James 4:14 New International Version (NIV) “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
When young, most people don’t have a thought about dying. That’s for old people–right? As one plows through the years, the mindset changes. The grandparents pass away, followed by a few aunts and uncles, and ultimately one’s father, and then the mother. That’s the typical sequence. The stark reality finally hits home that one is next in line once the prior two generations have departed.
I picked up this point a little earlier, sometime between the death of an aunt and my father. It derived from my extensive travel. In a relatively short timeframe, I experienced several instances that demonstrated in brilliant technicolor the possibility of being taken out early–that is, by accident rather than natural death.
While on a flight to Seoul, Korea, the big 747 taking me there suddenly dropped like a rock for what seemed like an eternity. Food trays flew straight up in the air, and people screamed like they were about to meet their maker. The pilot brought the aircraft under control, and a couple of minutes later it dropped again. The same scenario occurred yet a third time. I have no idea of how close we were to the ocean.
On a landing in Minneapolis, my plane started to touch down when another one pulled out onto the same runway to take off. The pilot deftly took a severe right turn and barely missed hitting the ground. It soared over the adjoining neighborhood at just above treetop level.
Flying to Tokyo a week after the Soviets had shot down the KAL 007 flight passing the Sakhalin Island, two MIG fighters loaded with air-to-air rockets pulled just off the right side of the aircraft and stayed for a half-hour. Who knew what they might do?
The message is simple: none of us know when our number will be called. One of satan’s biggest lies is to convince people to procrastinate in accepting Jesus Christ. If you’re in such a position today, act! Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.