Sunday, October 23, 2011

THINK ON THESE THINGS - SUNDAY MESSAGE


HOW WOULD YOUR OBITUARY READ?
If you have been checking your local newspaper recently, the increasing amount of  young people dying is stunning. Men and women, from all ages from 50 and under, are moving on to eternity in rapid fire. They are dying from accidents; cancer or heart disease. In the cities, urban violence is claiming untold youth.

But what is really disconcerting, more than the scary increase in youthful deaths, is the content of their obituaries! I have been following the daily Obits in the paper for the past couple years and the content of these people's lives is stunning!



Here is just a sample of a few obituaries. These are more than local samples. These are representative of a national culture, mindset and soul, which have lost their way!

"He was an avid poker fan; loved fishing; playing videos games and his guitar...."



"He loved hanging out with his buddies; hunting; fishing and tattoos....."


"She was a sorority sister; loved life, animals and was very giving..."


"She cared about her cats; loved bingo and cared about people (in that order)..."


"He loved his Cubbies; NASCAR and going to the BRICKYARD 400 every year..."


"He loved spending time on his boats and the outdoors..."


"He was a 32nd degree mason and a deacon at First Baptist Church....!"


These are some of the milder ones. There is no point in going on because we get the idea. Not one of these obituaries mention the Lord Jesus, or even in a generic sense, the deceased being even a nominal Christian! More and more, people are grasping the concept of eternity, less and less.

For some reason, they are of the opinion that every American gets into heaven for the following reason:

- Oprah told them so.
- They were born in America.
- Their granma was a Christian.
- Their granpa went to church...and on and on.


All of this is so sad and scary it makes you want to scream and shout out to every church leader in America - WAKE UP, dudes! People are cluelessly going to hell daily and no one is doing anything about it!


How do we stop this slide? If there is no evidence in the final story about you in the newspaper, that you were a follower or son/daughter of the Living God through Christ, there was NO conversion or Salvation in your life.


Have you ever wondered how YOUR obituary would read?  Would it be said of you that you were an avid follower of the Chicago Cubs, or you were a follower and disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ?


As for me and my house, we choose the latter. While the latter's stock in the world is of no account, in God's economy and His arena, a family sold out to and following Jesus is guaranteed treasure in Heaven! While the latter may not make for exciting newsprint, in God's newsroom - it's the five o'clock headlines!


In the final analysis, do you want it written about you that you were the best poker player and whisky drinker on the block, or do you want it being told of your tireless and wonderful, selfless work for the Kingdom of Christ, all the remaining days of your life? Which one would it be?


I choose to aspire to imitate Christ, Whom the Apostle John wrote about in the John 21:25 " Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written". Amen!

No comments: