Tonight, while driving home, the usual long stretch of darkness called Westheimer was sprinkled with many flittering lights. From a distance I could see what appeared to be police and ambulance lights. As I got closer, my suspicion was confirmed, there were quite a few police cars and about an equal amount of ambulances. As i drove yet closer to the scene I could see surrounded by flares what appeared to be a crumbled piece of a fender. Though I had sensed in my spirit awhile back that I should pray i simply ignored it thinking it was some sort of a routine police stop, yet the more near I came I could see that this wasn’t so. Further along I went until i observed a man with a camera standing over a body laying in the road. The flashes of light from the camera revealed red pigment of blood. Immediately, now, my compassions were stirred and I began to pray for the person’s family and any others who may have been injured and if at all possible for the life of that person. My mind immediately fled into a state of sobriety and questions arose. What and how could this have possibly happened? Will his family be OK? Was he saved?
If anything, death always bring about great sobriety. Why? Death is ultimate. For the believer it means the end of an earthly sojourne and the bema (judgement seat) of Christ. Finally, to account for the deeds done in the body. Thoughts of this will quickly cause a person to reconsider and reroute their steps into the path which will bring God greatest glory. For the unbeliever death means unspeakable horror and this too is a call for every person who names the name of Christ not to allow their lives be one that sits upon a shelf; lest, we be the ones who are to give an account for the other’s blood.
Our tendency is to habitually ignore the close of this life. Not merely ours, but, also that of others. Our struggle is to be a people who live, as Leonard Revenhill says, “eternity conscious in time.” We must contend for this moment by moment. There will be a definite accounting for every aspect of our lives at the bema so we must contend to be well pleasing to the Lord. I must. Though the world and its trinkets grab and vie for our attentions we must re-focus our face continually and look to the One Who is unseen.
I read this passage this morning rather casually but I would say It would do me and any of us really well to really enter into the spirit of it:
“And that time [of the end] Michael shall arise, the great [angelic] prince who defends and has charge of your [Daniel’s] people. And there shall be a time of trouble, straitness, and distress such as never was since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the Book [of God’s plan for His own]. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake: some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt and abhorrence. And the teachers and those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness (to uprightness and right standing with God) [shall give forth light] like the stars forever and ever.” – Dan. 12:1-3