It’s amazing how folks can condemn someone else to Heaven or Hell, when they are barely living right themselves. James 4:12 says, “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you–who are you to judge your neighbor?” You speculate over where I will go once the death angel comes, but it isn’t your place to know. It doesn’t matter how Whitney Houston died because the fact still remains that God sent the death angel to kiss her to sleep and when it’s time, she will stand in judgment in front of God and not man. Ecclesiastes 3:17 says, “I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.” See, God is the only one that determines where we spend eternity but we’ve gotten so caught up in worldly mess that we are missing God’s message because he states in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” We all have to die; we just don’t know the date or time and it don’t matter how as long as we have a place to rest in afterwards. If we spent as much time focusing on making preparations to spend eternity with God as we do with mess, our lives will be better. We have to stop focusing on arguing with this person or fighting with that person because you may not have as much time here as you think. If you don’t believe me, read the obituaries in the paper and you’ll soon realize the ages of those dying are getting younger by the day at the hands of violence or suicide from peer pressure. We, as Christians, have to get it together. Spend time teaching the young folks how to pray and praise God instead of dancing and rapping. Teach them what it means to dance in church instead of a club on Saturday. Teach them what it means to shout Jesus when trouble comes instead of texting their gang for help. Teach the young and the old about the power of God and how he can give you rest when you’ve tossed and turned all night. Teach them how the goodness of God will allow $20 to stretch for 3 days when you didn’t think it would. Teach them how it’s wrong to sin and because they do sin, they have consequences to face. How can we expect our youth and young adults to be respectful and fearful of God if we never tell them what it means to be?
Yes, we all have an appointed time with death which is why you live your funeral daily. It doesn’t really matter about the ending date on your headstone but it’s about what you did while you lived, so live a life that’s worth the words that folks will speak over you in death. Don’t live a meaningless life and then have folks to lie over your casket. Leave a life that is worth speaking about so that when you leave this world, we can gladly say, “Take you rest until it is time to rejoice in Heaven.” Just because you write Rest in Peace, doesn’t mean this will actually happen if you’ve served the devil all your life. If you are not able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8),” then you have some work to do. Start today.
First step, invite God into your life; Revelation 3:20 says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Second step, repent for your sins because the bible tells us in Acts 3:19, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Third step, keep God’s commandments, for John 15:10 says, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” Fourth step, love your neighbor, help those in need, pray for those who are afflicted, study God’s word and humble yourself. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Fifth step, tell the world about God because you are responsible for bringing other souls to Christ to be redeemed because James 5:20 says, “ remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” It is up to us, as Christians, to save others. I don’t mean beating them down when you catch them doing wrong, but if you live a life that is pleasing to God every time they see you, and then they will want to get to know God for themselves.
We have to get back to doing God’s business. Will the road always be easy to travel, no but the reward that awaits you is worth enduring the bumps. Will all your days be sunny and full of happiness, no but God has equipped you with the things needed to handle the storm and God is your joy. Will you always get what you ask for no matter how big or small, no but when God shows up he is always on time. Will the enemy stop his attacks the moment you let God in, no because then his attacks gets harder, but God is your strength and I know it to be true that what Gods ordains, he gives you the means to maintain. We all have a time to die from this world but it’ll be alright if you’re on the Lord’s side because to be absent from this body means you are present with the Lord. It’s time to get ourselves right because no matter how/when we die, we all have to stand in the judgment line before God and it is then and only then will our destination be decided. Man can’t send you to Heaven or Hell because Man didn’t create it, only God has the power. Isaiah 33:22 says, <strong>“For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us.” God is the only one with the final say and I just pray that when the train to Glory is getting ready to leave, you’re on board!
Lakisha, the Author 