The room was dimly lit as I entered, as all rooms like it are, and a line of people wrapped around the room. As the line moved, a computer slide show showed events from John’s life. I took my place in line, and Jim, a coworker and mutual friend of John’s, chatted with me about him. The line was slowly moving, and I moved closer to see John. I would have loved to say something to him, but unlike so many other times, there would be no jokes, no smiles, no more discussion of the topic of the day. This was the night of John’s wake.
Funerals are times of reflection, so come with me as I celebrate the life of my friend. A coworker of many years, we were close in age, married at almost the same time, and our children were the same age. The first time that I spoke to John about his need of Christ, I had been giving thanks for my food. When I lifted my head, he asked me, “Are you a true believer?” John seemed to recognize the difference between the practice of religion and personal faith in Christ. We spoke of the love of God and the fact that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:1515This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)). Over a period of time, we spoke often of the gospel of God’s salvation. As you read this, is that the case with you? Has someone spoken to you about Christ and the eternal needs of your soul?
In Luke 12:16-21 The Word of God says this: “He spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
I’m afraid John was like that. Often when this passage is read, it is read as if this were a miserly old man hoarding his wealth. But John wasn’t an old hoarder. When we parted ways professionally, John left to go into sales and did extremely well. He had a house that he had spent ten years dreaming about building, and a year and a half before his death, John’s dreams came true. The dream house was everything he wanted, for himself, his wife and his girls. But was John rich towards God? I don’t know. There are eternal consequences of neglecting the message of God’s salvation. As you read this story of my friend and his untimely end, forty-eight years old, dead of a massive heart attack, how is the state of your soul with God?
As I approached the casket, mortuary science had done its work. John lay holding a rosary, looking so little like the man that I had spoken to just eight months earlier. His vigor of life was gone, swept away. His soul’s eternal destiny was determined; no prayer can change it now. As I said good-bye, I prayed for his family, for the mercies of God for them, that Christ would be made known to them in their loss.
As I leave you, I leave you with this question: Are you rich towards God? I fear for my friend; his eternity is set. The Bible states that “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). What a contrast between John’s life and the life of Christ! “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
As I left, I was unsure of John’s eternal destiny. Did he ever turn to Christ? I can’t say, but what about you as you’ve read this story? Will this be your story, or will you turn to God for the gift of eternal life?