and retirement. We act as if we are in control of our breathing in and out. We act as if we are in control of anything.
Recently, I heard a funny joke where an American criticized an English meal by asking why Brits cook as if they still live in the 1800s. Someone clapped back by asking why Americans eat as if we have healthcare. I think I laughed for a full 5 minutes at that one. When reading Lutzer's book, I applied that joke to the fact that we all live as if we are in control of our eternity. And actually, we are but some of us don't take the control seriously enough.
I think that Satan has been very smart in using our human arrogance against us. He uses our faith in our own intelligence to beat us at his game. When Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, they started something, didn't they?
God says: there is no other god before me. Our arrogance questions why there should only be one God and that God. We wonder why we can't be our own god or appoint some other god.
God says that it's appointed once for man to die. Our arrogance speaks of reincarnation and raising the dead. We freeze the dead because we plan to reanimate the dead when we learn how. We try to speak to the dead and learn from the dead and visit with the dead.
God tells us he loves us. Our fear and arrogance want to know why a loving God allows sickness, poverty, and other human woes.
I guess when we thought we were getting only knowledge, Satan gave us fear and doubt and defiance. And we feel so in control of everything in spite of that. We don't think past our plans and our wishes. We don't think enough about the most important things until we have to contemplate death.
I know people who refuse to think about death. They will acquire life insurance policies and appoint godparents and guardians for their kids, just in case... But they don't think about eternity. Not when they are living their daily lives.
I think that the one other thing most Christians have over unbelievers - you know, other than that whole salvation thing - is that we have thought about death. We have made plans for eternity. As we go about our daily lives, we are forced by our conscience to think about our sins and to ask forgiveness. We are in conversation every day with the God who made us. We contemplate death because we don't put all our hope in this human life.
My Uncle suffered from a progressive illness that took his mental faculties. I like to think that after months of not having clear thoughts and memories, he went into death, seeing clearer than ever before.
Please, please, no matter what you currently believe, take some time to contemplate death. Think seriously about Jesus. If you don't believe in salvation, think hard about your reasons for not believing. Are you sure enough about your convictions to die with them? To never be able to change them?
Take some time right now to imagine all the possible "what ifs" of your not living as long as you expect. We are all going to die at some point. Be sure what you do or don't believe.
Peace
--Free
I watched this video from the John Ankerberg Show too.
When I heard of my 'Uncle's' death, I had just gotten to the part of the book talking about how differently dying will be greeted by individuals. My uncle, who had been suffering for so long, had been a Christian. I am sure that he was happy to go into his peace and rest. I don't know what it must be like for unbelievers to live their last moments. I can't even imagine.
Here's the most important thing though: my uncle knew he was dying sooner rather than later. Death would not have been a surprise to him. Those of us who are not on our death bed forget that we aren't going to live forever. We make plans far in advance for things like vacations and retirement. We act as if we are in control of our breathing in and out. We act as if we are in control of anything.Recently, I heard a funny joke where an American criticized an English meal by asking why Brits cook as if they still live in the 1800s. Someone clapped back by asking why Americans eat as if we have healthcare. I think I laughed for a full 5 minutes at that one. When reading Lutzer's book, I applied that joke to the fact that we all live as if we are in control of our eternity. And actually, we are but some of us don't take the control seriously enough.
I think that Satan has been very smart in using our human arrogance against us. He uses our faith in our own intelligence to beat us at his game. When Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, they started something, didn't they?
God says: there is no other god before me. Our arrogance questions why there should only be one God and that God. We wonder why we can't be our own god or appoint some other god.
God says that it's appointed once for man to die. Our arrogance speaks of reincarnation and raising the dead. We freeze the dead because we plan to reanimate the dead when we learn how. We try to speak to the dead and learn from the dead and visit with the dead.
God tells us he loves us. Our fear and arrogance want to know why a loving God allows sickness, poverty, and other human woes.
I guess when we thought we were getting only knowledge, Satan gave us fear and doubt and defiance. And we feel so in control of everything in spite of that. We don't think past our plans and our wishes. We don't think enough about the most important things until we have to contemplate death.
I know people who refuse to think about death. They will acquire life insurance policies and appoint godparents and guardians for their kids, just in case... But they don't think about eternity. Not when they are living their daily lives.
I think that the one other thing most Christians have over unbelievers - you know, other than that whole salvation thing - is that we have thought about death. We have made plans for eternity. As we go about our daily lives, we are forced by our conscience to think about our sins and to ask forgiveness. We are in conversation every day with the God who made us. We contemplate death because we don't put all our hope in this human life.
My Uncle suffered from a progressive illness that took his mental faculties. I like to think that after months of not having clear thoughts and memories, he went into death, seeing clearer than ever before.
Please, please, no matter what you currently believe, take some time to contemplate death. Think seriously about Jesus. If you don't believe in salvation, think hard about your reasons for not believing. Are you sure enough about your convictions to die with them? To never be able to change them?
Take some time right now to imagine all the possible "what ifs" of your not living as long as you expect. We are all going to die at some point. Be sure what you do or don't believe.
Peace
--Free
