“The good die young.” That’s what I heard while still in Primary School.
If it’s true, then what does it imply about all the seniors still walking around? Secret sins or well-hidden misdemeanors? Or just agile and nimble enough to dodge the mythical Grim Reaper’s scythe?
Apparently, this saying has a long history, originally quoted as “whom the gods love, dies young”.
“As told by the Greek historian Herodotus in 'History' (c. 445 B.C.), the story concerns two especially favored youths who, replacing two missing oxen, hitched themselves to a cart and carried their mother to a festival for the goddess Hera. At the temple, the grateful mother asked Hera to reward her sons with the greatest gift anyone might receive, whereupon her sons lay down to sleep and never woke again." (ESC Phrases.org.uk) Huh, what kind of blessing is that?
Today, people are living longer. So, why does life feel briefer? Maybe, “bucket lists” – of things to do or places to go before one kicks the afore-mentioned bucket – add to the pressure of the seeming shortage of time. If it is a question of Quality versus Quantity, we can hearken to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr: “It does not matter how long you live, but how well you do it.” Settled.
Moving on to another saying, let’s ponder and wonder at: “Everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die”.
As believers, we know the Lord Jesus has gone ahead to prepare a place for us (John 14:3) and He’s coming back for us so that we may be with Him forever. Is heaven truly all that wonderful? Then why does it seem we are in no hurry to get there?
Maybe knowing that eventually we’ll get there takes the urgency out of the equation. Or that life is so good here, that we like to “hang around” and enjoy Business Class amenities here, with the upcoming upgrade to First Class when we enter heaven?
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
So, how do we live life to the fullest and yet remain mindful of our ultimate destination and home? Are we aligned with the saying, “He who dies with the most toys, wins”? Have we overlooked Matthew 6:19-21? Our Lord instructs: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Each day, what are we remitting to our heavenly account? As stewards rather than owners, we give back to God what He has bestowed us with: spending time with Him and in His word (Psalm 37:4-7); serving others, especially those who are the least of His brothers (Matthew 25:34-40); sharing our faith with friends and strangers (Philemon 6); involvement in missions at home and/or overseas etc. Our goal? To receive His “well-done” commendation. Heavenly rewards await us. Looking forward to this should make us giddy with joy.
But there’s also the flip side. Heaven is true, then so is hell. And what if you decline heaven? Hearken.
“Let me add a word of caution for those who are not yet prepared for heaven. Just as real as heaven is, so is hell. As sweet and wonderful and beyond description as heaven is, so hell will be in all its horrors and sufferings. Just as there is nothing imaginary about heaven’s glory, there is nothing imaginary about the gory hell you will be in forever if you do not repent and place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Hell is a prepared place, but it is prepared for the devil and his angels, not for you, but if you die without being saved you will be with the evil one and the smoke of your torment will rise up forever and ever, so the Bible says.” (Gary Wagoner, sermoncentral)
Strong medicine - but then, this life is temporary. Heaven and hell are eternal. Time to prepare ourselves as heaven-bound citizens.
What is in this new issue?
VOL. 48 NO. 4 of IMPACT Magazine
THE ESSENCE OF ETERNITY.
By Edward Keith Pousson
STRATEGY OF A GOOD LIFE... Short or long. By Glenn Myers
STEWARDSHIP OF TIME.
By Daniel Koh Kah Soon
WHAT IF DEATH COMES BEFORE WE ARE READY? By Lim K Tham
INSIDE TRACK... Completing the race.
By Mary Yeo-Carpenter
NOT FOR WIMPS... The art of greying with joy.
Interview with Jeyaraj Indra Raj
FULL AND FULFILLED
~ The Impact Panel responds ~
WASTING AWAY? ... Identifying and reversing spiritual atrophy. By Peter Teagle
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