HOW TO PREPARE FOR OUR DEPARTURE?

Nelson Thomas Mumbai

In view of the truths, we discussed earlier -

• The reality of death – unexpected and increasing,
• Nothing happens for believers before the appointed time,
• For a believer death is a gain, not a loss, it’s a promotion -

How do we prepare for this unavoidable occasion?

1. Value life and live in its fullness.

Never underestimate the life and privileges that we enjoy today, which are the gracious provisions of God. The health, resources, and favorable circumstances at our disposal today may disappear within no time. The wise man put it poignantly, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” (Ecc. 9:10). So, make use of each moment sensibly and zealously trusting in the Lord.

2. Be sure of God’s purposes and fulfil them.

This is the most important part of this preparation. We are here with a definite purpose; it’s our responsibility to be aware of it and accomplish it in time.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the best example in this aspect. He was always conscious of His Father’s will during His earthly sojourn (refer to Luke 2:29; John 4:34; 6:38; 8:29; Matt. 26:42 etc.) He was also aware of the duration in which He had to complete His task. He said, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:4).

The Lord Jesus underscores the fact that there is an appropriate time for everything. (Ecc. 3: 1–8). We don’t know what is in store for us tomorrow. It may be a change of circumstances or even our own inability due to various reasons, including death. We all need the same attitude of Christ in fulfilling our responsibilities before our departure.

The Lord Jesus Himself said that the foremost aspect of God’s will for man is that we trust the Lord Jesus as our Savior and Lord to have a right relationship with Him (John 6:28, 29; 2 Cor. 6:2).

In Acts 13:36 we see a remarkable testimonial regarding David, "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption.." This means that before his departure, David accomplished the ministry assigned to him. What a blessing it would be to serve our generation faithfully and enter into our rest!

3. Stay Close to the Lord. (Heb. 5:7)

As a perfect man, our Lord Jesus felt the pain of the cruel death He was anticipating. How did He face it? The writer to the Hebrews refers to our Lord’s prayers on that occasion. In the gospels, we read about His repeated prayer at Gethsemane just before His arrest. Luke writes that in response to that prayer, God the Father sent an angel to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43).

To be calm and composed in the midst of pain, sorrow, and even the shadow of death there is only one option, which is to experience an intimate communion with the Lord (Psa. 18: 4–6; 116: 3, 4).

4. Look ahead and focus on our hope. Heb. 12:2

The writer of Hebrews further refers to what exactly caused Christ to endure the agony of the cross without any shame or wavering. It was the joy that was set before Him. That included everything post crucifixion; the resurrection, ascension, Pentecost, etc., and the thought of redeeming many sons to glory.

We also may look ahead and see by faith all that God has promised for us in Christ. In other words, live life in view of eternity like the heroes of faith who saw the promises by faith, ‘assured of them and embraced them’ (Heb. 11: 13) This telescopic vision of the unseen is possible only by having an intimate walk with the Lord regularly as mentioned earlier.

Even as we continue our pilgrim journey, let us be gripped by the hope of the soon-coming Savior; all the subsequent events are going to unfold thereafter (Rom. 15:13; 1 Peter 1:13).

5. Set our house in order. (2 Kings 20:1)

Isaiah’s words to Hezekiah are noteworthy in this regard: "Thus says the LORD: 'Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.'" Apart from our spiritual responsibilities, we have certain earthly obligations too. We ought to put those things in order so that our dear ones will not be in trouble once we leave the scene.

In this aspect also, Christ is an example. Just before His departure, the Lord entrusted the responsibility of His mother to John, His beloved disciple (John 19:26, 27).

Hezekiah failed in this aspect miserably, for he was satisfied that no harm would come to him during his lifetime (2 Kings 20:19). We know how the following generation of Judah paid dearly for his folly. Even as we depart in time, never leave behind any trouble for the survivors.

The Fleeting Time

As we are coming to the end of another year let us examine how prepared are we in view of both these realities; life is too short and time is running fast.

Are we conscious of these realities and take appropriate steps to make use of the opportunities before us? It should be our lifelong endeavour to redeem the time, not just at the far end of life, but even from today when we are healthy.

Any failure in this area shows that we neither value life nor do we respect God’s will for us. Someone has rightly observed, ‘Failure to prepare for our departure shows that we are not even prepared to live’.

Let us number our days literally, considering each day as the last day and looking forward to our eternal home. Being motivated by these realities let us eagerly wait for the coming of our Lord, leading a holy life and serving God faithfully.

NTK

05/12/2023