On Sunday, November 1, a Learjet carrying nine people fell from the sky over South Florida. In the aircraft’s final radio transmissions, the crew reported a terrifying descent. “We’re going to crash into the ground,” came the warning. Moments later came a desperate declaration: “We’re out of time.” The plane struck the ground, killing everyone aboard. Those words are hard to forget. Behind them are nine lives and nine grieving families, and they need our prayers.
Those final words confront the rest of us with a truth we often find uncomfortable: time is not ours to command. We live as though tomorrow were guaranteed. We make plans, put off decisions, and reassure ourselves that important matters can wait. Yet James warns, “You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14). Whatever our age, health, or circumstances, the truth is we are all racing toward death. No one escapes it. “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
That crew had less than a minute’s warning. Many of us will not have even that. Our days are precious, and they are numbered. So Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
The great question, then, is not how we can avoid death, but whether we are prepared to meet God. And preparation is not something we can safely postpone until life slows down, until we feel ready, or until another season comes. “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Thankfully, God has not left us without hope. Jesus Christ promises, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). Even the time we still have is his mercy. The Lord is patient, “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). His grace invites our response: repent of sin, trust in Christ, confess him as Lord, and be baptized into him for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; Romans 10:9–10; 6:3–4). Do not neglect your soul while tending to everything else. Do not reach life’s end wishing for one more opportunity to respond.
If you are already in Christ, this is not a word to frighten you but to focus you. Paul urges us to walk wisely, “making the best use of the time” (Ephesians 5:16). Is there an apology you keep postponing? A friend you’ve meant to invite to worship? A sin you plan to deal with someday? “Someday” is not on the calendar.
Nor are we meant to walk toward eternity alone. Becoming a Christian is the beginning of a shared life in God’s family. The church is a community of redeemed people who worship together, bear one another’s burdens, encourage faithfulness, and help each other persevere. That is why Hebrews tells us to “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today’” (Hebrews 3:13). We are not promised tomorrow, but we have been given today.
