Are You Ready For "Your Time"?

 

An elderly man lay dying on his bed. In death’s agony, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookies wafting up the stairs to his room. He gathered his remaining strength and lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom and with even greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with both hands. With labored breath he leaned against the doorframe, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for the pain, he would have thought himself already in heaven! There, spread out on the kitchen table, were literally hundreds of his favorite chocolate chip cookies. Was it heaven? Or was it merely one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man? Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table. His aged and withered hand made its way to a cookie at the edge of the table. But his wife suddenly smacked the back of his hand with a spatula! “Stay out those,” she commanded! “Those are for the funeral!”

She’s not the only one to save something for a funeral that should have been shared long before. It often seems a shame that flowers are sent to a funeral rather than beforehand when they could truly be enjoyed. Many of the comments made at a funeral reflect the realization that we don’t express our feelings adequately to those we love while they were alive: “What a wonderful friend he was!” “I never told her how much I appreciated her and what she meant to me!” “I hope he realized how much I loved him!” If someone means something special to you, don’t save it for the funeral. Share it with that person today.

[Hebrews 9:27] “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgement…” A person asked me about this recently. They had heard people say such things as, “It was just their time to go.” There are many folks who believe there is a set time for someone to die. They use this scripture in defense of such a view. However, the original Greek word translated “appointed” in this verse is also translated “laid up” in the three other verses where it is found in the New Testament. The word carries the idea of something reserved or awaiting (Luke 19:20; Colossians 1:5; 2 Timothy 4:8). We have to recognize that this is a general principle since there will be some that will not have died when the Lord returns (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). The Bible teaches that God has placed limits on the lifespan of mankind (Psalm 90:10). The limit of seventy or eighty years is not hard fast, but again, a general principle. Even now, with all our medical capabilities, the average lifespan is still around eighty years. Job said, “Since his days are determined, the number of his months are with You; You have appointed his limits so that he cannot pass” (Job 14:5). Job is not discussing a set number of days for each individual, but that God has placed general limits on how long men can live on this earth. Additionally, consider that if a person has a set time to die determined by the Lord it cannot be changed. However, the Bible teaches: A person can shorten his days; Psalm 55:23, “…bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days…” and Proverbs 10:27, “…But the years of the wicked will be shortened.” A person can lengthen his days; Proverbs 10:27, “The fear of the Lord prolongs days…” and Ephesians 6:1-3, “…honor your father and mother…that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.” We know the length of our life is not fixed because the Bible teaches that one’s behavior effects his lifespan. We don’t know precisely when it will be “our time,” but we can be certain that it will eventually come. Ask yourself, knowing the certainty of it, how should we behave? (Romans 13:11-14) Are you ready? We must all appear before the throne of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).