On Wednesday night I watched the news feed concerning the midair collision of an Army Blackhawk helicopter with an American Airlines CR700 passenger jet. For a time, there was some brief hope that there might possibly be survivors, but eventually we learned that all 67 people were lost.
My heart ached for the families that had someone so unexpectedly taken from them. No one could be prepared to receive the kind of news that many were forced to hear that night. Grief over the passing of a loved one is something every person will experience in life, but when it happens so unexpectedly, in such a violent fashion, the hurt must be even deeper.
My first thought in situations like this tragedy is always about the condition of the souls involved. Were they prepared? Not prepared to die… how could they have been… but were they prepared for eternity? Had they heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Did they confess their sins and their need for a Savior? Did they immediately enter the presence of the King of Kings? Were they children of God?
One of the traps The Enemy loves to lead people into is procrastination over spiritual considerations. Many people assume there is time in their future to consider their spiritual condition and “get right” with God, yet never actually do.
I am reminded of the parable told by Jesus of the 10 bridesmaids who were to take part in a wedding. Their part in the wedding was to each carry a lamp and light the way for the bridegroom to the wedding ceremony. In Jesus’ day, the wedding began whenever the bridegroom chose to arrive, and at the wedding in Jesus’ story the bridegroom was much later in arriving than expected.
Five of the bridesmaids had prepared for a possible late arrival by bringing extra oil for their lamps so that they would not run out if the bridegroom was delayed. The other five didn’t consider that possibility. And so, when they ran out of oil they hurried away to get more, but at the moment they were absent the bridegroom arrived, the wedding began, and the ones who went searching for more oil were left out of the celebration.
Jesus told that parable to encourage people to be prepared for His return, because no one knows when he will come again to collect His people. But it can also be a reminder to us that we cannot be sure of when this life will end and the next one begin. Every person will face a moment in life that bridges their earthly life to their experience after death. One destination leads to eternal joy… the other to eternal grief. NOW is the time to embrace the Gospel and make Jesus your Lord and Savior. If you are not prepared… don’t fall for the trap of The Enemy… get right with God today.
And if you are prepared? Who do you know… who isn’t? While we are not responsible for whether people give their lives over to Jesus — we are responsible to share the Gospel message. Peter wrote: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15 NIV Jesus told us: “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.” Luke 8:16 NIV
Are you prepared? I hope so. Is your light shining? May it be so.
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