The Passing of a Celebrity: When Michael Jackson Died
From God’s Word, the Bible…
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Hebrews 9:27-28
Michael Jackson is dead. At one time, he had great wealth. He still had great fame when he breathed his last. But now he is gone.
In reporting his death, one newsperson continued to express shock that this famous man had died at age fifty. It was as if he, the newsman, was assuming that one has to be a certain age to die!
But death is all around us all the time. We are reminded of it when we drive by a cemetery, hospital or nursing facility, or when we see an obituary column.
Death takes young and old, rich and poor, the well educated and the illiterate, conservative and liberal. The greatest fact of life is death.
Martin Luther was right in saying the following words: “Life is a constant and daily journey toward death. One after another dies, and the living must merely engage in the miserable business of carrying one another to the grave. All of us are traveling the same road together.”
The Bible tells us that the wise man thinks about what lies ahead and makes prudent preparation for it (Prov. 22:3). The fool never does.
If death is inevitable, is it not wise to think about it and prepare for it?
But how many there are who seem to think life is sure and death is uncertain. Just the opposite is true!
Many people, these days, would argue that there is nothing for which to prepare because death is the end. Really? Isn’t there something inside you that screams that it is not so?
The Bible tells us that we were made by God and for God and we must meet God. It flatly says: “Prepare to meet your God. . .!” (Amos 4:12).
But how do we prepare for death? The Bible has the answer for that as well. It tells us to repent of our sins and to take the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. Why take Jesus? He has demonstrated His authority over death by rising from the grave.
If you don’t know how to handle something, the best thing to do is go to someone who does know how to handle it. You and I are not able to handle death and what lies beyond it, but the Lord Jesus is able. If we place ourselves in His hands, we have nothing to fear about death or the hereafter.
But we must truly take Jesus as our Savior and not just go through the motions of doing so. If we really trust Him, it will show up in our lives. We will not try to govern our lives with no regard for Him, for His Book (the Bible), for His day (the Lord’s Day), or for His church. Many who think they have received Christ have only deceived themselves.
I have come to love a song that urges people to come to Jesus and “laugh on glory’s side.” There is indeed a glory side for those who receive Christ. It is called heaven. And Jesus is the way! If you want to take the fear out of death and “laugh on glory’s side,” turn to Christ now.
Because we never know when death will come, sooner is always better than later for fleeing to Christ.
Copyright, Roger Ellsworth, from The Big Book of Coffee Cup Meditations (available from Amazon HERE).