Are You Really Ever Ready For Death?
On Monday, April 16th 2007, my wife's grandmother passed away. We have know for quite a long while that her passing was imminent, and we made all of the preparations for it as best we could. For the last week Sara's grandma was really going down hill and we were expecting her to be taken at any time. We were not sure of Pauline's, Sara's Grandma, standing with the Lord - that is to say we did not know if she was born again or not. We know that Pauline had been a church goer in the past, and we know that she has heard the gospel, but beyond that we were just kind of in the dark. So on last Friday Sara swallowed hard and went through the plan of salvation with her Grandma. Sara said that it was one of the hardest witnessing encounters she had ever had. We thank the Lord that he gave Sara the strength and courage to share with her Grandma, and we are trusting him that he wooed Pauline to himself.
However even with all of this, and all of the preparations that were made for Pauline's passing we were still not ready when we got the call on Monday to inform us that she had died. Things were not in order yet, there was laundry to be done still, we had a Bible study that was supposed to be at our house on Wednesday, we have a three day evangelism training class that was scheduled at the church, we even had tickets to a baseball game on Saturday night. Yet death waits for no man, but comes even if we are not prepared. So the question comes, "Are we ever really ready for death?" The answer is a two part answer. The first part is that we know that we need to be ready to meet God at the judgment seat, that we need to be born again so that death's sting is swallowed up. (1Cor 15:54-55) So if we are born again then we are ready for death.
The second part is not so easy to answer though. The simple answer is no....we are never ready to die, things are never in order. My wife, bless her soul and heart, told me on the phone today that this week was just not a good week for her Grandma to pass. We get as ready as we can for death to come, but even when we prepare it still comes upon us suddenly. We just pray that when death comes that the Spirit is ready to receive us into our everlasting home, that we have loved and lived well, and that we have not denied the name of Christ here on earth. Are you prepared for those you love to step into eternity? Have you shared the glorious Gospel of Christ with those in your family that need to hear it? Have you shared your faith today? Sara shared one last time three days before her Grandma died, do you love your family enough to share Christ with them as well? Please post your comments on this by clicking the appropriate link below.
However even with all of this, and all of the preparations that were made for Pauline's passing we were still not ready when we got the call on Monday to inform us that she had died. Things were not in order yet, there was laundry to be done still, we had a Bible study that was supposed to be at our house on Wednesday, we have a three day evangelism training class that was scheduled at the church, we even had tickets to a baseball game on Saturday night. Yet death waits for no man, but comes even if we are not prepared. So the question comes, "Are we ever really ready for death?" The answer is a two part answer. The first part is that we know that we need to be ready to meet God at the judgment seat, that we need to be born again so that death's sting is swallowed up. (1Cor 15:54-55) So if we are born again then we are ready for death.
The second part is not so easy to answer though. The simple answer is no....we are never ready to die, things are never in order. My wife, bless her soul and heart, told me on the phone today that this week was just not a good week for her Grandma to pass. We get as ready as we can for death to come, but even when we prepare it still comes upon us suddenly. We just pray that when death comes that the Spirit is ready to receive us into our everlasting home, that we have loved and lived well, and that we have not denied the name of Christ here on earth. Are you prepared for those you love to step into eternity? Have you shared the glorious Gospel of Christ with those in your family that need to hear it? Have you shared your faith today? Sara shared one last time three days before her Grandma died, do you love your family enough to share Christ with them as well? Please post your comments on this by clicking the appropriate link below.
posted by Pastor Jerry at
8:48 AM
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