One day two clerks in my office announced that they were going to the funeral of a mutual friend. One observed that he had died very SUDDENLY.
"Yes," I replied, "and so did his daughter. I don't believe that he ever got over that shock.”
That had been a very sad tragedy. She was his only child, a young woman with a wide circle of admiring friends and a devoted fiancé." Apparently, she had everything to make life happy. But she had not the Savior.
One crisp autumn day she and the young man went for a bicycle ride to a nearby town. Returning to the city in the late afternoon, they took a back road to avoid traffic.
This country road was narrow, and just ahead of them was a wagon loaded with field workers. Her companion passed it safely; but, ringing her bell vigorously, she attempted to pass on the wrong side. The wagon driver had pulled over as far as he could to let the young man by; and now swerving to make room for her on the other side, a projection on the vehicle struck her. Instantly she overturned, falling beneath the wagon. Crushed by the heavy rear wheels, she died instantly. Unwarned, SUDDENLY she was ushered into eternity.
What a solemn word to you who go heedlessly on in this reckless world! Beware lest you too may SUDDENLY be destroyed" (Prov. 27:11Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. (Proverbs 27:1)).
Had God been speaking through the sudden death of his beloved daughter to this man who had also died SUDDENLY? No one could say that the poor man had received the Savior, although many witnessed that he had heard the gospel. BUT—"God speaketh once, yea twice.”
A few months after the death of his daughter he was further shocked by the news of the SUDDEN death of her dearest friend. Elsie too was a loved only child. Brilliant and talented, she devoted most of her time to the piano, but showed no interest in eternal things. On the last night of the year at a gay "watch party," she seemed to have thrown all her energies into the celebration. As midnight struck, her merry voice was heard above all the others as they sang "Ring out the old, ring in the new." But SUDDENLY the melodious sound ended in a scream of pain as she fell lifeless to the floor. A brain hemorrhage had cut short a promising young life, and SUDDENLY she entered the great beyond.
My friend, should death SUDDENLY summon you—ARE YOU READY? Are you SAVED? That is the vital question for time and for eternity. If not, I beg you to receive the Lord Jesus NOW. This is your golden opportunity to "prepare to meet thy God" (Amos 4:1212Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. (Amos 4:12)). "Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." If you leave Christ out of your life, the Word of God says an appalling thing: "Therefore shall his calamity come SUDDENLY; SUDDENLY shall he be broken without remedy" (Prow. 6:12-15).
And how will the Lord find You when He comes? "The coming of the Lord draweth nigh." He is at the door. All things speak of His august approach: the sinning, reckless world; the lukewarm, backsliding church; the bold-faced scoffers walking in their own lusts and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming?”
There is no time to lose. Beware, "lest coming SUDDENLY He find you sleeping." Mark 13:3636Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. (Mark 13:36). "Repent and believe the gospel." "He that believeth.. shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”