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One Thing Befalleth Them

3/14/2021

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          What makes us different from animals?  In Ecclesiastes 3:19 it says, “For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.”  It is true, man and beast will both die and stop breathing.  That is one thing all of us can be sure of.
          God has put a time limit on man and beast.  Our days are numbered.  One step further and the question in Ecclesiastes 3:21 is basically; who knows whether the spirit of man goes up and whether the spirit of beasts go down under the earth?  Does anyone really know for sure?
          It’s a question that has been studied, discussed, and argued over for centuries.  Man knows the similarities but what are the differences?  Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 12:7 that the spirit will return to God who gave it.  Genesis 2:7 tells us that man became a living soul because He breathes into his nostrils.  A good conclusion to come to would be that; God has made man more than a physical being, man is a living soul.  Yes, he lives a physical life and dies a physical death but God’s breath resides in man’s body and does not die.
          Once man knows who he is and that the day will come that he returns to God, he needs to get serious about what he’s doing here.  Who, in their right mind, would want to return to God and have nothing to show for the life that he was given?
          Pastor Josh gave an example of a lady in the MacDonald’s drive-thru lane.  She placed her order, waited her turn and then drove up to get her order.  She found that her wallet wasn’t with her.  God said, “You should have been ready.  You knew your turn would come.”  Pastor Josh continued, “Things are going to happen and we ought to be ready for them.  One thing happens to everyone.  Today a grave is open and it will be closed.  Tomorrow it may open again.”
          Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” The judgment comes after we die.  It is after the spirit returns to God.  Death is not the end.  I Corinthians 15:52 says that the dead shall be raised. The days spent here on earth determine our destination in the eternal world.
          “Prepare for judgment, prepare to meet God.  Be packed up, prayed up and ready to go up.” said Pastor Josh.  “I think there are other preparations to be made.  The people who built this church.  We’re standing on the foundation they laid.  For generations, the church has gone on because there were people who kept it going.  It’s our turn to take their place and keep it going.”
          “Don’t sit on the seat of do little or do nothing.  Don’t sit on the seat of complacency.  Don’t sit on the seat of the scornful.  Don’t sit on the seat of the gossipers and naysayers.  Don’t sit on the seat of the complainer only and say ‘Well, woe is me’ and say ‘The world is in awful shape.’  Be like the fellar that gets up and does something about it.  Stand in the gap and let the Lord use you.” concluded Pastor Josh..
          Sooner or later we’re all headed for that hole in the ground.  Do it now.  There is a day coming that we can’t do the Lord’s work.

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    Linda Johnson

    Linda Johnson moved to Douglas County with her husband Tom 12 years ago after retiring from teaching. Following Tom's death in 2016, Linda began facilitating a grief support group called GriefShare through Sweden Church.​ She serves as the Sunday School teacher for our High School class. Her "Layman's Pen" articles are also published in the local paper, The Douglas County Herald. 

    Andrea Strong

    Andrea is Pastor Joshua Strong's wife. She also serves Sweden Church as Church Secretary, website administrator, and Sunday School teacher to the Intermediate Class.

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