By Gray Sands
Associate Minister
Patrick Springs Christian Church
I watched a little of the Olympics the other night and was amazed at what those athletes could do. The men and women gymnastics were most impressive. Their speed, agility and strength seemed almost inhuman.
As I sat there I thought about my own athletic ability and how it has faded with the years. At one time I could dunk a basketball but not anymore. The assets that we have can fade over time and can even be gone in an instant.
Most of us take our assets for granted. Do you have good health? Great. I hope you enjoy it. Are you intelligent? Do you have a degree? Are you blessed with a decent job? Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have food to eat?
Everything that you are and everything that you have are your assets. These assets will not last forever. They can even be snatched from you in the blink of an eye.
Cancer is a terrible disease that many people, young and old have to deal with but what about Alzheimer’s, heart attack, stroke and many other physical problems that snatch away assets?
Assets can also be snatched through bad investments, a terrorist attack, natural disaster, war or even a financial meltdown like 2008. Nothing is safe. Anything can happen.
Someone once said that death will take everything that you have or will have and everything that you are or will become.
Death is the ultimate asset snatcher. Death takes everything. You are left with nothing. A fellow once told me that when he died that he was going to slither back into the ocean. Now, I’m not sure where he is at today. Maybe he’s swimming around in the ocean but I doubt it because he was thinking only about physical things.
All physical things will be gone one day, even the earth itself, but death will bring things to an end for us probably much sooner. Are you ready for nothingness? That’s how many people think. Really sounds like a great eternity doesn’t it. (Death, the end, over, nothing, gone, final.)
Thank God for the gospel of Jesus Christ and giving us humans the ability to see beyond the physical into the supernatural world of the spiritual. We have hope. Hope that is not based upon fantasy but upon evidence found in the writings of God’s chosen penman, the biblical writers. Evidence can also be found in many other places if we only look.
Jesus said in Mark 8:36: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul.” The assets that you have may be of great value to you now but at death they will be worth nothing. Jesus also said in Matthew 6:20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
The only thing that is safe from the physical world is something that is outside of that realm. Jesus told his followers in John 14 that he was going away to prepare a place for them.
want to see it. I want to see Jesus and all his followers including some that I have known here on earth. I don’t want to miss it. I surely don’t want to let my physical assets keep me from receiving my spiritual eternal ones. To me that would not only be tragic but also stupid.
Finally, the book of Hebrews 9:27 tells us that “Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment.” Death is coming to all of us. You will not avoid it. Do you have a future or does death reward you with nothing.
By the way, swimming in the ocean is not exactly how the Bible describes life after death for the one who has solely depended upon his physical assets. Eternity will last much longer than your physical life. I hope that you are ready.
