There's No More Time Left

Ecclesiastes 8:14

14There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

Ecclesiastes is known as wisdom literature. King Solomon wrote heavily on wisdom which is the gift God gave to him upon a prayer. King Solomon was referring to death as the punishment for the wicked as many righteous felt that it was the just punishment of God. But King Solomon noted many exceptions as the NKJ Study Bible notes. Bad things do happen to good people.

I had been a little troubled in my soul as two people I know passed in a matter of three days. One had been a business partner. The other my cousin who was the sibling of the cousin we buried just before Thanksgiving last year. i was troubled as the first death came without warning or previous sickness. The second death came after a long battle but is a pattern of deaths God has shown me that have occurred over a period of time. I honestly thought the family had escaped it because three of the four that were in and out of the hospital this time last year, on the same side of the family, came home. Alas, those family members had been spared while within the year one more has been taken.  The understanding that God has provided after burying several friends and family members over the years and having my own near death experience is that sometimes, not all the time, are deaths about what one has done wrong or right. Sometimes it's simply that person's time. But the lessons are for those left behind. What are the lessons? Glad you asked!!  The first lesson is that you do not have as long as your vanity, cockiness or your own imagination has dreamed up for you. In layman's terms, you will leave here when God says you will and there is nothing you can do about it. The second lesson is if you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing or what God has called you to do, you do not have forever to "get it together".  Procrastinating and fighting God can leave you on the short end of the stick when you find out there's no more time left. I know I felt like that when I was told there was no time left. But I received a second chance to get in line with what God has called me to do. Some won't and don't get a second chance. So my best advice, if you know God has spoken to you about something you must do and has already said to do it, do not assume you have 5, 10 or even 15 years to get it done.  You ought to move like your deadline is today Close of Business (COB). Yes, God has a sense of humor but one thing He does not play with is about why He put you here. He has given you a specific purpose and He does expect you to carry it out if He has already communicated it to you. Now, if you are part of the crowd that does not understand your purpose, the hope is that in seeing your loved ones pass away, you will reflect enough to begin the steps needed to get to your purpose. The only way to find your purpose is to grow in your faith with God. God knows why He put you here so if you want to understand it, you have to understand Him and how you relate to Him. Does the alter call or call to discipleship after a eulogy has been given make sense now?