Last Thursday, around
the noon hour, I once again attempted to commit suicide with that most used
weapon - a fork. Yes, it was our Thanksgiving holiday which seems to be
celebrated anymore with eating and shopping. I did my part in the
“eating” category, but I long ago learned (the hard way, of course) to forego
the “shopping” part of the celebration.
Thanksgiving is my
favorite holiday (for several reasons) and it falls in my favorite time of the
year, autumn. And, as we had the usual houseful plus extras of eaters
present, a lot of edibles had to be prepared. The feast included the
usual compliment of food stuffs, IE: turkey, dressing, green beans, sweet
potatoes, rolls and etc. And in such quantities that all left fully
sated. Which is a term in the Covey dictionary that means -
miserable. Let me just say that the turkey wasn’t the only one “stuffed.”
Well, I said all of that
as sort of a preamble to set the stage for our lesson today which is based on a
word used in the above paragraph - “prepared.”
Yep, a lot of preparation went on to insure that all got their portion of the
“goodies.” Or, maybe we could say, their portion of “blessings.”
My lesson here will
incorporate some words from two writers of books in the Old Testament - Amos
and Solomon. These words of Amos to the people of Israel are taken from
the 4th chapter and verse 12 of his book and they read: “...prepare to meet thy God...” The
words of Solomon are really the gist of his “sermon” entitled “Ecclesiastes.” Let’s
see if we can combine these “words” and come up with a spiritual lesson.
Think of it this way -
we do a lot of “preparing”
in our lives, don’t we? Not only for meals but also things like tests, or
“preparing” fields
for crops, etc. For things that are coming. For what we call
“future events.” Even the prefix “Pre”
indicates that it’s for something coming ahead. Something in the future.
We place a lot of
emphasis on these kinds of “preparations,”
don’t we. Why? Because we recognize the importance of being “prepared” for them.
Because it determines the outcome of the “future event” for which we’re “preparing.” With “preparation” comes
“success.” Without “preparation”
comes “failure.”
Amos was warning Israel
of a coming event, to wit: their imminent destruction. Why? Because
they had gone away from God by worshiping idols and, basically, being insolent
towards Him. They had been warned to repent and come back to God for
about 200 years before Amos issued his warning.
In his warning, he told
them that God was going to allow (“use”)
a neighboring nation for this destruction, hence the warning in 4:12 - “prepare to meet thy God” in
the form of the Assyrians. And, we know from our studies that they did
not heed his nor any other of their warnings and perished as a nation for
having not done so. Said another way, they made no “preparation” for this
forewarned event and paid dearly for it.
In like manner, Solomon
is preaching a sermon to us regarding a “future event” coming in our
lives. And he presents it in the form of a warning too, IE: “prepare to meet our God.”
That coming event - our death. Our separation from earthly life. An
event that everyone has coming in their future.
In his sermon, he makes
it abundantly clear that our period of life on this earth is the only time we
have to “prepare”
for this “future event.” It will come and when it does all “preparation” possibilities
cease. Whether “prepared”
or “unprepared,”
when it does come our fate is sealed. The question is, what state do you
want to be in when that event occurs?
Yes, Solomon tells us,
and we know from life experience, that we have both good things and bad things
happen to us in our lives. Both “blessings”
and “curses,” if
you will. And Solomon, by his sermon, is teaching a principle. That
we are to “look beyond” all
the earthly things of this life. To “look
beyond” this existence to a future existence to come.
An existence which, by “faith,” we believe
exists. The existence which, by “hope,”
we look for. An existence where all the ills of earthly life, the
sufferings, the frustrations, the confusions are gone. An existence where
bad things won’t be found.
And the “good
things?” Well, simply said, where the “good things” will be way
better. Value-wise? Where the absolute best of earthly life isn’t
worth the comparison with heavenly life.
Maybe we should see our
earthly life as “preparing”
for a test. But, with the understanding that it’s the most important test
we’ll ever take. And this importance is directly due to the consequences
of how we do on this test. Whether we pass or fail. A passing grade
equals eternal life in paradise. A failing grade equals eternal death in
torment.
A sad thing to consider
here is that there are many in this world who believe that there is no
existence beyond this life. I can’t imagine going through my life without
having any hope of something better in store for those who believe in and
follow Christ. In fact, Paul says something similar in his letter to the
Corinthians when he wrote: “If
in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (1Cor.
15:19)
But, as he said in the
verse immediately following, that “Christ
is risen from the dead” and we believe that, don’t we? It
gives us standing for our hope of a better existence to come as long as we
remain steadfast and faithful. Just think how “miserable” the eternal existence will be for
those who only have hope in this life. If you don’t remember anything
else of what I’ve written here, please remember to “look beyond” this life and “prepare to meet your God.”
Ron Covey
