It is a natural craving of every human being to live as long as possible. If given a chance, we would choose to die after we graduate from college; maybe our wedding or some of us would rather wait till we see our grandchildren or even great-grandchildren. The bottom line is: None of us want to die anytime soon. We are enjoying life to the core and that is exactly what our Creator intends for us. Once, Isaiah who was a great prophetic figure of biblical times visited King Hezekiah who was very ill. The meeting turned out to be quite horrifying when the prophet wagged his bony finger at the king and told him, “Set your house in order, for you will die and not live.”It came as an alarming news to the sick king but isn’t Isaiah declaration applicable to every living creature? Is not all of creation prone to death?
On the dawn of 13th November 2010, my best friend Noble John was promoted to glory. He was a luminary in terms of conduct, academics, and above all, his relationship with God. It was through him, after a‘07 ICPF youth camp at Manganam, Kottayam, that an ICPF prayer cell in AmalJyothi Engineering College, Kerala was formed. Being raised up together under one roof in Saudi Arabia, we shared similar tastes and developed a bond that nothing could separate. Just before officially graduating as an engineer from AmalJyothi Engineering College, Kerala, God called him back home. The news of his departure came as an arrow right through our hearts. The grief of his departure left a mark on the walls of many hearts. The deaths of young lives are always considered untimely and the horrifying news of their deaths startles us because they are expected to live upto a span of 70 or 80 years.
It is anticipated that all of us including our near and dear ones would live throughout a lifetime. However, the truth of the Bible proclaims—Tomorrow is promised to no Man.The fact that there is no guarantee of being alive the next moment can be frightening. To bring it into perspective, consider these statements: This day can be the last day of our life,or, reading this article can be the last thing you will be doing. The psalmist in Psalm 103: 15 declares, “As for man, his days are like grass…” As for the epistle of James, it is an evil to brag and boast about our future because we do not know what tomorrow holds for us. Life is short and uncertain. In the past, we could take for granted that death would meet us after entering old age but in the 21st century, we are surrounded by news of young people falling prey to death. However, let not the thought of life’s uncertainty frighten us.
Life can be terrifying and insanity can creep in if one starts to live as though today was the last day for his/her existence on earth. I lived that kind of life for about two months when Noble passed on. Fear engulfed me and I lived as though death was waiting for me at my doorstep. Nevertheless, God’s grace was sufficient for me. Through this bitter experience God taught me certain Kingdom principles. Life on earth should be lived in the light of eternity. Everything that we do on earth is a preparation for what holds for us in eternity. It is that eternal hope that sustains us and keeps us going in this world. Jesus came into this world and conquered death so that we could have life and life eternal.
When we live in the light of eternity, there is a new meaning and a purpose for life. Every little thing that we do in this world will matter in terms of the eternal glory that we will inherit. Having the realization that life is shorter than we think, I am reminded of the words of John Wesley who states, “Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as you ever can.” When our work on earth is done, God will call us home. Is our house set in order? Are we living in the light of eternity or obsessed with the world and everything in it so much so that the hope of life is lost. When we close our eyes on earth, will we open our eyes to see Jesus? Start builder a closer relationship with God and the people that God has given you because what you do on earth matters! Dear friend, will you set your house in order? Time is running out!
- Renny Cherian,
UBS, Pune
On the dawn of 13th November 2010, my best friend Noble John was promoted to glory. He was a luminary in terms of conduct, academics, and above all, his relationship with God. It was through him, after a‘07 ICPF youth camp at Manganam, Kottayam, that an ICPF prayer cell in AmalJyothi Engineering College, Kerala was formed. Being raised up together under one roof in Saudi Arabia, we shared similar tastes and developed a bond that nothing could separate. Just before officially graduating as an engineer from AmalJyothi Engineering College, Kerala, God called him back home. The news of his departure came as an arrow right through our hearts. The grief of his departure left a mark on the walls of many hearts. The deaths of young lives are always considered untimely and the horrifying news of their deaths startles us because they are expected to live upto a span of 70 or 80 years.
It is anticipated that all of us including our near and dear ones would live throughout a lifetime. However, the truth of the Bible proclaims—Tomorrow is promised to no Man.The fact that there is no guarantee of being alive the next moment can be frightening. To bring it into perspective, consider these statements: This day can be the last day of our life,or, reading this article can be the last thing you will be doing. The psalmist in Psalm 103: 15 declares, “As for man, his days are like grass…” As for the epistle of James, it is an evil to brag and boast about our future because we do not know what tomorrow holds for us. Life is short and uncertain. In the past, we could take for granted that death would meet us after entering old age but in the 21st century, we are surrounded by news of young people falling prey to death. However, let not the thought of life’s uncertainty frighten us.
Life can be terrifying and insanity can creep in if one starts to live as though today was the last day for his/her existence on earth. I lived that kind of life for about two months when Noble passed on. Fear engulfed me and I lived as though death was waiting for me at my doorstep. Nevertheless, God’s grace was sufficient for me. Through this bitter experience God taught me certain Kingdom principles. Life on earth should be lived in the light of eternity. Everything that we do on earth is a preparation for what holds for us in eternity. It is that eternal hope that sustains us and keeps us going in this world. Jesus came into this world and conquered death so that we could have life and life eternal.
When we live in the light of eternity, there is a new meaning and a purpose for life. Every little thing that we do in this world will matter in terms of the eternal glory that we will inherit. Having the realization that life is shorter than we think, I am reminded of the words of John Wesley who states, “Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as you ever can.” When our work on earth is done, God will call us home. Is our house set in order? Are we living in the light of eternity or obsessed with the world and everything in it so much so that the hope of life is lost. When we close our eyes on earth, will we open our eyes to see Jesus? Start builder a closer relationship with God and the people that God has given you because what you do on earth matters! Dear friend, will you set your house in order? Time is running out!
- Renny Cherian,
UBS, Pune
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