Yesterday, NASA officials expressed doubt that a piece of foam from the external fuel tank which struck the shuttle Columbia during its liftoff could have led to the destruction of the orbiter. This morning, the shuttle program manager, Ron D. Dittemore, retreated from that assertion. He stated that all possible theories would be fully pursued until the February 1 tragedy was explained. We don't know why the astronauts died, but we know that they did.

It's like that for most of us this morning. I don't know when I will die, or how, but I know that I will unless Jesus returns first. The Bible is clear: "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). Very few people know when they will die, or how. But we will. The astronauts were in the finest physical shape possible, with the finest training available, protected by the finest technology ever developed. If they were not safe from death, no one is.

And we have only this day to be ready. When I pastored in Atlanta, I learned of a man who was dying of a brain tumor. He was given six months to live, and spent them speaking to as many groups as possible about his faith. He told each group, "I'll not see you again on this side of heaven, but I'll see you in eternity." He spoke to a Sunday school class in our church, among others. After speaking to one such class on a Sunday, the next morning a man in that class was driving on an Atlanta freeway. A spare tire from the truck in front of him came loose and crashed into his car, killing him instantly. And the man with the brain tumor went to his funeral. We have only today to be ready.

Here's the good news: if Jesus is your Savior and Lord, you already are. You already have eternal life. You are already immortal. When you die, you don't. You simply step from time into eternity, from life into life everlasting, from earth into heaven. You step out of the car and go into the house. If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and Lord, you are promised only this day to do so. Why not now?

A baby is carried for many months inside his mother's womb. He is warm, protected, fed, happy. This is the only world he knows, and he is contented and well. But then a terrible thing happens. Suddenly, without warning, a strong force begins to push his tiny body. Minutes, even hours of a force he has never known press him further and further toward a destiny he has never seen. Finally he enters a new world, one he could never have imagined. But loving arms are waiting to hold him, smiling faces love him. And he is warm, protected, happy. He is safely home.

He lives many years, and faces the trials and the joys of earthly life. This is the only world he knows, and he is contented and well. Then one day, a terrible thing happens. Suddenly, without warning, a strong force begins to push his frail body. Minutes, even hours of a force he has never known press him further and further toward a destiny he has never seen. Finally he enters a new world, one he could never have imagined. But once again, loving arms are waiting to hold him, smiling faces love him. And he is warm, protected, happy. He is safely home. This is the promise of God.

Copyright © 2003. James C. Denison. All rights reserved.