John Newton, the composer of such great hymns as “Amazing Grace,” reportedly said, “I am in the land of the dying. I shall be in the land of the living soon.”
That cryptic statement reminds us all that “it is appointed unto man once to die” (Heb. 9:27). Death is a fate from which none of us can escape until our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ comes again in glory. Someone observed that not everyone will experience old age but physical death will come to all. Because of death’s inevitability, it is important to prepare for that experience.
As Christians, we have made the most important preparation. We have trusted Jesus Christ as personal Savior. That is why we can declare with the apostle Paul that “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Cor. 15:54). That is why Christians face death with hope. We know that soon we will be “in the land of the living.”
On Calvary’s cross, Jesus declared, “Father, into thy hands, I commend my spirit.” Jesus was confident the promise of Psalm 49:15 would be fulfilled. There the psalmist wrote, “God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave.”
Later Scripture declares, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep … so in Christ, all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ the first fruits; then when He comes, those who belong to Him” (1 Cor. 15:20–23).
Those who trust in the Lord will live with Him forever in heaven, where He has gone to prepare a place for us as promised in John 14. That is the eternal land of the living.
It is also important to prepare for death in other ways. Proverbs 14:15 teaches that “a prudent man considers his steps.” That thought is echoed by 1 Corinthians 14:40, which says, “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”
Just as one prepares for his or her children’s college education or retirement, the prudent person prepares for the issues related to his or her physical death. To do so is not a morbid experience. It is a way to avoid confusion and keep promises. It is a way to ensure that everything is done in a fitting and orderly way.
In his book “Nearing Home: Life, Faith and Finishing Well,” Billy Graham draws guidance from the story of Isaac and the blessing of his sons recorded in Genesis 27. Isaac’s intent was to prepare his sons, Esau and Jacob for his impending death. But, Graham wrote, “Isaac is too old to ensure his final wishes are executed properly, and this causes turmoil within the family.”
You know the story. Isaac intended to pass along his blessing to his oldest son, Esau. But Rachel, Isaac’s wife, and Jacob, the younger son, tricked Isaac and stole what was intended for Esau.
Isaac was helpless to remedy the wrong done to his older son. And, according to Graham, Isaac was partly responsible for the situation because he waited too late before acting.
The moral of that story could be repeated numerous times. Because people put off dealing with the practical issues related to death, promises go unkept and intentions go unfulfilled. Dreams are discarded because one waited too late to ensure that everything is done in a fitting and orderly way. There is no official document, no will or no updated will to reflect the desires of the one who has gone from the land of the dying to the land of the living.
As with Jacob and Esau, too often, the result of inaction is resentment, conflict, bitterness and confusion. That is a tragic final gift to leave a family.
In Alabama, when one dies without a will, the laws of the state decide how his or her estate will be divided. Wishes of family members have no standing in such situations. Such cases usually result in as much disappointment as Isaac had when he learned he had been deceived.
It would be much easier on everyone if time were taken now to decide who will benefit from one’s accumulated resources, who will serve as executor and how and when inheritance will be distributed — immediately or later in trusts.
These are serious decisions that sometimes necessitate professional advice. Even the most financially humble individual can profit from help with such decisions as he or she works out an appropriate plan to be followed at his or her death. The investment for professional counsel returns great dividends compared to the potential results of dying without having addressed these practical issues.
As Christians, there is another concern: How will we be faithful stewards of our resources? God is as concerned with faithfulness of possessions after one’s death as He is with what one does with financial resources during life. King David said it well in his prayer recorded in 1 Chronicles 29. In verse 14, David confessed, “Everything comes from you and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” Since all that one has comes from God, he or she is responsible to God for how all of it is used. The principle of tithing (giving 10 percent to God through the church) is the starting point of financial faithfulness. God is also concerned about how the other 90 percent is used.
Possessions are not to be used selfishly or foolishly in life or death. Estate planning, like planning during one’s life, is to be done thoughtfully and prayerfully. The Baptist Foundation of Alabama is just one resource available to Alabama Baptists to help them work through the issues related to estate planning that honors God and accomplishes their personal goals.
Preparing spiritually for leaving the land of the dying and entering the land of the living is the most important issue one will ever face. There is no greater issue than one’s personal relationship to God through faith in Jesus Christ. But settling that issue does not remove the responsibility of handling the practical issues related to one’s death.
My prayer is that none of us are like Isaac and wait until we are unable to see that our final wishes are known and carried out before thinking about acting. None of our families deserve the fate of Jacob and Esau.
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