WE ARE NEVER READY

            I lost another friend Saturday a week ago.  Mac was in Gulf Shores playing golf with a group of other men.  He fell over on the golf course with a heart attack and could not be revived.  He was only 64 years old and seemingly in good health with no heart problems whatsoever.

            Mac and his wife, Trudy, are members of the Sunday School Class I taught before I became the pastor at Central Park Baptist Church.  Liz now teaches that class.  Mac would always contribute in class.  He was a business leader and a leader in the church.  Thinking back, I would say that I never saw Mac without a smile.  That was the kind of person he was.  Life for Mac was good.  It is a shame it was cut short by a heart attack.

            All who knew him and his family were shocked.  We are never ready for death, someone else’s or our own.  We all hope to live a long, long time.  But that will not be the case for everyone.  Even for those blessed with a long life, it is too short. And death comes unexpectedly.  In his letter James warns us, “you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”  (James 4:14)

            It behooves us, therefore, to be ready for our own death and hope those we know are ready.  Mac was a believer.  I have no doubt of that.  Therefore I know that all is well with him.  And because I believe that Christ died for my sins and was resurrected to give me everlasting life, I know that all will be well with me when my time comes.

            How about you?

Grace and peace.