Over the course of one week (October 13-19), our church lost two dear brothers in Christ who had been long-time members: John Ray Davis and Jim Guyse. They were both great men and our church and their families will be mourning their losses for some time. I had the honor of being part of the services for both men. Incredibly, at least to me, this is the second time this year that our church has had 2 funerals in the same week. While I count it a great honor to minister to families when loved ones pass away, I sure hope that my experience of weeks with multiple funerals is over. Brother John Ray and Brother Jim were not young, but both of their passings came quite suddenly. They were not expected in the least. In both cases, they were healthy and well one week only to be gone the next. In Jim’s case, it was mere moments.
During that same time period, the Brandon Amphitheater hosted the Go Tell Crusade. Rick Gage was the primary evangelist. From October 15-18, thousands of people gathered each night to worship and to hear the powerful messages from Rick Gage and his friends. In fact, the last night of the Crusade, we were told a record crowd for the venue was present: over 10,000 people. I’m sure many of you reading this had the opportunity to attend at least one of the nights. Certainly, the messages were evangelistic in nature. Gage and the other speakers shared their stories of coming to know Christ as they shared the Gospel message. One of the consistent themes shared by the speakers was that no one knows how long our lives will be. Just like Brother John Ray and Brother Jim, any of us could be here one day and gone the next. I think most all of us, including me, assume that we will experience a normal lifespan, but we are certainly not promised that. All of us know people whose lives were seemingly cut short. Having us consider this reality is not meant to be a scare tactic, it’s just true. None of us know how many breaths we get. There are several verses in Scripture that communicate this truth. Job 8:9 says: “For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth are a shadow.” Psalm 102:11 says: “My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.” In both of these verses, our lives are compared to shadows, present one moment and then gone the next.
In response to this truth, I’d like to challenge you to consider whether you are ready should your life come to a sudden and unexpected end. As I was visiting Brother John Ray in the hospital the day before he passed, the last thing he said to me was: “Brother Spencer, I’m ready.” He didn’t mean he was ready in the sense that he was tired and desired to be finished with the pains and struggles of life. He meant that he was ready because he knew Jesus. He was prepared for that moment when his life on earth would be completed. In order to be ready for that moment, we must be made right with God. We can’t do that on our own because just one sin is enough to condemn us before a holy God. We can only be right before God by surrendering to Him, confessing our sin before Him and receiving through faith the forgiveness of sin that His Son Jesus paid for by dying on a cruel cross. My brothers, John Ray and Jim, were both ready for their moments because they had surrendered their lives to Jesus. Many that attended the Crusade last week are now ready for that moment because they did the same. What about you? Are you ready?
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