Prepare to Meet Thy God
Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. Ps. 39:4, NIV.
Robert Spangler, longtime director of the General Conference Ministerial Association, tells of a time he faced his life's end.
"Not many sunsets ago my devoted wife, Marie, and I were walking the halls of our Washington Adventist Hospital, where I was unexpectedly admitted as a heart patient. An angiogram had revealed severe blockages in four leading heart arteries, a condition requiring bypass surgery. The next day, scheduled as I was for surgery, Marie cautiously questioned me about any fears I might have over facing such a crisis. . . .
"In that connection, let me just note here that I was fully aware that my heart would be purposely stopped, while its functions would be taken over by a blood-pumping machine. I was also aware that there was no guarantee that I would not join the society of the dead in a few hours, as happened to my roommate a few days later.
"With these and other thoughts chasing each other through my mind, I finally answered in a way that may seem presumptuous: 'No, Marie, I have no fears.' For in that moment I knew that defective and limited as it sometimes is, my belief in Jesus' love for me and my love for Him would sustain me in this crisis, regardless of the outcome."
The genius of Adventism is in the reality of the future. Eternity with our Saviour in heaven and in the New Earth is real and tangible. Eternity is as touchable as the scars Thomas saw and felt in the hands and side of Jesus!
It's a real wake-up call to realize that eternity can be only a moment away. It can be measured in the hesitant beat of the heart, the sickening crash of steel and glass on the highway, or the slow breathing of the terminally ill. But could eternity be closer to all of us than we might imagine? The end of this world-the fulfillment of Bible prophecy is imminent.
Do you have any fears about facing the future crisis? What will sustain you? What could you do today to prepare to meet your God?
Robert Spangler, longtime director of the General Conference Ministerial Association, tells of a time he faced his life's end.
"Not many sunsets ago my devoted wife, Marie, and I were walking the halls of our Washington Adventist Hospital, where I was unexpectedly admitted as a heart patient. An angiogram had revealed severe blockages in four leading heart arteries, a condition requiring bypass surgery. The next day, scheduled as I was for surgery, Marie cautiously questioned me about any fears I might have over facing such a crisis. . . .
"In that connection, let me just note here that I was fully aware that my heart would be purposely stopped, while its functions would be taken over by a blood-pumping machine. I was also aware that there was no guarantee that I would not join the society of the dead in a few hours, as happened to my roommate a few days later.
"With these and other thoughts chasing each other through my mind, I finally answered in a way that may seem presumptuous: 'No, Marie, I have no fears.' For in that moment I knew that defective and limited as it sometimes is, my belief in Jesus' love for me and my love for Him would sustain me in this crisis, regardless of the outcome."
The genius of Adventism is in the reality of the future. Eternity with our Saviour in heaven and in the New Earth is real and tangible. Eternity is as touchable as the scars Thomas saw and felt in the hands and side of Jesus!
It's a real wake-up call to realize that eternity can be only a moment away. It can be measured in the hesitant beat of the heart, the sickening crash of steel and glass on the highway, or the slow breathing of the terminally ill. But could eternity be closer to all of us than we might imagine? The end of this world-the fulfillment of Bible prophecy is imminent.
Do you have any fears about facing the future crisis? What will sustain you? What could you do today to prepare to meet your God?
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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