IN a song titled, "Death Unexpected,"  the song writer wrote these words,  "...death unexpected, I surely was surprised, ..." Death unexpected, it happens when one least expects it! A new-born child is put in its crib for a nap, never to awaken again. A young child playing in a street is struck by a moving vehicle or a stray bullet from a street gang fight. A teenager overdoses on drugs, or dies in an automobile accident while out "joy riding" with some friends. A policeman or firefighter is killed in the line of duty, a construction worker on the job, or someone sitting in the quietness of their home - death unexpected! A terrorist’s bomb, or just a heart attack - death unexpected! You name it, it happens all the time - death unexpected! It happens without warning often when one is in the prime of life and the future, humanly speaking, looks bright, but there it is - death unexpected!  Unannounced, unwanted, unprohibited! Standing as a monument to the grim reminder of death is the graveyard, a perpetual testimony to the mortality of mankind. Death unexpected, no respecter of person regardless of wealth, fame, education, societal influence, etc. When death unexpected comes calling, all must answer and yield. Death unexpected, we cannot prevent it from happening, but we can be prepared for it when it does. How? By trusting Jesus Christ as personal Saviour. Those who have repented of sin and received Christ as Saviour are prepared for physical death, for they know they are forgiven and saved, and at death though the body is placed in the ground, their eternal soul will forever be with God in Heaven (2 Co. 5:6-8). For the Christian, death is not to be feared, for it has no hold - it is a vanquished foe (1 Co. 15:53-55). How can this be?

    When a person comes to that place in his life when he realizes that he is a lost sinner, that Jesus Christ paid his sin debt in full by the shedding of His blood and death on the cross of Calvary, and will repent of that sin and confess it to God and by faith alone receive Jesus Christ as personal Saviour, then that person is forgiven and saved for all eternity (Ro. 10:9-10, 13; Jn. 3:16). Salvation is not something we deserve, or to be obtained by our good works - it’s based solely on God’s love and mercy - it’s the bestowal of His grace upon the repentant sinner (Eph. 2:4-9; Titus 3:5-7). Those who do not repent of their sin and receive Christ as personal Saviour have only eternal damnation in hell to look forward to (Jn. 3:18, 36; Rev. 19:15; 21:8). When should you receive Christ as personal Saviour? The moment you realize that you are a sinner for whom Christ died! Can it wait until tomorrow, or a more convenient time? We have no guarantee of our next breath, much less another day, for the Scriptures say, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (James 4:14) "... behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Co. 6:2b)