OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - MONDAY 17/06/2013 - THINK ABOUT THE END BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

THINK ABOUT THE END!

MEMORY VERSE

 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement:

Hebrews 9:27

READ

Ecclesiastes 5:13-15

Eccl 5:13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

Eccl 5:14 But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

Eccl 5:15 As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

MESSAGE

God has provided information in the Bible which He intends will give men revelations that ultimately will make them wise. But unfortunately for many people, most of this divine information remained nothing but mere information. As long as knowledge garnered from such information does not lead to wisdom, its purpose will be defeated. Take for instance this scripture in Hebrews 9:27:

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

Ordinarily it contains very vital information. Not many people want to talk about the coming judgment or about death. People are prepared to discuss other issues – prosperity, breakthrough, success, promotion, etc. but not death. That everyone will die someday is information. From this information it could dawn on you that someday it will be your turn – this is revelation. It is then expected that this revelation will lead you into taking eternal issues more seriously, leading to you giving your life to Christ and living everyday in righteousness as if it were your last. That is wisdom.

Believers are not supposed to sorrow over death like unbelievers but we do. Why do we fear death so much? One reason is because it is a leveller. It levels everyone. According to Ecclesiastes 2:17, the professor and the illiterate person, the rich and the poor, the famous and the unknown will die one day and at that point, they will each lose whatever edge they had in their life time. At death, all wealth, degrees and achievements will be of no use to the departed. Psalm 12:1 says the godly will die and 1 Kings 22:37-40 says the ungodly will also die. The rich, famous and those who are having the best out of life will not want to talk about death. But according to Job 1:21 and Ecclesiastes 5:13-15, we came naked to this world and we will one day return naked. No rich person will want to hear about this. Even if you were buried with lots of diamond, by the following day, thieves would have robbed the dead of those valuables and dumped the corpse on bare ground. A rich man's land once gave him surplus harvest and while projecting for the future, God told him it was time to go. If we give a thought to the issue of death, we will stop chasing only things that have no eternal value. What do you think about? Do you ponder over death?

KEY POINT

 If you ponder on your end, you will plan about your life after death and your family after you are gone. Have you written your will?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Exodus 25-27