R.I.P.

7.29.2011

Isaiah 57:1-2 The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. 2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death. NIV

Probably not many of us are going to think about our death today. I sat in the living room minutes ago and thought about all of the things I have to do today; death wasn’t even on the list! I’m gonna get ready for work here in a few and then go and do until I come home again this evening and relax for a bit and then fall into my bed, sleep and get up and do it again – amen.

I’ve always wondered where the notion rest in peace came from; where’d we ever get that? I know we say that for many whose passing is great relief to us all; their lives were such a shambles. I know we say that for great people whose contribution to society was appreciated by many and their efforts, diligence, and passion will be greatly missed. I know we’ve shaken our heads over the passing of some and we’ve said, their pain is gone; they’re in a better place now.  Are they really? Do we know that for fact?

Isaiah words slapped me upside the head when I read them today, “…no one understands the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.” Hmmm, try that one on for size. Or this one: Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death. Wow! Those are big, big words.

It’s not the statesman who finds peace in death; nor the tormented, nor the tormentor – it’s the righteous. And when the righteous leave we all ought to sense the hole left on earth at their passing. The righteous make a difference in the atmosphere of life on the whole planet! The righteous are those whose prayer is an offering to God of immeasurable proportion. It’s the righteous whose holy lives look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. The Day of the Lord is not high on the list for many of us today either. But it is coming, and the righteous play a huge part in how soon it appears.

I will make a difference in this world today just by how I live and Whom I serve. I’m probably not going to think much about death today but I am going to think about how I live and what difference that makes in the lives around me.

Lord, for the sake of Your Kingdom and the lives of others, help me to walk rightly and uprightly this day – amen!