Brimstones & Chicken Bones

Most folks figure that they’ve got all the time in the world. They plan to get things “straightened out with God” eventually, but they are betting that they still have plenty of time to burn. Yet, they are betting with their lives. From my humble point of view forever is just such a long time that it seems a shame to take any chances with it because there are no guarantees in life. From an actuarial standpoint most of us will still live a good, long time. However, there are just too many things that can go wrong. Too many people in my own life have battled cancer in recent years and I myself have had an early brush with heart disease. These experiences have left me a little jaded about the supposed security of the proverbial “someday.” Forever seems like a long way off, but the fact remains that a drunk driver, a slip in the bath tub, or even the odd chicken bone can bring us face to face with eternity in the blink of an eye. Better, perhaps, to have our fire insurance with God paid up in the form of assured salvation. For the fact remains that if anything goes wrong with our plans for longevity we advance straight to St. Charles Places without passing Go. Furthermore, we will meet God at that very moment. To that end I have developed what I like to call the “doctrine of spontaneous revelation.” Basically, if you die tomorrow, for whatever reason, you skip directly to the end of the bible. For better or for worse. Therefore, we should be highly motivated to have all of our spiritual questions answered and all of our spiritual decisions made in advance ... because there may not be a crash course or and alter call offered between the hospital and the pearly gates. Indeed, whatever deal we have with God right now becomes irrevocable the moment our number comes up. So, friends, I encourage you not to bet your forever on decisions you have been putting off until that proverbial someday. Let us put our spiritual affairs into order rather than test my theory of spontaneous revelation. Eternity is such a long time. Please don’t waste it.

Brimstones & Chicken Bones
(The Doctrine of Spontaneous Revelation)
We all have business to do with God
but we’re young and in our prime
So we put Him off year after year
assuming there’s plenty of time
We know Jesus is coming back someday
but who knows when that will be
People keep saying end times are near
but no one’s sure about prophecy
In fact, it’s so darn confusing
we don’t like to think about it at all
Since folks have been worried for centuries
and have yet to hear the trumpet call
So we kind of make this deal with God
that we’ll be good or better than most
Then we set the spiritual cruise control
so we can just kick back and coast
Figuring we’ve got a lifetime ahead
to sacrifice, give and serve
And if the Lord comes back just “bad folks”
will get what they deserve
However, the flaw in our reasoning
which so many of us fail to see
Is that if we should die unexpectedly
we advance from here to eternity
We have merely to slip in the bathtub
or choke on the odd chicken bone
And suddenly, all the choices we’ve made
shall be etched in eternity’s stone
In that realm beyond second chances
where each man answers to God at last
For all that he did, and didn’t do
in the irrevokable past
Let’s call it spontaneous revelation
that day when you go to the head of the class
To discover that God doesn’t grade on a curve
it’s strictly fail or pass
When your backup chute fails to open
whether or not your doctrine is sound
You better have your affairs in order
long before you reach the ground
Because the next stop is forever
so your fire insurance better be paid
You won’t get to choose between smoking or non
unless a reservation was made
Your cholesterol count doesn’t matter
nor how much dough you have socked away
Once you step onto the railroad tracks
you’ll be meeting God straight away
Don’t be lulled into complacency
for no matter how safe you feel
You may have one foot on solid ground
but the other is on a banana peel
So never put off until tomorrow
what the Lord requires of you today
Lest spontaneous revelation
should steal your second chances away
By Frank Carpenter ©