It Is Appointed

A man cannot shorten his life

Or himself longer life give,

There is an appointed time

For every man to live.

This is clear in the Word

Read it for yourself

Even though many a man

 Constantly ruins his health.

How about suicide?

Is not such premature?

That was the time appointed

Do not God’s Word ignore!

I do not fully understand

But what I do know

Hebrews chapter 9 verse 27

Assures me this is so.

This verse speaks to time

Definitely not to manner

For while man may decide how

The time is a different matter.

The manner will vary

In so many different ways

But there is a time appointed,

There’s an appointed day.

If you are reading this

Your time has not yet come

But thousands will die

Before you are done.

If you complete reading it

Then you were not one

But you could be gone

Before the light of dawn.

We give credit to doctors

For prolonging life

We surmise a lot

And our speculation is rife.

If he hadn’t done such

 He would not have died,

If only someone was there

We sometimes decide.

History will show

That at that appointed time

The deceased passed away

Whatever we opine.

We hear about people

That had cheated death,

 Clearly whoever that was

Still had time left.

If it were his appointed time

He would have gone

And rather than rejoice

We would have mourned.

Our actions are set,

Every move we will make

And so too the consequences

To every decision we take.

“What a fatalist he is!”

That’s all right with me,

I know I still have a chance

To influence my destiny.

You can accuse me

Of a definite contradiction

But everyone has a choice

Re: the critical decision.

I am not powerless

Concerning my soul’s salvation,

I can choose life and live

Or I can choose damnation.

God the Sovereign One

Has given us the choice

To accept or reject Him

When we hear His voice.

  

For one thing is certain

In this poem He has spoken

And given your power of choice

To His voice you should harken.

For death is an appointment

Whenever it comes

And we will give an account

Re: what we do with God’s Son.

Whose death was appointed

Before the foundation of the world

And prophesied at Genesis 3:15

In God’s Holy Word.

Foreordained before the world

And manifest in time,

Jesus the Saviour came

To die for sinful mankind.

In the Lamb’s book of life

Names are written there,

None will ever be blotted out

Or suddenly disappear.

Once a name is written there

It is the Saviour’s claim

And though that one may die

That one will live again.

Each clock that’s been wound

Will come to an appointed end

If you’re reading this poem

There is still time my friend.

Time to make that decision

That will determine your destiny

Time take Christ as Saviour

And for all eternity.

Stewart Russell © July 2018