Are You Ready to Die?
Watching the breaking news about Hollywood star Heath Ledger’s death really shook me. Newscasters flashed red-carpet photos of the star with his former girlfriend and mother of his little girl, actress Michelle Wilson.
It wasn’t just Ledger’s passing that seemed to be pulling at my emotions. My mind began to remember the other sad stories I heard that day.
Video of mourners at the funeral of a fallen police officer flooded the local news hour. He was killed while executing a narcotics warrant.
A good friend witnessed a fatal car crash on the way to work Tuesday morning. Slick, icy roads ended a man’s life when he was struck by an out-of-control tractor-trailer.
My first reaction was for the families of these who are now gone. I thought of Heath Ledger’s little two-year-old girl – Matilda Rose. She’ll have to live her life without him. Hollywood, Ledger’s acting family, also has lost a dear friend and promising actor. He was only 28 years old.
When I heard of the detective’s death, I thought of his brothers in the force. He spent each day protecting others, and now he’s gone.
This man who died on the road was traveling that morning like any other day. His life was over is a split second.
These deaths were all surprises. No one could have seen them coming. That’s what I can’t shake – the reality that our lives here aren’t forever. One fact we can all agree on is that we will die.
Don’t Be Afraid of Death
I can think of countless instances I personally know of when a life was taken prematurely. Without warning someone dies. They're here with us one day, and the next they’re gone.
In the wake of these tragedies, I’ve thought about the future – my death. Not in any morbid or fearful way, but I’ve been thinking about where we go when we die. And I’ve asked myself if I'm prepared for what happens next. Have you?
There’s one way you can be sure. Jesus is the only one who has defeated death. No man can ever escape it. But, He did. On that third day, He came back to life giving us a way out.
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life." John 5:24 (NLT)
God promises us life. Even after our mortal bodies fade away, we are given the chance to live eternally with Him in Paradise. He is the Creator of the Universe and has made a way for us.
"All who believe in God's Son have eternal life." John 3:36 (NLT)
The most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16, sums it all up.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Whoever puts his trust in God's Son will not be lost but will have life that lasts forever." (NLV)
It’s that simple.
