Last Saturday morning, an emergency alert went out in Hawaii warning of an inbound ballistic missile and telling people to take immediate shelter. The warning ended with the ominous words: “This is not a drill.” Even though it was quickly recognized to be a false alarm, it was a sobering reminder that the people in Hawaii would only have about 20 minutes’ notice if a missile had been launched from North Korea. It is also a reminder about how casual and complacent we are here in Canada.
If we received a similar warning, what would you do? If you live in Ladner, we don’t even have basements to go into. Do you have water or food in the event of an emergency? Are you ready?
That false alarm can also be a sobering reminder that life is uncertain. There are people who died in the last week without even 20 minutes warning. None of us is guaranteed to live through next week. As important as it is to prepare for an emergency, it is even more important to prepare for the ultimate threat — death.
Jesus told a story about a man who became so complacent that he missed his own emergency alert. This man had realized such a huge profit that he decided to kick back and party. That night he died. The bottom line of the story was: “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21)
Most of us will never face the threat of a ballistic missile. Every one of us will face the threat of death, perhaps with little or no warning. Are you ready?
Contact Mike at [email protected].
