The world has been in shock with the recent death of Kobe Bryant. A man who by worldly standards had it all. He had a successful basketball career, many awards, a beautiful family, fame and fortune. He had the ideal life, but it was cut short by a tragic helicopter crash. Not only did he perish, but eight others, leaving several children parentless, and families without siblings, spouses and children.
Kobe’s death is a stark reminder that death doesn’t respect age, race, marital status, fame, fortune, success or failure. Death comes to all of us. The truth is that at any moment we are just moments away from death. We do not need to worry about death for the Bible tells us that worry does not add anything to our life, it cannot add to our days.
We can find comfort knowing that we will never walk on this earth one less or one more day then the Lord has planned. In the book of Psalms, chapter 139, verse 16 we are told, “Your eyes saw me when I was only a fetus. Every day of my life was recorded in your book before one of them had taken place.”
God knows exactly how long we are going to be on this earth. His plan for our life will play out and not be cut short of what He wants us to accomplish. We may think someone is taken to soon, but God’s timing is always right.
We don’t have all the time
A lesson that is to be learned from Kobe’s death and I am sure that he is yelling it to us from wherever he may be (I have no idea if he was a Christ disciple or not), would be “repent while there is still time.” We don’t know when we will draw our last breath.
We may think we have time and will repent at another time, but we need to know that at any minute it can be cut short. We need to make it right with God today.
Repent
The one thing that really comes to mind during this tragedy and all other tragedies is why these people?? Why them? Did they do something horrible?
We can find something similar in Luke, chapter 13, verses 3-6 where the disciples asked Jesus what horrible thing the people of Siloam did to have a tower fall on them. Jesus tells them “But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Christ tells them and us, we are all guilty and unless we repent and confess Christ we too will perish. Tragic things happen to those who are Christians and those who aren’t. Bad things will happen. One day death will come but there is a hope for those in Christ Jesus.
Recently I attended a funeral of a beautiful saint. I was so encouraged that her husband and two teenage sons had so much hope. They knew their mum was no longer suffering the horrible disease of cancer, that she was rejoicing before her savior and that one day when the Lord choses they shall go to Him and see her again.
What hope they had, they could even get up and be part of the worship at her funeral. She is more alive today than she was one earth. This is the hope I pray you have. That you know Christ today. That you are prepared to meet God whether it is tomorrow or in a 100 years, would you confess Christ today.
In the book of Psalms, the writer tells us to number our days. Realize that our days are short, but a breath on this earth and then we are ushered into eternity. Don’t waste one of them. Live for Christ today, if you don’t know Christ, call on him and be saved. Where will you be spending eternity??