By Mike Riley
Looking back upon the lives of God’s “heroes” in (Hebrews 11) will make a person think of his own life. “Have I accomplished anything worthwhile?” That question has been reflected in the literature of man for centuries. That death is the appointment all must anticipate at some time is an obvious truth (Hebrews 9:27). We cannot escape it. But how should we face that truth?
How Paul Faced Death
Paul faced death with expectation, neither fearful nor seeking it [see Philippians 1:20-24]. Some have taken their own life for various reasons, but that is not a real solution.
It was Moses himself who wrote the following words:
“All our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:9-10).
Visiting the Local Cemetery
In our short lives, we have been to the cemetery too often, haven’t we? Loved ones are gone and they will sorely be missed. Many of you who read these words have more years behind you than ahead of you.
May I make a suggestion? Take an hour or two and go through your local cemetery. Do so without the association of a funeral. Look at the names, the dates, the families and the epitaphs. If that seems a bit morbid, think again. Some occasions on which we visit the local cemetery are sad, but they can be thought provoking.
Death Awaits Us All
It makes no difference how rich or powerful a person may be, death awaits us all unless the Lord returns first. Job said death is “the house appointed for all living” (Job 30:23). Look at all the famous statesmen, heroes, athletes and leaders of the past.
Just as we read in the Bible, “….and he died” are the words that describe the end of each and all of them. Even the “miracle” of modern medicine has its limits. Since that is true, rational people will prepare for that time. I’m not talking about prearranged funerals, but preparing our soul for eternity, for that’s where we are headed.
We Will Leave It All Behind
In a Massachusetts cemetery lies the body of a man who lived 103 years and was the patriarch of his county, ruling the most acreage and producing the most wealth. He died in 1912, leaving it all to his sons, who in turn lost it all due to bad business decisions. None of them were able to stash any of their wealth in their burial clothes. All their wealth was left behind. In the aftermath of the sinking of the ill-fated Titanic, reports noted that eleven millionaires had been among the hundreds on board who went to a watery grave in April 1912. Their combined wealth totaled nearly two hundred million dollars. Yet if these millionaires could have sent a message to the living about the most important things in life, not one would have mentioned money.
Solomon, wealthy as he was, said:
“As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand” (Ecclesiastes 5:15).
Our wealth, our fishing boat, our business, our bank account, our golf clubs — all will be left behind!
The World Will Keep Going
It’s easy to become obsessed with our own importance, thinking we are “necessary” to the survival of civilization. How can my family, my business, etc., survive without me? But they can, and they will.
I don’t wish to belittle the significance of anyone’s life, but the world has been able to get along without Elvis, Lincoln, Babe Ruth, Roosevelt, Henry VIII and Julius Caesar. And it will have to learn to get along without us, too.
Some Die “Before Their Time”
We need not go to a cemetery to learn that no one has been given a guarantee of any number of years. Several years ago I viewed the graves of more than fifty small children who died as a result of an influenza plague in 1895.
Their gravestones reflected the grief of family and friends. The inscriptions indicated the shock felt by their community. No one had wanted those precious children to die at such a young age, but those things happen.
Is that not reason enough for us think more personally about the fragile, temporary nature of life on this earth? An hour or two in our local cemetery might help us think about life and its brevity.
Many Die Daily Without Hope
While those children were safe, there were thousands in that lonely graveyard who were not safe, having died, as the Holy Spirit declared: “….having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).
Conclusion:
Isn’t it sobering to consider that thousands that go into eternity every day without obeying the gospel of Christ? (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). If that won’t sober our thoughts, our heart needs some work.
How about you, dear reader? Why not take a walk through your local cemetery some time. It will make you “think” — and it may change your life —forever (Romans 2:6-7 KJV).