How not to die

Death is sobering!

This morning, I was welcomed into the office with the news of the deaths of two people – one of them was an aged colleague who apparently had been in ill-health for a while, unknown to me. The other was a young man, a relative of another colleague who had recently been treated successfully (it had seemed) for a liver disease, and about which his family and I (who had been inquiring about his progress) had been in a state of euphoria about his recovery.

The news cast a gloomy air about the office.

I have had much to think about, including the fact that I have been upset with my retiree father over the weekend, over some habits he had developed since he retired. I experienced some more remorse that I had held on to a grudge with him, and had not decided how I was going to broach my reservations with him. But at least, he was still alive to be reasoned with at another opportunity. But for the two gentlemen I earlier mentioned, there was no longer any such chance.

There have been the usual remarks about how indiscriminate death is in selecting its candidates, and about the unfairness of its selection criteria. This implies that anyone including myself, can be its candidate. I can’t think of any tenable reasons why I haven't been a victim myself, except that God hasn’t willed it so.

For some reason, a song I learnt a while ago, has been playing in my head:

I shall not die

 I shall not die

Because of Jesus

I shall not die

This morning, I am rationalizing what that song means to me. Does it mean that it is guaranteed that believers will never die, and/or that they will always live long, rich lives? There is abundant evidence both in the Scriptures and in real-time, that this is not the case. Infact, for some believers, their faith in God was their death sentence. So, what does this connote for all of us?

John 3:16 pops into my head too. My thoughts zero in on the promise, ‘...whosoever believes in Him, shall not PERISH but have everlasting life.’ The word ‘perish’ stands out to me now.

I realise that when an item perishes, it does not always imply that it ceases to exist. 'Perish' can also be used to describe the loss of relevance, value, status. The experience of perishing for the perished item is a living hell - life in hell, literally. Life without consequence. The perished item finds neither purpose nor pleasure in its existence.

There is no regret in never existing or ceasing to exist, without further opportunity to exist. If death in the parlance we know it – the cessation of existence on the earth, were the end of all accountability, we would have nothing to be concerned about. But apparently, it is not and herein lies the trouble.

On the death bed, many men can no longer deny the realities that have nagged at their consciences all their lives.

The spectrum of expressions on the faces of dying men is sufficient evidence of the dawning of the truth they have often denied while in the full bloom of their lives.
Those who have acknowledged, investigated and resolved the call of this conscience, have met death in peace. For those who haven’t, the turmoil of uncertainty and a foreboding creates terror in their hearts. Obviously, there is more to life than mere existence and even more, beyond the threshold of death. Which implies that there is more to death than a mere passing on.

Faith In Jesus ensures we get the best quality of life here on earth, and in the immeasurable duration of eternity as well. This quality of life is not a function of much wealth or even perfect health, but the certainty of peace with our Maker, to whom we will give account of our time on earth. This is even secondary to the peace that comes from finding and living in the purpose for which we were created in the first place. This purpose is found and lived only in God who created us - in Jesus, the Way He has instituted.

I wonder, have you found that peace?