PLANNING MY FUNERAL
FUNERAL PLANNING
Yes, there is a plan for even that. If I fail to plan for my death, it will happen anyway. I have to plan for my loved ones who will have to carry on after my death, and for my soul, which will live eternally, either in heaven or hell. Today's post is only about planning for what happens on earth after I die, and the need to be prepared with a plan.
Death is about as unpleasant a topic as one can discuss, but it is inevitable. If we have faith, then death it's nothing to be afraid of. Truth is.......
Unless the Lord Jesus returns before I die (which He might),
I am going to die.
I won't go into detail now about what I want said and done
at my funeral. I plan to write a will,
including funeral plans, making my wishes
clear to my wife and kids. Some people are superstitiously afraid that
writing a will might hasten or in some way cause their death. Many people are also afraid of planning their
funeral for the same reason. But, at
almost 60, I think the time is right for me.
NO FEAR OF DEATH
I have no fear of death.
The Bible says "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I will fear no evil."
Death is indeed an evil thing brought on by sin. Yet I don't fear death because Jesus conquered
death for me with His death on Calvary's cross.
I fear God, who has the power to cast into Hell.
I don't like pain, so like most people, a painless death seems most appealing to me,
but I really don't care about that either.
It is up to the Good Lord to decide how I go. And when.
Meanwhile I make my plans, in accordance with scripture. Nearly every aspect of our lives should be
planned if we want to truly be successful.
Our finances, our spiritual lives, our vacations, and yes, even our
wills. Planning is good. But......
DON'T BOAST
James 4:13 - 16 says:
Go to now, ye that say, To day or to
morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and
sell, and get gain:
Whereas ye know
not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a
vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
For that ye
[ought] to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
But now ye rejoice
in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
James is saying
that we must not boast of our plans. He
seems to be addressing his comments to people who plan and then boast about their plans,
particularly concerning earning a lot of money.
Such boasting is evil. We can
plan, but we don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Such boasting is smug and arrogant, and lacks
humility.
We can exercise,
diet, be careful, be prayerful, get check ups and preventive tests on schedule,
and still be dead tomorrow, if it is the will of God.
IF THE LORD WILL
So with true
humility, we should prayerfully plan, and THEN say, in accordance with
scripture "IF THE LORD WILL, WE SHALL
LIVE, AND DO THIS, OR THAT".
