James 4:13-14
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
Once upon a time I was a five-year old boy in Camas, Washington. It was June 23, 1939, the day my grandfather Thompson died. He had suffered with cancer for quite some time and it was evident that he had very little time to live. He called for his children to be with him during the last moments of his life.
Over the years I have repeated what my dad told me about those final moments. Grandpa shared how the Lord had been faithful to him across the years. He challenged his children to trust the Lord and walk in obedience to God’s Word. He suddenly looked toward the door and a look of joy lit his face. His final words were; “Well there’s Jesus now.”
Fast forward to 1974—I was working for the State of Idaho. I had to travel to the northern part of the state and asked my dad to travel with me. Along the way he gave me his testimony and told me his heart was right with the Lord. He said that when he died he wanted me to tell everyone not to grieve—that they just needed to be ready to meet him in heaven. It was February 14, 1982 that he unexpectedly slipped into eternity.
Sometimes our loved ones have the opportunity to share their testimony and their love. At other times they are gone before they, or we, speak the words and show the actions that we have intended.
If you knew that you had 24 hours to live, who would you want to speak to and what would you want to say? Are there fences to be mended or apologies to be made? Are there unfinished items on the agenda of your life that you would need to take care of? How do you know that you will have even 24 hours to live?
Now is the time for action. Say the words and take the actions that may very well be the way those people will remember you. Live as if this is your last day on earth. What will you do?
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil