Life is a maybe. Death is for sure. Sin is the cause. Christ is the cure.

In 2 Samuel 14:14, we find the words of the wise woman of Tekoa. She said, “For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.”

Life is a maybe. Death is for sure.

1) DEATH IS SURE. The wise woman said, “For we will surely die…” Think about those who are now unavailable. Where are they? Their names are found on tombstones and grave markers, but you can no longer see them with the human eye.

What happened? Death happened. “For we will surely die…”

Life is a maybe. Death is for sure.

2) DEATH IS SUDDEN. When water is spilled, it is sudden. You know death is imminent, and you see it coming. But very few expect it when it arrives.

Go online and read the obituaries. You will see that death has recently launched many people into eternity. However, God teaches us that life is like “a vapor that appears for a little time” (James 4:14). Then it suddenly vanishes away!

Life is a maybe. Death is for sure. Sin is the cause.

3) DEATH IS SEPARATION. Wisdom says, “For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again.” Once water it spilled on the ground, it is forever separated from its container.

Though they apparently made different choices, Lazarus and the rich man both experienced the separation of death. Father Abraham’s descriptive imagery is that there is “a great gulf fixed” (see Luke 16:19-31).

The first death that every life must come to reality is that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23 & 6:23). Sin separates from God. But there is a second death of eternal separation (see Revelation 20:6, 14-15). That separation should motivate you, while you still have life, to listen to the cure.

Life is a maybe. Death is for sure. Sin is the cause. Christ is the cure.

4) DEATH IS SPEAKING. Once our loved ones have entered into eternity, we cannot speak directly with them. But Jesus Christ and His death are speaking to you. Jesus says, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hell and of Death” (Rev. 1:18).

Wisdom says, “He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.” That is to say, God has made an eternal life plan freely available for all of humanity. No one has to experience eternal death.

You have been separated from God by your sin in this life. However, that does not have to lead you to a permanent separation by the second death. You can ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, repent of your sinfulness, and commit to living for the One who died for you. Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Call upon Him and receive the gift of eternal life.

The Christian life as a whole is preparation for death. Are you a Christian? Are you ready for your death?

God loves you and wants you to prepare for that certainty.

Life is a maybe. Death is for sure. Sin is the cause. Christ is the cure.