The smell of death

Have you ever felt as if you could die at any moment? I had not had that experience until a few months ago when I purchased a motorcycle. Since then, I have been inundated with lovely expressions of displeasure and fear. They are submitted by concerned individuals who emphasize the dangers and fatalities associated with motor vehicle use.

These gazillions of encounters have pushed my thoughts much closer to death than I ever had. Aside from my determination to be extra cautious, I have been compelled to think a lot more about death. I wonder if I am ready to leave and where I will go afterward. More than that, I wonder what will happen when I leave the world.

I am glad the Bible provides satisfactory answers to all of these questions. It warns us to be always prepared for our death (Eccl. 9:11-12). Those who are in Christ will rest in peace after death (Luke 16:23) and enjoy eternal life with God at the end of time (1 Thes. 4:16-17). Before that, those of us who are busy bees must accept the fact that the world will function perfectly without us (Eccl. 9:13-15).

You may not be a motorcyclist, but you must live each day as if it were your last. Remember that time and chance happen to everyone (Eccl. 9:11). Every day, both good and bad, strong and weak, old and young people die as a result of car accidents, pedestrian accidents, diseases, food poisoning, homicide, drowning, building collapses, and so on.

Because no one is immune to these or other instruments of death, we all smell death daily, whether we realize it or not. It is prudent for us to remind ourselves daily of our frailty and take the necessary precautions to protect our immortal souls.

You can do so if you believe in Christ (Rom. 10:10), repent (Acts 2:38), confess (Rom. 10:10), baptize (Acts 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21), join His church (Acts 2:47), and walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:3-4).