About two months ago, I made my 6 year old son (then 5 years old) memorize Proverbs 27:1 which says,"Boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."I made a copy of the verse and stick it on our refrigerator with the help of an adhesive tape. For the next 3 days, my son stood in front of our refrigerator every morning right after he woke up to memorize the verse. I explained to him what the verse means and its many implications on man’s life. I believe that if he would deeply understand the message of the verse, he would grow up not wasting everyday that passes his life.
How I wish people would come to likewise learn Proverbs 27:1 just like my son. People, both saved and unsaved, would benefit a lot if they understood what God is telling us through this verse. But the sad thing is, people in our time have become more boastful of their future than ever, to the point that it seems, they have forgotten that they are mortals who have a sure scheduled appointment with death. Here are some boastings that people make.
"I still have a lifetime ahead of me. I'll just enjoy what's around me (even if it offends God) and think about getting right with God when I’m already too old and weak to indulge on these things.It's the unbeliever that says this. Here’s a very dangerous kind of boasting for it may lead a man to Hell. This reminds me of the story of the rich man in Luke 12:16-21. He had a great harvest in his land so much so that his old barn could not hold what he had harvested. And so, he made a bigger barn. Satisfied with what he had achieved, he said,"Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry (v. 19)."He decided to enjoy what this world had to offer to him (including those that offend God) for he could easily afford them. But God said to him in the next verse, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee."Here's an example of a person who forgot that he is mortal just like any other person around him. He forgot that tomorrow may not come for him.
Is it wrong to be hard working so that you’ll be prosperous? Is it wrong to enjoy the fruits of your labor? The story does not suggest these. The story’s aim is to make us realize that above all, it is our eternal destiny that we should be prepared with and not how we can prolong the benefits of the fruits of our labor or whatever wealth we have. Right at this very moment, as you read this part of the article, that rich man and many others like him (rich and poor) are suffering in Hell because they were very foolish not to prepare for their eternal destiny.
Everyday, 150,000 people die (that’s about 17 people dying every 10 seconds), with most of them plunging to the fires of Hell. There’s a big chance that many of the people that go to Hell for eternity on a daily basis have heard or read the gospel. But they were too arrogant to respond to God’s call for repentance and faith on Jesus Christ. I’m sure that these people as they suffer in Hell have so much regrets for not taking the gospel seriously during their happy times here on earth. “If only I had listened to my friend/relative/stranger who once shared the gospel to me.” Probably, this is a common line among people in Hell. Unfortunately for them, it’s too late now. The unbeliever has only himself to blame for his predicament.
"I'm still young and full of life. I’ll just spend about a majority of my life chasing my dreams of fame, wealth and power and think about storing up riches in Heaven later in life."It's the believer that says this. So many believers right now are making wrong priorities. Looking at these priorities, you will come to a conclusion that these Christians are more materialistic than spiritual. They are so drawn to the things of this world that they have forgotten that these things do not have eternal value. They would drop on offering plates during some Sundays what seems to be a big amount of money to help their church’s programs and, maybe to support missions, just so they could be relieved of some of the guilt for not really being physically involved in the service of our Lord. I have mentioned in my past article that I even know of some pastors who’ve abandoned their pastoral duties in favor of the chance to work in progressive countries that will allow them to earn a big amount of money. This is sad.
I really don’t understand how one could totally forget serving God as an act of gratitude after they have been touched and saved by the Saviour. Remember Peter’s mother-in-law in Matt. 8:14-15? Jesus came to Peter’s house and He saw his mother-in-law sick of a fever. Jesus touched her hand and immediately the fever was gone. And what did Peter’s mother-in-law do after being touched by Jesus? The story said that she immediately arose and served Jesus and his disciples. How come people of today that have been touched and forgiven by God are not responding in the same way as Peter’s mother-in-law? Makes you doubt if they really have had a life-saving encounter with Jesus.
There are a number of Christians that are making God wait for their service to Him while they go on their lives chasing their selfish dreams of worldly wealth. In a way, you can’t really blame them. Most of the Christians in our present time are products of a modern gospel message that says, "God wants you to be prosperous in life that’s why you need Him in your life to help you achieve that prosperity." And so, Christians embark in a life that focuses on amassing material wealth for they were taught that this is God's will for their lives. This is totally unbiblical for what the Scriptures admonishes us is that we be the light and salt of this world. Any verse that talk about Christians lacking of nothing is not in terms of material wealth but instead, of the required righteousness for us to go to Heaven which we get through the sacrifice of Jesus at the cross (see Matt. 5:6). If we delay our service to the Lord because for now, we'd rather chase first our personal dreams, we may be surprised by death one day and lose our chance of storing riches in Heaven. I’m sure that you don’t want to be just an applauder when God hands out the rewards of those who’ve made it a point to serve Him during their lifetime here on Earth. As the song says, "Only one life so soon will past. Only what’s done for Christ will lasts."
"I'm still young. People around me still have a long time ahead of them. I’ll preoccupy myself first of things I enjoy and let others do the same. I’ll just share the gospel to people around me when it’s obvious that they are about to cross the bridge to eternity."Again, it's the believer that says this. If in statement #1, the unbeliever has only himself to blame why someday he will go to Hell, for this statement, the believer is to blame why the unbeliever will someday miss going to Heaven. Ezekiel 3:18 says,"When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand."This passage clearly points the responsibility to us in helping the people around us understand what they need to do to evade the pangs of Hell. And because we do not have control over time, we should take the first opportunity given to us to witness to an unbeliever because there’s a big chance that there will never be another chance.
Close your eyes for a while. Then think of three people: an unsaved family member, an unsaved friend, and an unsaved acquaintance. Picture these three people smiling at you in the middle of a cool day. Then slowly change the background from a cool day to a dark and hot place we came to know as "Hell". The smile they once flashed turns to a sharp stare of anger towards you because you never took time to tell them about the gospel as they feel the sufferings that Hell is giving them… Now open your eyes. Ask yourself, "Can I bear seeing these people in Hell?" I know you can't. So what will you do about it knowing that what you’ve just imagined can be a reality to them today? Remember, God will hold you responsible for their eternal fate.
We must make a total change of how we deal with people around us on a daily basis, from people who are full of life to people who will start their stay in Hell tomorrow if you will not take time today to tell them of what they have to do to evade the gruesome reality of Hell. If I were you, if you come home today and find your unsaved family member still alive, you will demand that he/she listen to what the Bible says his/her destiny because of his/her sins. If in the middle of your talk, he/she stands and tells you that he/she has had enough of what you are saying, and it would be better for him/her to do something else, pull him/her back on his/her seat and say that you’re not done with him/her until he/she makes a decision about his/her eternal destiny. How much lesser people would go to Hell if we have this kind of resolve of not stopping about talking to people about sin, righteousness and judgment until they make a decision to get right with God. But sadly, most Christians of today care less about the souls of people around them.
If you will ask me to deliver a message for the New Year, instead of exciting you with statements about how bright the prospects are for 2008, I’d rather tell you the reality, and that is this world will get worst in 2008. Why will I discourage you about 2008? Simply because I want you to get on your feet to tell more people about their sin and their sure destiny (if they won’t get right with God) before God says, “I’ve had enough of the sins of this humanity. Let me end all of these!” We must behave in this present time with urgency. Ephesians 5:15-16 says this, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise; Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” The Bible clearly tells us that in the last days, things will turn to worst, and the signs show that we are indeed in the last days. If you don’t do something about the eternal destiny of people around you, then don’t dare shed even a single tear when you see these people experiencing the wrath that God will pour onto people who did not repent of their sins and place their trust on Jesus, for the reality is, you were partly responsible for their predicament.
It’s the New Year. If in the past years, you have thought this way, then I believe that it’s high time that you change the way you think. The way you thought in the past is so dangerous to you, if you’re not yet a Christian, and to others if you’re already a child of God. There’s nothing sure about tomorrow. Let’s live today as if this is our last day on this world so that we won’t get to waste even a second of today.
