IS THIS THE END OF IT ALL?

Saturday, October 06, 2012

Just as man is destined to die once,

                                                       and after that to face judgement.

                                                                                        Hebrews 9:27

Peggy Lee is not the only one to ask the question, "Is that all there is?" I have a friend who is a professor and  philosopher who has spent much time pondering the question of life after death. He is liberal in all of his thinking. He seems to have a ready answer for most of life's questions. But this one has him stumped.

Most of us long to live with certainty. We want to know without a doubt that we know the truth and that no surprises await us on the other side of eternity. But even with deep faith, there are doubts. Yes, doubts. I have had doubts all my Christian life. But in spite of that I have faith and I live by faith. 

Three men are in a plane: a pilot, a Boy Scout, and the world's smartest man. The engine fails, the plane is going down, and there are only two parachutes. The smart man grabs one. "I'm sorry about this," he says, "but I'm the smartest man in the world; I have a responsibility to the planet," and he jumps out of the plane. The pilot turns to the Boy Scout and speaks of how he has lived a long, full life and how the Boy Scout has his whole life in front of him. He tells the Boy Scout to take the last parachute and live. "Relax Captain," the Boy Scout says, " The world's smartest man just jumped out of the plane with my backpack."

John Ortberg writes: "Our world is full of smart people jumping out of planes with backpacks. One thing is for sure: sooner of later the plane is going down. We all are on the same plane. Smart guys and Boys Scouts alike: everybody has to jump. Everybody has to choose a parachute. No one will know who chose wisely until after the jump." But jump we must! I choose to jump believing God is there and that life goes on with Him.