(2Corinthians 6:2) “For he says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
This morning my thoughts are with my grandfather and his last hours here on earth. From as far back as I can remember, he was not a church-goer like my nonna (grandmother) but he seemed to hold the bible in high regard in one form or another, he was most definitely not saved until he was on his death bed or there about, yet after he passed on I noticed that his bible seemed to be well read with hand written notes tucked away inside the bible, that he himself had penned. He had often looked for scripture that would no doubt excuse him for the many bad decisions he had made throughout his married life. I will not dare to speak on behalf of another man as it is only God who sees the heart of a man. Did God not say David was a man after His own heart? Yes He did and even with the knowledge of David’s extreme sin, God still makes such a statement. Why? The answer is obvious, or at least it should be. God was able to see passed all the sin that so easily besets a man and when David’s sin had been exposed by God through Nathan the prophet, David fell to his knees not looking to find justification for his sin but rather sort repentance with a sincere and contrite heart. He was a man after God’s own heart!
My granddad (oupa) went into hospital late on in years to have a stomach operation which ended with complications and it eventually lead to him passing from this life to the next. But whilst still in hospital I was informed by the family that He had ended up in intensive care and they were not convinced that He would make it. I was living in Cape Town at the time and felt the need to get to Johannesburg and with one last effort to minister Christ and His saving grace to him. The burden was strong and it compelled me to drive the 1450km from the Africa’s most southern tip to Johannesburg. Alongside his bed I would read portions of the bible to him, with the nurses witnessing this encounter. I do not recall what was read, but one day I was discussing the gospel with one of the nurses as she was questioning me on certain aspects of my life as she was reading my life autobiography. Oupa was fast asleep one minute and then he suddenly awoke which was a pleasant surprise as he had slipped off into a deep sleep and was now awake. It was the words that came out of his mouth that brought utter surprise yet my emotion was mingled with joy. He said, “God wants true repentance!” It was as if he had been listening to the banter back and forth between the nurse and me on the topic of salvation. I still wonder to this day, what encounter he had whilst in his deep sleep. I do know it must have been real! I believe he possibly found repentance there. I believe he is in heaven and that I will see him again one day. He had been afforded the opportunity and the privilege on his death bed and with old age on his side he was forced to consider the life here after with serious deliberation. Not everyone is given that opportunity, some die a sudden death, and some die at a young age in an accident and the like. One minute life is their ouster and then the next they open their eyes on the other side. They now await the judgement of God.
At the age of twenty seven I recall standing in a doctor’s office as he told me in a somewhat choked tone that I was infected with the virus HIV. My life flashed before my eyes and as a young man and by default I was forced to consider death. I could have sat with my grandfather even then and had a serious conversation about our upcoming event, death! I was also afforded the opportunity, a wakeup call by my loving heavenly Father to examine my life and the disobedience to it. I was given a chance to repent of my lifestyle and turn to Him. I had a choice to make, I could have looked for justification and said why me! Or I could fall to my knees and ask for forgiveness for my wayward life.
God is merciful and long suffering with many of us in this world of His. We all deserve hell and yet He affords us endless opportunities to repent and call out to Him. Why is He so gracious, why does He love us so? The answer is obvious; He loves us because His Son, the Lord Jesus laid down His life for us. That does not cover the unrepentant, they will all face the wrath of God but His love will and does indeed cover all those who repent and confess Jesus as Lord.
The summit I look to drive home is if you still breathe and have not yet been summoned to death, then you still have the opportunity to call upon the name of the Lord. The other point is that we do not know the date that has been appointed to each of us for fatality. Yes I do believe God’s word implies that we all have a specific date with death.
“And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment;” (Hebrews 9:27)
This verse tells us that we will all live one life in this body of ours and then somewhere along life’s journey we will die. Whether we have an actual date written down in heaven for our death is irrelevant, the aim for us to understand is we do not know the actual date. We must think of today as possibly our last here on earth in the context of repentance and finding forgiveness for our sin before it is too late. Some live to a ripe old age some are infected by terminal illnesses and others die in motor vehicle accidents. I do not know, and you do not know when it will happen for us...
“For he says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
I wonder is God speaking, you decide!
Signing off
Tyrone
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