Over the past few weeks, the passing away of certain notable celebrities took up a lot of the news. While people passing away itself is not news (it’s something that happens every day), the passing of celebrities brings the subject of death to the forefront of the public’s consciousness. It is a reminder to all that no one is immune from this scourge called death. That sort of reminder is not necessarily a bad thing because it forces us to think about our own mortality. And, with much hope and prayer, it will begin the discussion of what happens after death. This is a discussion that we Christians ought to look forward to because we actually have the answer to the question. Maybe this will lead to divine appointments.
If anything would come from this sort of news, I would hope it would cause people to consider if they themselves are ready for death—that they would have concern for their souls. Whenever a celebrity dies, that is one of the first things that I think of—did they know Christ? I do not know their hearts, but from the fruits of their lives and occupations we might be able to make a pretty educated guess. And it hurts my heart to think that these people that we enjoyed in this life we will not be able to enjoy in the next because they were not ready. They may have laughed and made people laugh, but all the laughter is gone now if they did not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and were saved.
This line of thinking is the fruit of a Christian worldview because we are Christ’s ambassadors on this earth, and our number one priority is expanding the Kingdom of God through the knowledge of Jesus Christ, bringing souls under His watchful care. If we are more concerned about missing these celebrities’ gifts than we are about the destination of their soul, then we have missed the mark of Christianity. Our concern for everyone, celebrities included, is that they be ready to meet death.
But then these very public passings ought to make us pause and consider ourselves. We need to ask ourselves, “Am I ready for death? Am I ready to meet eternity? Am I ready to face God?” First, have I trusted in Christ for the salvation of my soul? If not, I have no promise of living another moment and better get that right immediately. But, secondly, if I have trusted in Christ, am I living in such a way that I am ready to see Jesus and hear Him say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Over the next few weeks and months it it inevitable that more celebrities will die. The only thing that we can do is pray that they be ready, and the only thing we can control is that we ourselves are ready. So, are you ready?