Don't Get Caught "Off Guard"!
by: Ivie Powell
Every day the journey of life is a reminder of Proverbs 27:1, "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Assemble the greatest minds in the universe and not one of them, or the sum total, can tell us what a day may bring forth. So many situations and circumstances can alter our lives. The "What if?" questions and the "If only" statements regarding so many circumstances in life have haunted countless millions of people. No matter where one lives upon this plant, this is an unquestionable statement of fact.
The future has always been an object of man’s quest. Millions fall prey to charlatans who say they have "the power" to predict the future. One person said he found it interesting when he called the "Psychic Hot Line" the first question they asked was, "What is your name?"
Through the centuries, many have looked to soothsayers to predict future events. The fact is only God has such knowledge. "The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth" (Psalm 33:13-14). The Hebrew writer sets forth the omniscience (all knowing) of the Almighty, "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13).
Where does God come in your life? In your daily plans, do you take God into consideration? James informs us, "Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that" (James 4:13-15). In the parable of the rich man, Jesus said, "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:16-21).
When Paul addressed the Athenians he stood before a group of superstitious, ignorant intellectuals who knew not the Almighty. Without hesitation, and with great boldness, Paul set forth the, "I AM" (Exodus 3:14), the one and only "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshiped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;...For in him we live, and move, and have our being..." (Acts 17: 24, 25, 28). Paul further informed them, "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31).
My friend, every day that we are permitted to live by our heavenly Father, we are reminded:
Not just the twenty thousand in the Trade Center building, not just America, but the entire world was caught "off guard" by the events of Tuesday, September 11, 2001! This should be a "wake up call" not only for the world but the Lord’s church! Death catches so many "off guard"! So many have intended to obey the gospel, so many have intended to repent and come back to their "first love," so many have intended to "be about the Father’s business" (Luke 2:49) - But alas, death takes them unprepared!
Listen, whether you want to think about it or not, you are going to die! You can exercise daily, eat the "right foods," sleep 8 hours a day, keep out negative thoughts, live in a polluted free environment, but you still are going to die! The servant of old wrote, "For the living know that they shall die..." (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Again inspiration tells us, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27). What takes place after death? A reading of Luke 16:19-31 informs us we will go into hades (the unseen world) to await the resurrection (John 11:25-26). Upon our Lord’s return in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), we will be resurrected and face Him at judgment (John 5:28-29). The faithful child of God will hear the welcome words, "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). Those who have never obeyed the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9) as well as those children of God who fell from grace will hear the dreaded words, "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).
At best life is brief, "...there is but a step between me and death" (1 Samuel 20:3). Again, God warns man, "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. ...so teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalms 90:10, 12).
If not a Christian, do as those on the day of Pentecost, "...Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins..." (Acts 2:38). If an unfaithful child of God, "...be zealous therefore, and repent" (Revelation 3:19) and do as John wrote, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Beloved, don’t let death catch you unprepared to meet God!