What is Your Greatest Fear? 

     Can fear be a good thing?  Ask yourself, “What is my greatest fear?”  For many, the answer would be poor health or the fear of losing a job and their money.  Others may live life in constant fear for their kid’s safety or deliverance from the grip of drugs and alcohol.  However, deep down most would have to agree that the greatest of all fears would be of death, so much so that we tend to deliberately dismiss the thought of it as quickly as we can hiding it far in the back of our minds.  As inevitable and inescapable as death is, most will their selves not to think about it - everyday.  Yet, if death is “the end - nothing else”, as non-Christians try to believe, then why is there this great fear of it?  Why be afraid of nothing? 

     The answer is very clear, God created us as eternal beings and He placed that knowledge within the heart of every man -  ...He has also set eternity in their heart... (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  Men fear death because deep down we know that it is not the end.  God gave us this knowledge to help drive mankind to seek out the truth; to seek out their maker; to ultimately find salvation and Eternity in Heaven.  This fear of death is a blessing that most people bury too deep in the back of their minds to be of any benefit.   

     What could possibly be the benefit of dwelling on death?  The focus should not be necessarily upon the actual dying experience itself but rather upon the destination after death.  This present life is truly a journey and how you live it and the choices that you make now really do matter.  The length of anyone’s life is only a mere speck in time with regard to the whole of eternity.  With each breath that we take our journey shortens.  When we have finally breathed our last gasp of air the reality of eternity, for everyone, will light up in brilliant clarity whether in Hell’s torment or in Heaven’s peace.   

     Jesus, because of His great love for us, became a man, flesh and blood, in order to ultimately save us from Hell’s eternity.  By our very own choice of trusting in Him to forgive us our sins; of committing to Him by our choice of repentance; of placing, by choice, our entire beings under His command; He brings us peace and, ironically, freedom and liberty.  Jesus knows the time and date of each one of our impending deaths, and in reality, all of our lives are short with respect to eternity.  For this reason He preached repentance - From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:12–17). 

     Christianity is a life-long commitment, a contract if you will that binds each one to honor God’s commandments, to study His Word and to be always ready for either death or His return, for both brings all face to face with eternity.  We all make mistakes.  We all sin, even after our commitment, for we are still mere imperfect mortals.  Yet our sin natures and sins are covered by the blood of Jesus.  Jesus especially warns those who have heard and understand the truth but yet refuse to commit their lives to Him.  He desperately warned and described the dangers in hypocrisy - of acknowledging God but definitely living their lives only for themselves.  These are those who have become so consumed with the accumulation of possessions that they forget that it is all temporary.  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth (Luke 12:15).   

     Jesus provided a story that describes a man who accumulated much and became only satisfied with what he possessed.  And 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 (Luke 12:16-21).  This man trusted in his possessions for happiness when in the end it was all for naught because he had left God entirely out of his life. 

     Jesus wants us to live our lives waiting for Him.  Each and every minute of every day we are to be committed to honoring Him in our daily activities.  And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately (Luke 12:36).  We are to be constant in our readiness and forever watchful in that when death or He arrives, we may be found faithful.  Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them (Luke 12:37).  Should this not be a reasonable service in the light of all that He has already done for us - to remain faithful to His Word while not participating and conforming to the lusts of this worldly life?  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:1-2).

     Are you living each and every second in anticipation of Christ’s return?  If He were to appear at any given moment, would He find you living faithfully or living sinfully?  Is your mind in the constant process of being renewed and conformed to the mind of Christ or are you dwelling upon evil and the lustful desires of sin?  If you have been found faithful then God’s Word says, Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing (Luke 12:43).  However, if He comes and finds that you have not been faithful - But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers Luke 12:45-46.  For these who take God for granted; who have not really committed; who are not actually trusting Him as their Savior; God warned that time will run out for them.   

     Unfortunately, these maybe those who sit in our very own congregations, playing the part but having not fully committed.  The pleasures of this life have stopped them short of signing that contract between themselves and Jesus.  They know the truth but the attractions of this life; the partying; the sex; the drugs and alcohol; are just too important.  They will find themselves wishing for eternity that they had whole heartedly chosen Jesus.  And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more (Luke 12:47-48).  Knowing the truth but then ignoring it for one’s own selfish desires is a very dangerous choice. 

     How much we fear death ultimately comes down to the choices that we make.  That fear is greatly diminished when making the right choice - committing your whole body, mind, soul and spirit entirely to Jesus.  However, by making the other choice - rejecting Jesus’ sin debt payment on the Cross of Calvary, there is a real fear to be terrified of:  And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him (Luke 12:4-5).

© 2018 G. R. Workman  

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