Every day we go to bed and wake up to see a bright morning. However a day will come when we shall sleep and not wake up again at least not in this life. This will be the final sleep. We shall wake up to a new life which we call eternity. Where we eventually spend eternity depends on how we lived our lives here on earth. We read that in Genesis 5:27 that Methuselah lived 969 years and then he died. This is the longest recorded number of years any man has lived, but yet he still died and no one will live forever. Many people came here before us and many will come after us.
So if you understand that the final sleep in other words death is the destiny of all men, why then do we pursue things that have no eternal value. For instance accumulation of wealth and money, we store up so much money when we could have used it to help others. Then when we die we do not take anything, we go empty handed and naked just like how we were born. We quarrel, strive and refuse to forgive others yet when we die, it does not matter again our unwillingness will only have a negative effect on our eternity. The truth is that most things we consider very important here on earth such as money, fame, power and beauty have no eternal value, yet we pursue them with all our heart. Some people are arrogant and behave as if they will never die some day. But they will, even if we can elongate our lives with good diet, surgery and exercise we are all certain to die. Yes very few people like Enoch and Elijah were translated directly to heaven but most people will die either by old age, sickness, accident, murder or war.
So should we be afraid of death? Certainly not, there is no point in being afraid of the inevitable. Rather we should prepare for it and live our lives knowing that everything here on earth is temporal. When you understand this then you will be able to prioritize. Pursuing money will no longer be the most important objective, you will find it easier to forgive, you will show more kindness to your neighbors because you understand that everything is temporal. You will also maximize the time, remember you do not have all time, every day you live is passed and can not be regained, so make the most of it. Your life is measured in time, so use it wisely. Take calculated risk, do not be afraid to try new things or ideas. Even if you fail you would have learnt something, failure is not final so do not be afraid to fail, we all fail, the difference is that those who succeed do not give up, they keep trying until they achieve their aim. You only have one life to live. Someone once said, “This is not a rehearsal, it is the real thing, so make the most of it, maximize it ” To maximize life does not mean to pursue selfish pleasures, rather it means making life good for those around you and in turn it will be good for you. Do not be discouraged with setbacks or sorrow, these are all part of life. You will be betrayed, deceived and denied but move on, the Lord says in Romans 8:37, “you are more than an overcomer or conqueror through Christ who loves you.”
If you are reading this message it means you still have life and you have not yet taken the final sleep. So follow your dream, do not wait for people’s approval. If what you intend doing is in line with God’s word and you have peace about it then pursue it. Not everyone will believe in you, but when you succeed they will have no choice but to acknowledge your success. Never allow discouragement hold you down, rather believe that with God you shall fulfill your dreams. Have a blessed day.
