When people pass on, so many people say a lot of
nice and great things about them. One rarely hears anything bad being said about
the dead. In fact there is a dictum to ‘not speak ill of the dead’. That is the
ideal situation, but what exactly is the reality on ground? The reality of whether
the person actually lived a life that is indeed pleasing to God or not is
determined by God Himself. One could argue that the voice of the people is
actually the voice of God. Really? Let’s check the Scriptures: When all manner
of comments were made concerning Solomon, David, Herod, Jesus Christ, were they
truly the voice of God? It is not enough to have the accolades of people. In
fact, the dead never hears what is been said about them, only the living hears.
The truth is the accolades of people on earth are irrelevant in eternity. What
is truly relevant and will resound in eternity is the approval of God. The
Bible encourages us to: “Study and be
eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial),
a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately
dividing (rightly handling and skillfully teaching) the Word of Truth”
(2Timothy 2:15, AMP). In other words, our approval is truly not of any man but
of God. Here, He tells us to carry out our assigned tasks with diligence and
single mindedness bearing in mind that our reward is and from Him.
If
this is truly the case, what manner of people should we then be? You might be
one that says that Jesus Christ’s return is taking long and maybe He has
changed His mind. No matter your argument, one thing is for certain, it is
appointed to people to die once, then face judgment (Hebrews 9:27). One person remarked that God should not wait
until judgment or rapture to separate those that are true from those that are
false in the Church. This according to him will enable those that are ‘false’
to quickly repent. However, let’s see the response of Jesus Christ to this
position: “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven
is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind of fish, and
when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down and gathered the good fish
into containers but threw out the worthless ones” (Matthew 13:47-48). This
is the reality! A large net has been thrown into the world to ‘catch fish’ for
the Kingdom of God. So many that are in now will be thrown out on the Day of
Judgment because they are ‘bad’ or ‘worthless’. Please note, this is not a
physical state of badness or worthlessness but the state of their hearts in
regards to the things of God.
Friend, you may well be advanced in years or you
have gotten to know when you would pass on, thus you are seeking to make amends
with friends and family, and you think this will mean making amends with God. It
is not true; it is a state of self-delusion. So many do this at this point
because they seek to have a ‘good burial’ and people will say nice things about
them. Or you are still strong with lots of years in front of you, and you
pretend to be good but your inside, you know, is not right. Friend, before the
day of sorting comes for you, this is the right time to make amends with your Creator
and walk in the path in the manner He has prescribed for you. It is not about
legacies. Legacies will not leave the earth, in fact, they will perish on
earth. What will grant you entrance into God’s eternal dwellings is your walk
with Him on earth, especially the unseen times far away from the prying eyes of
people. Friend, if you are yet to give your life to Jesus Christ, or you are
not satisfied with your walk with Him, this is the time to make it right with
Him. Please bow your heart and talk to Him. He is waiting on you to make that
decision so as to lead you into His joy and fulfillment. Friend, the accolades
of people end on earth, only the accolades of God grant you entrance to Him for
all eternity. God bless you as you take the decision.
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