Pastor Matt Chandler of the Village Church recently learned that he has a malignant brain tumor. In a brief update for his church today (watch it here), he shared that a verse which has constantly been on his mind is Ecclesiastes 7:2.
"It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart (Ecclesiastes 7:2)."
The point is that disease can serve as a wake up call. One way or another, most of us ignore the fact that life is like a vapor. Chandler said,
“I’ve made no secret that most men are wooed and seduced into lives that don’t matter, concentrating on things that are temporary and frivolous, and so one of the reasons something like this is good for all of us is that…we get that veil of mortality lifted a little bit so that we see there is an end to all men.”
If, in the words of the verse, we “lay it to heart,” then we will focus on the conclusion of the matter (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14), and that Christ is all.
I am thankful for the grace that God has given to Pastor Chandler, and I pray that his example will be used to remind me and many others to number our days (Psalm 90:12).
HT: JT
