Beech Tree News Network

As humans, perhaps we are content to lull ourselves into a false sense of security when it comes to the time we have to live on earth. When people are young, they tend to think they will live forever, or at least not die until they are very old. Soon, reality enters and makes them realize these thoughts are not true. Solomon wrote, “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity” (Ecc. 11:9-10).

    In other words, enjoy life, have fun, learn, discover, try things, and make wonderful memories. Yet, remember that God is in Heaven, and all people will stand before Christ one day and be judged (Acts 17:30-31; II Cor. 5:10). The judgment day is set and all people, old and young, male and female, rich and poor, will be judged!

    Before judgment, though, we have a life to live on this earth. How long will our lives last? We do not know. The Bible, however, notes the average lifespan of the human race as 70-80 years in Psalm 90:10. “Average” means some folks may live longer than 80 years. Other folks may not last 70 years. This is the way of things. It amuses me to hear people asking for a “cause of death” when someone dies at 90 or 100. If we believe the Bible, we know these folks died from being 90 or 100! Their bodies wore out! Some bodies wear out quicker than others.

    Do we know how long our bodies will last? No, we do not! The smartest doctors cannot ascertain the moment when one will actually die. Yes, some who have studied the dying process can give us some good guesses, but no one knows the exact time when one will die. We only know that we will die one day (Ecc. 9:5).

    Since this is true, it behooves us to make sure we are ready for our death. Folks prepare for death by buying life insurance policies, writing wills, and the like. However, the best way to prepare for death is by preparing our souls for eternity. We prepare by becoming a Christian. We need to hear God’s word (Acts 2:22) and believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Jn. 8:24; Heb. 11:6). We then must repent of our sins (Lk. 13:3) and confess Christ as the Son of God (Acts 8:37; Rom. 10:10). We need to then be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; Mk. 16:16). When we obey the Lord’s plan of salvation, we can have our sins washed away (Acts 22:16), be added to the Lord’s church (Acts 2:47), and enjoy spiritual blessings “in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).

    Are we ready to face reality and prepare for eternity? If not, why not? What is it that is holding us back? Do we think we will have another day to make this choice? We have no promise of tomorrow (Jas. 4:13-17). We do not know what might happen today (Prov. 27:1)! We are not guaranteed another second! Are you ready for eternity? If not, then get your life right with God while you still can!

-- You are invited to visit with the Caneyville church of Christ. Times of services: Sun.: 10:00 am, 10:45 am, 5:00 pm; Wed.: 7:00 pm. Website: http://caneyvillechurchofchrist.com Tune in to our radio program 101.5 FM at 5:30 am, Mon-Fri. Questions? Call: (270) 589-4167