GOOD THINKING: THREE THINGS ARE CERTAIN

"...in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." So said Benjamin Franklin in 1789.

Taxes are a sure thing! Since the beginning of civilization, people have paid taxes. Taxes seem like a burden. We try every tactic to avoid paying our taxes. We are prosecuted if we fail to pay them. We hate to pay our taxes. Yet, taxes are the price we pay for all those social services we feel important. We cannot escape paying our taxes; they're a sure thing.

Death is a sure thing! Every person since Adam and Eve has faced death. No one can escape it. Death is the salary we receive for living a sin-full life. Sometimes death comes as a result of our own sins. We disobey God. We break God's laws. We deserve the punishment of death. At other times death overtakes us because of another person's sins. We seem to be innocent bystanders; yet death comes and takes away our life. Finally, death is a result of the evil at work in our world. The collective sins of every man, woman and child pollutes the very air we breathe. Everyone who breathes this poisonous air breathes in death. Death always surprises us! Death overpowers innocent children, vivacious young people, adults in the prime of life and older adults finishing the race. We never know the exact moment when death will knock on our life's door and make us an offer we cannot refuse. Death comes when we are least prepared. Death is a sure thing!

God's love is a sure thing! I would add a line to Ben Franklin's saying: "...in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes AND GOD'S LOVE." God has loved us from the beginning. God loves us here and now. God will continue to love us; nothing will keep God from loving us forever. A sin-filled life will not prevent God from showering us with love. The darkness of death will not keep God s love from shining through. So, we rejoice in the fact that God loves us! So we will not be afraid to live or die! For God's love is a sure thing!