“Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.” Prov. 27:1
On February 4th my family and I arrived on a small island in the Bahamas, called Man-O-War Cay. Like many times before, we came to this beautiful place, where we have so many friends, in order to preach the Word of God in one of the local churches. As usual, we took a ferry from Marsh Harbour, the largest town on Abaco island, to the previously mentioned cay. Our captain on the ferry was a brother in the Lord whom I knew from past visits. Regrettably, I cannot say that I knew him well – most of my familiarity with this man came from prayer meetings on the island. Although he was comparatively young (37 years old), he was often the object of fervent, united prayer, for he had an array of health problems, mostly stemming from chronic kidney ailments that plagued him from infancy. Over the years he had numerous surgeries and medical procedures – including two kidney transplants; thus his bodily condition was far from robust. In spite of these difficulties, he was a kind, unselfish man, who was beloved by his family and many friends (this latter group includes many people from the U.S., Canada, and other countries, who knew him from the ferry and other activities on his home island.)
On our journey we conversed very little with the captain, but thanked him for arranging for assistance with our suitcases. His last words to me were a cheerful, “I’ll see you in church!” I responded that I looked forward to it. With that I was away to meet some friends who had come to help from the dock to our accommodations. Little did I know then that this would be the last time that I spoke with this brother. Within five days he was with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8.) Despite his past health problems, his home-call was fairly abrupt and shocking to the denizens of Man-O-War Cay. In reflecting on this sudden turn of events, I thought of the scripture at the top of this page, with my mind highlighting the last phrase: “…for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”
During the last illness that took this brother’s physical life, he clearly said to his family: “I am ready.” Of course, he was only able to say this because of his relationship with God through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. At the age of six he put his faith in Christ at a local children’s meeting. In the subsequent thirty-one years, he demonstrated the reality of his faith and the supporting power of his Savior as he went through many physical trials. He was ready, because the Lord Jesus died on the cross for his sins (1 Cor. 15:1-3.) He was ready, because the Lord arose three days later to prove His victory over death (Acts 2:23-32.) He was ready, because Christ went ahead to prepare a place for him (Jn. 14:1-3.) This raises the question: Are you ready? If you were called into eternity today, would you be with Christ in glory? Or would you find yourself in the torment of hell without a friend and a Savior? By the grace of God, you can know that you are ready, if you repent of and confess your sin to the Lord, asking Him to give you His eternal life. Because of the Lord Jesus’ death and resurrection for you, you will be able to say “I’m ready” (Jn. 5:24; Rom. 10:9.) My earnest prayer is that every reader of this article will put their faith in the crucified and risen Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, so that they may enjoy eternal life in this world as well as in the one to come.
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