Ready to Die Now – December 30, 2020

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation.”
Luke 2:28-30

Ready to Die Now

What will it take for you to be ready to die? That may seem like a morbid question, but it’s a question we all need to ask. With only two exceptions (Enoch in Genesis 5:24 and Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11), every person who has been born has died or will die. “The wages of sin is death,” God tells us (Romans 6:23). And since we all are sinners, we all can expect that one day we will die.

So, what will it take for you to be ready to die? Simeon had one answer to that question. Once he saw the Savior, he was ready to die. God had told him that he would not die before he saw the Savior that God had promised to send. God fulfilled that promise and allowed Simeon not just to see his Savior, Jesus, but even to hold him in his arms. With that tangible proof that God had fulfilled his promise, Simeon was ready to die. His eyes had seen the salvation that God had promised him. In his arms, he held the One who would live, die, and rise again for him so that he could live forever with God in heaven. He could face death with peace, knowing that through the Savior whom he held, he was at peace with God.

What made Simeon ready to die is the same thing that makes us ready to die. When we, through faith, have seen the Savior and believe in him, we are ready to die. Through faith, we see him as the one who lived a perfect life in our place. Through faith, we see him as the one who died to pay for all our sins. Through faith, we see him as the one who rose again to declare us not guilty before God. Through faith, we see Jesus as our Savior and know that in him, we are at peace with God. That makes us ready to die, whenever that time may come.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you that because you have saved me from my sins, I can be ready to meet you whenever you call me. Amen.