Are you afraid of dying?

I like to speak with many people and some of them are willing to share their problems to me. The more I interact with people, the more I understand that many people, even Christians, are afraid of dying. Many of them don't want to die, but on the other hand, they also don't know the reason why they should continue living. For them, to die is better than to live for they can't find any benefit living in this fallen world, in the world full of problems, misery, sorrow, sadness, loneliness, hated, despised, fear, worry. These kind of bad feelings will always easily replace the happiness and the joy you have. For many people (if I couldn't say for ALL), it seems that bad things happen more often than good things.

When you are high school student, you think that you will be happy if you become a university student. After you are a university student, you think you will be happy when you have a job. After you have a job, you think you will be happy if you quit your job and find another one. After you find a good job, you think you will be happy if you have a family. After you have a family, you think you will be happy if you are getting old in comfort zone. After you are old, you think you will be happy if you are high school student again. In the end of your life, what achievement you have done? Do you get happiness that you pursuit since you are born? "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless ( Ecclesiastes 1:2)."

Many people think that life is monotone and just repetition. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and come back to Sunday again, doing the same thing again. Wake up in the morning at 5 am, preparing for work/school/university, leave home, doing activities, lunch, activities again, going back home, dinner, watching movies and sleep. Tomorrow we will do exactly the same things like today. The only difference is we are getting older each day.

Once our body was strong, we can do anything, climb the hills, carry heavy things, do many things at once, etc. But with ages, we start needing help from glasses, walking-stick, wheel-chair, other people, etc. Our hairs start change its colour, our teeth start to loose and fall, our eyes start to become blury, our breath start to be easily tired. We start to go to hospital: having heart problem, stomach problem, etc and when we are old enough, we go to old-house, waiting for death to come. Our body is depleting, but life is still monotone and getting worse and worse everyday since our body are getting weaker and weaker.

• Being born, then become little children, teenager, adult, old people and die.
• Being born, going to school, study bachelor and master, getting married, having family, working until the body grow old, spend oldtime, and die.
• Problem of health, problem of economy, problem of status, problem of household, etc.

Ecclesiastes 3:19

Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless.

Everything is meaningless for most of the people, and many of them can't find the reason why they should continue living, but they also don't want to die since they are really afraid of dying too. And because of that, they live just for the present time, not for future. They become short-sighted. They just want to enjoy the life to the fullness they can get. They know that they are deceiving themselves, but they can't help it. They are looking for answer for their whole life, but can't find it. There is something missing in their life, which is: the purpose of their life and hope for better future.

Their problem is: they don't know what is missing and how to solve it. Because of that, they don't want to think about it any longer. It is useless for them to think about it since they see that everybody has the same problems and struggle to find solution too.

But if I continue asking them, "What kind of death do you want?" Everybody wishes to die while they are sleeping and painless. They don't want to live too long, 70-80 years old is enough, they don't want to be the last person who die in their generation, they don't want to die in accident, they don't want to die in sickness, they don't want to die in natural disaster, they don't want to die murdered, they don't want to die prematurely, but if I ask them again, "What if today is your last day in this world, are you ready to die?" Most of them can not give me an answer, just laugh and try to change the topic. I can tell that they are really afraid of dying. How about you, my friends?

Some people are brave enough by saying, "I am not afraid of dying. To die is just to die. Everybody will face it, sooner or later. So, what should I worry for? To die means that our lifetime has ended and nothing more. But... ." For many people I have spoken with, there is always a BIG BUT after they said that they are not afraid. Then they began to make excuse, "but how about my family, but how about my business, but how about my pets, etc"...They are not ready yet and will never be ready until the time suddenly knocking in their door.

I, personally, am convinced that many people are not sincere when talking about death. What come out from their mouth is different with what the condition of their heart. When they are on their dying bed, when they know the time has come for them to leave this world. They will start to think about their problems. They will start to think to find solution. Do you think there will still be enough time for them? What if they suddenly died in accident when they are still young thinking that death is still far away from them? Or suddenly natural disaster happened? Or they are murdered by psycho? Do you know that every second thousands of people died? Do you know that death doesn't choose its victim's age?

So, my friends. Allow me to ask you "Why don't you look for answer when you still have TODAY? If you have lived a life for 30, 40, even 90 years old, and still can't find your satisfication why don't you use 5 minutes of your lifetime to find the solution about your problem? Bible said "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 4:7).

I have seen a lot and talked with old and young people. When they are young, they behave whatever they like, and when they are old and almost die. They start going to church, in hope that God will see their hypocrisy and that God will notice that they paid Him attention, even though they just fulfill their obligation. Do you think God is a donkey? Do you think God is a man? Do you think you can deceive God?

Galatians 6:6-8

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

It is not God's problem when you reap destruction afterlife. It is your problem. Jesus can't help you once you are dead and condemned for eternity in hell. Because of His love, He called you again and again during your lifetime, until you get tired of everything so called GOD. You make a joke of His name, you trampled the Son of God, Jesus Christ, under foot, you have treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified Him and you have insulted the Spirit of grace. Listen to what He said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," "The LORD will judge his people" It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:29-31).

A little time of weeping, begging God's mercy whole-heartly, asking His forgiveness and fully surrender to Him can bring you eternal life, can replace your gnashing teeth to overflow joy. But, count your cost before you do that. I am tired of hypocrisy. I am tired of people making decision irrationally. Just because of the emotional conviction, you start begging for mercy, but 5 days later, you are dwelling again in your past, no different with the unrepented heart.

Jesus gave commandment to make disciples, not converts, that will bear mark of Christ. Read the Gospel about what happened to Jesus. It will also happened to you because Bible said that we need to carry our own cross, that no servant greater than their master, if Jesus was persecuted, we will also be, if Jesus was hated by His own people, we will also be hated, even by your love ones. Being God's children is never easy. You need to strive to enter that narrow gate, for Jesus said, "Many will try to enter, but shall not find".

Your life will become full of noise. People will mock and persecute you. Your family will be against you or even kill you. It happens because once you submit and give God all, God will pour out His Spirit and give you a new heart, you will be a new creation. Your life will change, your behaviour will change. You will have fruits of Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)you will be children of light and this is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed (John 3:19-20).

Because you now have light and whether you realize it or not, you disturb people with your light, people can't stand against you, they get irritated whenever they see you because you show them your good quality and on the same time, their wrongdoing. They will try to persecute you, to shut your light. They want you to conform to them, to be like them again. But when you are children of God, Bible remind you "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is --- his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2).

Are you ready? Have you counted your cost? If you are ready, good for you. If you are not ready, you will never find out the solution of your problems. Are you afraid of dying? Have you found the purpose of your life? Do you already found your true happiness and peace? If you are Christians but never read Bible, never talk with God in prayers, never have fellowship with other believers, just go to church to fulfill obligation. If I can suggest you, "Stop going to the church. God will not see your hypocrisy, God will not see your fulfillment. God can't be mocked. Repent and get everything right with Him.

Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). Repent or perish!!! Get eternal life in Jesus or get eternal damnation in hell!!! Jesus loves you and want you to be saved. Think about it! God bless you