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| You Have An Appointment |
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| By:
Milton Hooper |
| Date:
8/28/2004 12:00:00 AM |
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You never know when you may confront the gateway of eternity.
On a hot summer afternoon on I-20 last month, I was returning home after a two-day class in Columbia, South Carolina. I had been on the road for about two hours and was deciding on where I would exit and eat lunch.
Suddenly – as if they had fallen from the sky – two large tires fell into the roadway in front of me. My vehicle made impact with one of the tires. In an instant, the air bags activated and, in desperation, I began steering my vehicle to the right in an attempt to safely stop in the emergency lane. Not knowing how far traffic was behind me, I feared as I lost control of the steering and my vehicle veered into the left lane and slid against the guardrail in the left emergency lane.
An eerie silence filled the air for a second or two, then smoke from the air bags and my engine caused me to cough continuously. For a few seconds I don’t remember what happened. My next memory was of some men carrying me out of my vehicle and laying me down in the grass of the median.
I learned later that the axle of a tractor-trailer truck traveling in the eastbound lane had broken off and sent two tires over the median into the path of my vehicle. Fortunately, I escaped major injury or worse. Had the tires impacted my vehicle just inches higher, they would have gone through the windshield and I might not be here writing about it.
Events like this make it clear that we are never in control of our lives. We all think we have everything planned and that the situation is in our control until something happens to remind us of who is really in control. We can be the safest, most defensive driver on the road but we can never prepare for something like tires falling from the sky!
Hebrews 9:27-28 tells us that it is appointed unto men once to die. The problem with that appointment is that none of us have it written down in our daily planners or Palm Pilots. Someone once said that 95% of the people who died today weren’t planning for it to be today. I think we often see our death as one of a person who dies from a long illness, spending their last days in a bed with the opportunity to make things right with God and people. None of us are guaranteed that kind of last moment as we meet our appointment with death. When those tires impacted my vehicle, there was no chance of a final prayer or “death bed repentance”. My standing with God at THAT moment would be how I would be judged. That’s a scary thing to realize.
The real truth is that God is the one in control. He is not surprised by anything that happens to us. When we think we have it in control, we are totally rocked when something happens to remind us.
Just a few days after my accident, I learned the shocking news that the wife of one of my co-workers drowned in their swimming pool. My co-worker had spent over a year in Iraq, perhaps the most likely place to be killed, he returned home last fall. His wife had surprised him by having a pool put in while he was away. Then she tragically drowns in the same pool last month. It was a cruel and tragic irony. None of us in our wildest imagination would have believed that we would be attending her funeral that week. These things we do not control and we never will. We live our lives like we don’t care or deny that one day we will approach the gateway to eternity. We may be here today but by the end of the week, it could be our funeral.
I don’t write this to scare you or for shock value. My purpose in writing so intensely about this issue is to help us prepare for our appointment. Although we don’t know when that appointment will come, we shouldn’t gamble with eternity. Certainly if we knew our appointment was going to be tomorrow at 5 p.m., we would go to church – even on a weeknight - and examine ourselves in prayer. If something weren’t right in our lives, we would fix it before that appointment. There would be a sense of urgency.
There are many people who will debate you on theology and their opinions about heaven and hell. Many times I refuse to debate these issues because they are just foolish debates which never win anybody over. The important thing that I say is that you can debate Jesus Christ and eternal life but what if you are wrong? Are you willing to risk being wrong just so you can be comfortable with your lifestyle? I wouldn’t want to gamble my eternity on it.
While the fact of death is very certain, the time and manner of death are uncertain. James 4:14 tells us: “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.” None of us knows whether we will be living tomorrow. No one can predict the future. James also tells us that life is fleeting and that it is like “a vapor, which appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away.”
You can’t avoid death, but you can be prepared. The simple, sure way is right now. Trust Jesus Christ to forgive you and save you. Commit your soul forever into His hands. He will forgive you and save you. If you have already done this, make sure that you examine your life often so that no sin or unforgiveness may creep into your soul. Don’t wait for the right “feeling” or a convenient time. You never know when you are an accident away from your eternal appointment!
HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT
WEAR THE RIGHT CLOTHES (Ephesians 6:13)
You can’t afford to be unprotected at any time. You must keep your guard up because the enemy will be watching and knows what your weaknesses are. He will expose them if He sees the opportunity.
KEEP YOUR PRIORITIES (Matthew 6:33)
Your job, your family and even your church are important but they aren’t the MOST important priority in your life. Spend time with Jesus.
STAY ON COURSE (John 14:6)
There are a lot of distractions along the way. Do not let these distractions take you off course. Keep your focus on the eternal prize. Many will say they know of a better or different way. Don’t be deceived by them.
DON’T BE AFRAID (John 14:1)
Thinking about the reality of death is scary but you don’t have to be afraid of it. This world is really not our home. Compared to eternity we spend a very small portion of our existence in this life.
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Milton Hooper has been a writer for over 10 years. Raised in Savannah, GA; He is currently a contributing writer for Victory2 magazine and Law Office Computing magazine. Milton Hooper's personal web address is: www.geocities.com/amenzine, his email address is miltonhooper@cfaith.com |
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