One may have assumed that everyone is conscious of this fundamental fact that we are strangers on earth and the world is impermanent, of course nothing on earth is. Human beings hardly learn from the past or do we heed to warning signs. Rather we live in procrastinations and end in regrets (had I known). Some believe they still have time to play with or it may not happen to them. They console the bereaved, organized wakes for the deceased, dance to spiritual music and make some donations to help the family of the deceased. These are good gestures and highly appreciated. However, ask yourself if death struck today, shall I make heaven? This question is life revealing perhaps you should reflect on, “If I gain the whole world and miss eternity, what’s my gain?
The truth and reality is that “life is short and frail, our days are numbered, death is a necessary end and imminent; man at best is a vapor (vanity)”. Also the Bible reveals that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Do not be caught in this web. You may not have any other time to repent and seek life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ. I do not mean finding religion or Church family but a relationship with Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten son, who first loved us and gave his life for our sake—[1John 4:9-10]. What an amazing grace!
God created man (us) a freethinking agent, with ability to make choices and be responsible for their effects. This is the liberty and freedom God gave man from the genesis of creation. Since God is faithful, He honors and keeps His word; He respects our freedom even to the point of allowing us to sin and abuse our freedom but suffer the consequence [s]. Mankind has abused his freedom by the rejection of God’s dominion over our lives. The greatest sin had been and is, the continued rebellion and independence from God. Reacting to man’s folly, in his book, what’s it all about? Rev. George W. Kosicki CSB lamented: “Tragically, man is not only violating his freedom but also mother earth. The earth is endangered because of the sin of man. The consequences of abusing and violating our freedom are crying out in: pollution, depletion of natural resources and toxic wastes. As a consequence, the earth weep agonizing loudly and physically, in floods, earthquakes, wild fires, hurricanes, drought, suffering untold, mysterious deaths, poverty and starvation. All these echo the sin of man – injustice, avarice, pride of life, anger, revenge, lust for power, greed and wars around the world” [with some modifications]. Man’s chief end is to glorify God and serve Him. Anything short of this is a deviation/ transgression (sin) and gives no glory to God. Man’s real problem is sin. It’s therefore imperative that man must repent and live to meet the purpose of our creation. Let it be known that God’s kindness is still inviting us to repentance.
It may interest you to know that you are not alone. Many who were lost at one time or the other, have come to their senses and returned to their Maker. They have made decision for Christ and reverted to the new way and life. Are now enjoying God’s goodness and walking in His Spirit? God loves and cares about us. If you had wandered off the road like the biblical prodigal son, stop where you are, be still and sober. You will hear the voice of the Spirit saying “Return to God, here is the right way, follow it”. Unknown to you, a loving Father awaits your return. He cannot deny His own. Do not stay in emptiness any longer. Accept God’s great call today and make peace with Him. The choice is still yours.
In case you are still asking what shall I do? The question is not new and the answer has not changed: “repent and accept the gospel, save yourself from this untoward generation”. Proverbs 27:12 teaches us that “a wise man sees problems coming afar and hides himself, while a fool passes on and got up with it”. Jesus Christ came to seek the lost and God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). Some people often do not discover how sick they really are until they go for a check up. There are a lot of silent killing diseases out there, striking any time, without notices or warnings signs. Even when the symptoms are revealed, we don’t take these signs seriously or seek help. The result is instant death. The Bible contains numerous warning signs for spiritual living and good society, as well as daily life and occurrences.
Reacting to this reality, a hymn writer Ella Sophia Armitage wrote in the Revised Church Hymnary [RCH-355vs2] “Tis never too late while life shall last, a new life to begin; Tis never too late to leave the past and break with self and sin——“. Another hymn composer Richard Baxter (1615-91) in RCH 549 reacted differently but pointing to the same truth: 1) “Lord, it belongs not to my care whether to die or live, to live and serve thee is my share, and this thy grace must give (2) If life be long, I will be glad, that I may long obey; if short, yet why should I be sad? To welcome endless day.”
Brethren, death is real, and imminent; so is the fewness of our days and its frailty. We cannot be adamant and complacent in this matter. If we could reflect on how insecure, uncertain and unreliable this world is, we would apply wisdom on how to spend it; again true wisdom comes only from God. Today, we have more deaths occurring from hired assassins, AIDS, heart failures, high blood pressure than in malaria, fever and even mal-nutrition or natural old age. These are warning sings. Good life does not depend on how long but how well one lives. There are 4 stage of life, known as 4Rs: (i) stage of Rascality (ii) stage of Romance (iii) stage of Retirement (iv) stage of Rest (death). Some people live successfully through these 4 stages while others may pass from 1 to 4 or live through R1-R2 to R4. Whichever way you live, the Bible says it’s appointed unto men once to die and thereafter Judgment (Hebrew.9:27). “You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough,” says Joe E. Lewis.
“Yesterday is done, tomorrow is yet to be, today is mine to live, therefore grab it, not before it arrives nor after it passes, but moment by moment as it becomes reality”. Today is the day of salvation; a time for action. You therefore need to do something urgent and permanent. Whichever decision you make today, of course now, determines your life here and thereafter in eternity. You have been physically born, but need to be born again spiritually. Jesus said, “Unless a man is ‘born from above’ he cannot become partaker of the life he came to give (John 3:3, 5-8). Again Apostle Paul submitted, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christ is ready to set free whosoever willing from sin but does not force the will. You have to open your heart and invite Him in. God respects our freedom and wants us to freely seek Him and submit to Him. He even allows us to stumble along our way, yet He continues to call us, to pursue us and reach out to us that we might freely follow Him.
In this manner, Jesus dealt with the twelve disciples. Even though none was perfect, yet Jesus respected the men He called, taught and corrected them as well as reprimanded them when needed. The scriptures portray Peter as a braggart, John and James as revengeful while Simon was a political extremist. Thomas was seen as a doubter and Judas a betrayer; they all abandoned in the garden of Gethsemane. Despite all these and other failings, He believed in them, drew them to holiness, prayed for them and loved them unconditionally. He prepared them and used them, to expand His kingdom on earth. “Today, the Lord Jesus is standing at the door of our heart and knocking…” (Revelations 3:20). God stands and waits! He waits for us to freely open the door of our heart, so that He could come in and dine with us. It is crucial to realize that no matter your disposition, God has not done with you. God is with us always even when we are not conscious of it or has violated our freedom. He’s omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscience.
The bible requests us to prepare for the Lord coming. “Oh you people, prepare to meet your God” (Amos 4:12). One day, everybody will be required to give account of his/her life to God, the Creator of mankind. Regrettably, we live in a world where the word “accountability” is unpopular and causes puzzles and ripples. Preparation involves planning and “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. We live in zero hour, ‘morrow may never come; all you have is now. Therefore do something permanent for yourself. This is the reality of life.
Elder/Evangelist Ogbonnaya Godswill @weefreeministries.org or P. O. Box 720035, Houston, Texas 77272.