“It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
and the living will lay it to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter,
for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”
Ecclesiastes 7:2-4
Within a 24 hour period last week I heard stories of:
A wife who lost her husband to suicide.
A man whose life ended abruptly from a major cardiac event.
Hearing these stories brought to mind a next-door neighbor from when we lived in Southern California in the 1990s. Bob was in his forties, and married. Bob left for the grocery store one day and never returned. He dropped dead in one of the aisles of the grocery of a major heart attack.
My wife works at a hospital and one of my daughters is a nurse. Both have encountered death close up.
In years past when I would read Solomon’s words that it’s better to go to a funeral than a restaurant or a place of celebration, I used to think “Man, what a downer.” No more. There is great wisdom in remembering that our life on this earth will one day have a final ending that will trigger our transition into eternity. At that point there will be no second chances.
When I attended Bob’s funeral I was weeping because to my knowledge Bob died without Christ. There was no mention of God at Bob’s funeral, no hope for an eternity in glory, no hope that Bob wasn’t in a place of eternal torment.
That is a sobering, terrifying thought.
We often worry and obsess about things that are non-essential, have no value for eternity, or will eventually be resolved. Many are wasting the most precious asset we’re given in this life – time – in hours of empty pursuits, ensnared in the distractions, pleasures, and entertainments of this world.
None of us knows when our time will be up. You or I could transition into eternity in a day, a month, 10 years, or 5 minutes.
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:1-3
Are we investing our lives often in what is most important, such as our relationship with God, (above all), our relationships with our loved ones, and others? How’s your prayer life? Husbands and wives, does your spouse know that you love them and do you show it often by your actions? How about your kids?
You don’t want to step into eternity having wasted your life. Many put off making major changes because they assume they have plenty of time left. My doctor told me that 20% change their lifestyle after a heart attack. Jesus’s warning of the narrow path that few find come to mind (Matthew 7:13-14).
Surveys repeatedly show we’re spending hours on our phones and in entertainment, with minutes in prayer. That’s a dangerous way to live. Remember how God said the lukewarm make Him so sick that He will eject them in a stream of vomit.
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”
Revelation 3:15-19
Don’t miss Jesus’s wonderful offer to “be zealous and repent.” Rogue translation: don’t just talk about change, go hard at it.
We don’t like to hear such words in our comfortable, modern churches. We might upset some people, yet, Some need it. When Jesus walked here 2,000 years ago He didn’t pull any punches in warning people to spend their time wisely (see the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 12:13-31 for the parable of the rich man who wanted to build big barns and spend the rest of his life partying, only to have God end his life in a moment, among others).
We need reminders that our lives are like fine mist, soon to vanish, to sharpen our focus.
Never retire. Pour your life out until the end. If you’re in bondage to sin or your priorities are messed up, stop, realign them, and make major changes immediately.
The last word, is love: “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline.” He warns us not to destroy us, but so that we might enjoy the abundant life God offers, a life of purpose and joy.
“So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12
“No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him.”
2 Timothy 2:4
