Halloween is normally a time we focus on death, darkness and fear. This week’s post will deal with those, but in a different way. Recently one of the directors of Team Swap has suffered the tragic death of two relatives. One a 29 year old male cousin, one a 87 year old great uncle, both were far closer to our director then their titles inferred. The cousin grew up next door, and was more like brother. The uncle was over every day, and usually ate supper with the extended family.
In a world where most families are far flung and separated, this family was still intact. They were close and intimately woven together. Families like this are rare today, and at times are even viewed as outdated, but in reality this is how family is suppose to be - close, intact and together.Both of these relatives lived full lives and were active until their death, neither suffered and both died suddenly. They went too soon, and they went before anyone wanted them too. To a degree their lives can be summarized by paraphrasing the Michael W Smith song - This Is Your Time
This was his time. this was his dance.
He lived every moment; left nothing to chance.
He swam in the sea; drank of the deep;
Embraced the mystery of all he could be.This was their time. It was the time God apportioned for them to be called home. It was not the time frame of man. Now was not the time that anyone wanted to see either of them die, but it was the time determined by THE Creator and Originator of the Universe. God numbers our days on earth, only He can determine our time here. No matter the number of our days here, they are few when compared to eternity. Our lives are short, and finite. The great news is that after our earthly death the saved face an eternity with no pain, no suffering, no sorrow, no toil and no death.
With it being so close to Halloween though, this post is not going to focus on eternity, but on our earthly reaction to death. The nature of death is that it strikes when we least expect, and it rolls through the lives of those left behind like a exploding bomb. Funerals and memorials are not for the dead, they are for the living. Funerals are designed to both help us remember, and to allow us to close the chapter of our earthly relationship with the deceased. Death leaves stories untold, problems unresolved, rifts unhealed, work undone, and memories uncreated.
Sadly, most of us live as death does not exist. We live as if we will live forever, but that is tragically untrue. We all have to face death, be it today, tomorrow, or in the distant future. The Bible is clear that we do not have a promise of tomorrow and that we need to live each day as if it our last . Specifically in Proverbs 27, and 2nd Corinthians the Bible spells out how we should live.
Proverbs 27:1 - Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.2nd Corinthians 6:2 - For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you."I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation
The real test of our life is not how many jobs we held, degrees we received, events we attended, friends we made, or money we saved, it is simply a test of if we have a relationship with God via Jesus that guarantees our salvation. A few scriptures that explain Jesus, His importance and how to begin a relationship with Him follow. -Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord
John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 3:16,17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Acts 16:30,31 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Romans 10:9,10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt Believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.Basically put, those in God have nothing to fear from death, and darkness. God calls us to live without fear because we know that He is always with us, and that He will never leave us nor forsake us. His call to us is to live victorious in Him via the death of His son Jesus. If we live victoriously in Christ, we will actively serve Him by finding our call and direction within the body and serving there. Our works do not save us, nor do our tithes, what saves us is our relationship with Christ, but once we have that relationship our actions and life should be filled with activities that are Godly, upright and just.
The week of Halloween is normally focused on an obsession about death and darkness. This post is not going to deal with what is right, wrong, acceptable and unacceptable for Christians, it is going to deal with the simple fact that most Christians are not ready for earthly death. How can we say that, simply because the life of most Christians bares it out to be true. To paraphrase a line from a famous preacher - “Most people get saved and get over it.”
Most Christians continually say - Tomorrow I will get more serious about God, tomorrow I will serve Him, I will start that Bible study at church next year, when my kids are gone I will do that, and any numerous other excuses not to serve and to not be active in the body today. If you get nothing else from the lives of the relatives mentioned above, and from this post, understand that you may not have tomorrow.
Halloween can be fun and frivolous, and who does not like to see the joy in the eyes of a small child that gets a piece of candy. However, what we should really be reminded of this time of year is that we are surrounded by death, darkness and destruction. This is due to the fact that we all have a nature of sin, Satan rules this realm, and we all have fallen lives without Christ. Satan is the father of lies, and he wants you to believe that you can always wait and serve God later. Satan wants you to spend your days pursuing self instead of pursing service to God. Allow this Halloween to not only mark a time of fun for kids, but also a time when we focus on how important it is to remember that we are actively battling against a evil foe, and that he is powerful, but he is defeated. Satan can not defeat you unless you let him. Satan’s way is to cheat, steal and lie. God’s way is to trust, honor and obey. You must chose who you will serve, and then live out that choice for eternity. Death means that your time to choose is done and all that is left is an eternity where you chose to reside.
Think of all the things that you are planning to do and get to it. Begin working at them today. You may not have time to complete them, but you have today to begin them. God does not call you to complete things, or accomplish goals, He calls you to go where He sends you and serve Him mightily each day.
This week the directors of Team Swap leave you with this challenge (again from This is your Time by Michael W Smith) -
This is your time. this is your dance.
Live every moment. leave nothing to chance.
Swim in the sea. drink of the deep.
Embrace the mystery of all you can be.This is your time. this is your dance.
Live every moment. leave nothing to chance.
Swim in the sea. drink of the deep.
Embrace the mystery of all you can be.
This is your time...In Memory of Jim Bob Moore and Harry Ledford
We will miss you both and we are looking
forward to Heaven to see you both again.
