Will You Be Ready When The Time Comes?

Good News – June 2010 – Grace & Truth Magazine

FIVE CELEBRITIES DIED IN ONE MONTH!
Will You Be Ready When The Time Comes?

June 2009 was a bad month for celebrities.” So wrote a participant in an online discussion group. He commented on the deaths of Ed McMahon, the former star of a TV talk show; David Carradine, the Kung Fu star of a television series; Farrah Fawcett, a beautiful actress; Michael Jackson, an internationally known pop singer; and Billy Mays, a famous infomercial pitch man.

Although it did seem strange that so many celebrities would die within days of each other, it is a reminder that the Bible, God’s Word, is true when it says: “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (Jas. 4:14 NKJV).

Why did they die?
Despite their success, these celebrities were only human, and they died like all other human beings. Even though they were rich and famous, their money could not prevent the inevitable, and neither could their fame. They accumulated much of both, but they left it all behind when they died.

People from around the world have speculated about the real cause of death in each of these celebrity deaths. While answering this question is undoubtedly important for certain reasons, there is one question that is even more important: Were they prepared to meet their Maker? “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mk. 8:36).

Being ready to meet God is the all-important issue that each of us must face. It doesn’t matter whether we’re rich or poor. The Bible says, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Dying without God is a dreadful thing. It’s a tragic experience that results in eternal punishment.

What can we do?
Thankfully, God has provided a plan whereby each of us can be ready to meet Him in death. In fact, we can know Him on a personal level in this life, and then live with Him throughout eternity.

Our sins can be forgiven, and our lives can be changed for the better. We know this because of God’s promises: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (Jn. 3:16). Jesus, the Son of God, promises that anyone who believes in Him will not be condemned (Jn. 3:18). He said that the person who trusts in Him “shall not come into judgment” (Jn. 5:24).

Will you do it?
Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior? Have you asked Him to forgive your sins? If not, why wait? He is willing and ready, right now, to give you the free gift of everlasting life. It is yours for the asking. Simply come to Him as you are. Ask Him to save you and forgive you. Trust Him to do what He has promised, and you will receive this wonderful gift.

And unlike the fame and fleeting wealth of those celebrities who died within days of each other in June 2009, His rich gift will last for eternity. Receive it today, and you’ll be ready to meet your Maker when the time comes. We can tell you more.

By Roscoe Barnes III