Heb 11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
The story of Jacob blessing his sons and grandsons followed by his death is found in Gen 48:8-49:33.
Here we are told that Jacob, physically weakened and facing his upcoming death (probably the same day – Gen 49:33), handed down the blessings and prophecies of God to his grandsons and then worshipped Jehovah.
If we knew that our death was approaching, how would we fill our final hours? Would it be in the enjoyment of a worldly pleasure? Perhaps spending time with our earthly family? Or would we be hurrying to have arrangements made for the handling of our physical body and worldly possessions? Worst of all, would some of us be quickly trying to find peace with God before facing Him in eternity?
How many of us, following the example of Jacob, would confidently know the Lord’s will for our lives and be seeking to fulfill it until we drew our last breath?
We do not know what tomorrow may hold for us. It is very possible that someone who is reading this may never live another day. Are we ready to meet our Lord? If so, are we confident of His will for our lives and are we seeking to follow Him daily? By actively making both spiritual and temporal preparations for our death now, we will be able to spend our last hours serving Him and experiencing His peace and the love of those around us.
May the Lord bless each one of us as we “Think On These Things”.
SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org
i would spend them mixed between telling my family and my brother i love them, and on bended knee letting god know i am ready to go home
AMEN! I’m pretty much on the same page as you… spend time with my family and church and be thankful I’m ready to go home and be with my Lord! Lord bless
A good word Rob! May we prepare our hearts this day by putting them more than ever in Jesus’ hands!
What a wonderful thing it is when we are ready everyday for His coming! Thanks for the kind comments brother.
This is one of my favorite topics (and the reason I started my blog, Refusing to Tiptoe, after my dad died). We really do not know how long this temporary existence will last. But compared to eternity, I am certain it’s VERY short. I want to live this short time FULLY and without regrets.
Cristal,
That is a great way to look at things, once our hearts are right with the Lord, there is no reason why we shouldn’t enjoy all the good things that our Lord’s
creation has to offer us as we glorify Him with our lives. We can enjoy this world, knowing that we are headed for or heavenly home. Thanks for a great comment and encourging words for all of us!
I loved how you took us up to this, by Jacob giving out blessings right before he died. I think that would be it for me, trying to reach out and bless as many as possible, until I went.
God bless you, Rob, and thank you for helping me think about this!
Debbie,
The story of Jacob and all the patriarchs blessing their descendants is always a reminder to me of the need to be a blessing to others event until the day that I die. By God’s grace, if He sees fit, that is one of my biggest goals in life. Thanks for your kind words, Debbie. Lord bless you!
>> “If we knew that our death was approaching, how would we fill our final hours?”
In the words of Jim Elliot which I have adopted as part of my life motto:
“So live, that when you come to die, you have nothing left to do, but die.”
Angela,
I’ve never heard that quote before. I’m with you. My hope is that when I die, I will not look back and see I have not finished the course the Lord had given to me. Lord bless.
This picture of Jacob leaning on his staff,blessing his granchildren and worshipping God, is so very wonderful. I am MOST blessed to have had elders in my family spend their last days and hours in this manner! I pray to act upon this spiritual DNA, as it were!
So glad to hear about your elders… what a blessing that is! Lord bless