DEADLINES!

DEADLINES!

Luke 12:19-20

19 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.

20 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?

          Deadlines! Have you ever thought of why they call them that? A deadline is the absolute last date and time that a person has to complete a project. I face them all the time! So do you. Some of them are known and seen and they loom large on the horizon and grow larger the closer we get to them. Like paddling a small boat in the calm pool just before reaching Niagara Falls, we hear the roar and feel the mist just before plummeting to our deaths. We’ve crossed a deadline.

          Life is full of deadlines! The Bible urges us in many places to be prepared especially for those deadlines that are unseen. The wealthy and successful farmer could think of no solution better than tearing down his barns and building new ones. He knew that one day he would die but his expectation was “for many years,” Jesus announced, however, that death would be “this night.” He had reached a deadline and was unprepared. He had not given any serious consideration to his relationship with the God he was soon to meet.

          What about you? Have you made plans for many years? Is everything going according to schedule? Are you prepared for those known deadlines that are approaching? Are you ready for those that are unseen? If you’ve been putting off connecting with God, perhaps today would be a good day to prepare for that certain deadline.

Dear Lord, One day we all must stand before you. Let us do it with great joy and not dread. AMEN