WHO KNOWS THE HOUR?
Posted by: spiritualdigest <spiritualdigest@...>
WHO KNOWS THE HOUR?
"Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come
"
(Ecclesiastes 9:12, NIV).
The death of Reverend Josiah Adegoke Adeleke, my
mentor, friend, and brother in Christ, in a ghastly
auto accident with another friend, Reverend Chris Tayo
Orodiji, on Tuesday January 11, 2005 is still a mirage
to me. In spite of the fact that I was there at the
mortuary giving them final bath and dressing in
preparation for their burial, and the fact that I was
one of those that lowered their coffins into their
graves, I still find it difficult to believe that those
two great men of God who died at their prime age in
active service have gone forever. I will see them only
in heaven when I also die or at the marriage feast of
the Lamb after the rapture of the saints.
Both of them were very intimate friends who had shared
with me many things about our personal, educational,
and especially ministerial endeavors. So, all the
plans, dreams, and aspirations they had have gone with
them unfulfilled! So, they have abandoned their
promising ministerial careers for the rest of us! So,
they will not publish those books they have written
their outlines! So, they have left their pregnant wives
and very young children behind to face the struggles of
life alone! So, they have
.
Their short lives and sudden death are indeed a
challenge to the living that "Man born of woman is of
few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a
flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he
does not endure
. Man's days are determined; you have
decreed the number of his months and have set limits he
cannot exceed
. But man dies and is laid low; he
breathes his last and is no more. As water disappears
from the sea or a riverbed becomes parched and dry, so
man lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are
no more, men will not awake or be roused from their
sleep" (Job 14:1-5, 10-12, NIV).
Their short lives and sudden death are a strong
confirmation of the words of Solomon, "'Meaningless!
Meaningless!' says the Teacher. 'Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless,'" and "What does a man get
for all the toil and anxious striving with which he
labors under the sun?" (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:22, NIV).
What really are we living for if death can render
everything meaningless within seconds without warning?
Why are we struggling to become somebody on earth when
it is certain that we will leave everything one day?
This makes the words of Paul in Philippians 1:21
relevant here: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die
is gain" (NIV). Living for Jesus Christ will make our
living on earth meaningful and our death a gain for us.
Goke and Tayo lived for Christ and their death is
indeed a gain for them and Jesus Christ. Who are you
living for?
Their short lives and sudden death are now a warning to
me that I have to "discharge all the duties of [my]
ministry" (2 Timothy 4:5, NIV). Again, the words of
Paul to Archippus clearly come to mind: "See to it that
you complete the work you have received in the Lord"
(Colossians 4:17, NIV). I have to be up and doing
because I do not know when God will also call me home.
I do not know what people will say when I am no more. I
do not know whether my Lord will commend me with words
like, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have
been faithful with a few things; I will put you in
charge of many things. Come and share your master's
happiness!" (Matthew 25:21, NIV). I do not know
.
Their short lives and sudden death are indeed a
challenge and a warning to us to "Fight the good fight
of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which
you were called when you made your good confession in
the presence of many witnesses" (1 Timothy 6:12, NIV).
If those two great men of God could die at their prime
age, then, anyone may be the next to be called home.
Let me conclude with these words of Solomon, "Moreover,
no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are
caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare,
so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly
upon them" (Ecclesiastes 9:12, NIV).
In His service,
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
_________________________________________________
FindLaw - Free Case Law, Jobs, Library, Community
http://www.FindLaw.com
Get your FREE @JUSTICE.COM email!
mail.Justice.com