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Death is not something we are accustomed to dealing with. Especially not something we plan into our daily lives. It isn’t something we wake up and think about every morning.
Life can end so quickly. Suddenly. In the blink of an eye.
Hebrews 9:27-28
Each one of us has an appointment with death. It isn’t something that we have set up, its not one that we have asked for, it isn’t one that we can change.
We don’t tend to think about death very often. Death seems very far away.
Have you considered recently that you might face the death of a loved one? How about a neighbor? They all have an appointment that is coming up.
James 4:13-15
The reality is that we don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring. It could be normal. Or it could be the day that we meet our appointment with death.
Life is in some ways like a conveyor belt. There is a beginning. It is moving. There is an end. Some of us are put on the conveyor belt 95 years from the end. Some of us only a few days before the end. We don’t know where we are on the conveyor belt, but we all are on it somewhere and we are on our way towards the end.
The worlds population is a bit over 7.2 billion people. In the next 90-100 years they will be gone… There are 7.2 billion appointments with death in that time. How much does this reality affect the way I live each day of my life? Do I forget that the end is really coming?
Talking about death may be a bit morbid and dark. Maybe for some of us it is painful. Painful to talk about and to think about.
Many people believe that death is the “termination of existence.” Some believe that their “conscious lives on and is eventually released to the universe…”
What does the Bible say about death?
Romans 6:23
In Genesis 3 we see death occur. Not a physical death but a spiritual death when Adam and Eve ate the fruit.
Romans 5:12, Revelation 20:12-15, 21:1-27, 22:1-21
We see at the end of the Bible that God gathers up all sin and death and casts it into the lake of fire. That is the end of death!
What is death? Death in the Bible is a separation. Spiritual death is the separation from God. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body.
Where will your soul reside after your death? This is definitely something that we should all be thinking about.
Death is like the “fixer” that is used in the old film dark rooms. Once the fixer is applied the image is there. It isn’t going to change. For us there is no going back after we die. No apologies can be made. Our place with God is in place.
How do we prepare for death? Jesus is the answer. Is your name written in the book of life? Is Jesus the Lord, master and savior of life. Don’t leave things undone that should be done before you die… forgive people, confess and repent, the list could go on.
Death isn’t something that we should shy away from talking about. Death is something that we know is going to happen. We need to prepare and plan for that event.
There is a lot of effort put into “planning for retirement,” the reality is that death should be something we prepare for just as much as our retirement. Death is something that we will “get to” whereas retirement isn’t a guarantee.
Where do you want to leave your mark? Reach for the highest mark you can leave… for the Glory of Christ. The difference and impact you can make in and on peoples lives is so very important.
Philippians 1:20-24