Isaiah 38:1--".........Set your house in order; for thou shalt die and not live".

 

These are words spoken to King Hezekiah by the prophet of God, Isaiah (2 Kings 20:1). We can assume that on the morning of Isaiah's visit, Hezekiah had awakened from a night of peaceful rest to go about his daily routine. He is young in years being only 39 years of age and probably felt that he had many more years to live on this earth. Little did he know what this day was going to bring into his life.

 

So it is with you and I. We awake each morning with great plans for not only today but often times we are even thinking in terms of the days to follow. Friends, we need to pause for a moment and seriously think about these words spoken to Isaiah. For you see, we don't know what the day is going to bring into our lives. It could be success or failure; happiness or disappointment; peace or turmoil. It also could be the day we shed this earthly tabernacle and go out into eternity to face our God in judgment. We just don't know.  Of a surety I do know in this hour that there is nothing in life as uncertain as life itself and nothing more certain than we are going to die (James 4:14; Heb. 9:27).

 

 It is imperative that we set our house in order while we have the opportunity to do so. We know not when we are going to take our last step on this side of eternity (1 Samuel 20:3).  Who knows, you or I might be among the thousands who will depart the land of the living before another sunrise. The best way to set our house in order is to learn God's will for our lives and on the day of our departure from this life be found doing his will (Matthew 7:24-25).

 

I know that many consider death as being an unpleasant subject to discuss but it is reality and we need not only to think about but prepare for it (Amos 4:12; Acts 17:30;Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10). If we do not set our house in order now (2 Cor. 6:2), it will be the most tragic mistake we ever make (2 Thess. 1:7-9). Are you ready to stand face to face with God in judgment? If not, why not?

 

I leave you with these words from Hebrews 10:31: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

 

Charles Hicks