In Part I of this series we discussed the need for the unbeliever to prepare for death by repenting
of his sins and placing his trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross for his sins. We also
discussed the desirability of believers preparing for heaven by seeking to live our lives here on
earth as we will one day in heaven. In this way we can begin even now to taste the joys and
blessings that we will experience in full measure throughout eternity.

Preparation for Leaving Earth

As we prepare ourselves for heaven on the one hand, we need to concern ourselves also with what
we are going to leave behind on earth when we die. There is truth in the cliché, "You can’t take
it with you"; in a certain sense, we will leave everything behind when we die (or are raptured, as
in 1 Cor. 15:52). But we must be careful that what we leave behind is not too much, not too little,
and not the wrong things.

Let me explain what I mean by posing some probing questions:

1. If you were to die tonight, how much debt would your family be saddled with? Without your
salary, would your family be forced into bankruptcy? Would there be enough value in your assets
(for example, house, automobile, furniture, appliances) to fully pay your creditors, or would they
be left "high and dry"? ("Owe no man anything," Rom. 13:8, certainly is applicable in this
context.) Or even if your family has little or no debt, have you built up enough of a "nest egg" to
help your spouse through the initial crisis of separation and reduced income?

2. Have you and your spouse trained and instructed one another in each other’s household duties
and responsibilities so that if you were to die tonight, your spouse could step in and keep all
aspects of the household running smoothly? For example, do both you and your spouse know how
to prepare a meal, program the microwave, and use the washer and drier? how to write checks and
balance the check book? where to find important papers (such as the deed to the house, automobile
title, certificates of deposit, stock certificates, bank passbooks, unpaid bills, etc.)? what financial
assets and liabilities your family has? how to change a tire, replace the battery in the smoke alarm,
start the lawn mower, and replace a washer in the faucet? how to change a diaper and dress a
child?

Similar lists of questions could be drawn up concerning your job, the business you run, or your
responsibilities (such as treasurer) in the local assembly.

There may be various reasons why certain family responsibilities have been assigned to or carried
out by one spouse rather than the other (for example, natural abilities or interests, habit, tradition),
and it may be more efficient to have a division of labor. But each spouse should have some
working knowledge of the other’s domain so that the death of one spouse would not leave the other
totally helpless in any area.

3. If you were to die tonight, would you leave behind anyone whose spirit you have wounded, who

carries emotional scars because of you, to whom you have spoken angry or unkind words, with
whom you have had a strained relationship or have not been on speaking terms for some time, to
whom you have lied, or about whom you have gossiped to others? Would you leave behind anyone
to whom you have stubbornly, proudly refused to confess a wrong? It is true that "you can’t take
it with you," but is this really what you want to leave behind_people you have hurt and with
whom you have never been reconciled?

Scripture places a premium on making right our wrongs toward others (Exod. 22:1-14; Lev. 6:5),
confessing our faults and sins to those whom we have offended and sinned against (Jas. 5:16), and
being reconciled with those who have anything against us (Matt. 5:23-26). How awful it would
be to sin against an unbeliever and then to die without confessing it or making it right! If the
unbeliever by God’s mercies is saved, in spite of the blot we have put upon the testimony of
Christ, then we shall rejoice to be able to confess our sin and be reconciled when we meet together
again in heaven. But if that unbeliever goes to the grave without being saved, we will have lost
forever the opportunity to confess our sin to the one we have sinned against. Here, surely, is a
solemn example of what it will mean for a saved person to "suffer loss" (1 Cor. 3:15).

If we have sinned against another believer (maybe our spouse, or a parent, or a brother or sister
in the local assembly), and if we don’t clear it up in this life, no doubt it will have to be cleared
up when we get to heaven as a result of our appearance "before the judgment seat of Christ" (2
Cor. 5:10). Heaven is a holy place. There can be no sin where thrice-holy God dwells. And
therefore, there can be no unconfessed sin nor unreconciled people there either. In fact, the
clearing up of all of the sins and offenses and misunderstandings that have separated and divided
believers here on earth will be one of the reasons for the supreme joy and happiness that will be
found in heaven.

In view of these things, why wait!? Let us humble ourselves to confess our faults and sins to our
brothers and sisters in Christ, our husband or wife, our parents, our children, and seek to be
reconciled with them even now in this life. What joy and happiness will flow from it! What
deliverance from guilt and shame! What new found power for ministering the Word and for living
the Christian life! And what immeasurable benefits to those sinned against, releasing them from
all excuse to be resentful, bitter, angry, or vengeful toward you, and to be filled with self-pity and
depression because of the wrongs done to them! So by humbly, sincerely confessing your sins
against another, you not only free yourself to live as God would have you to live, but in many
cases you will help to deliver the person initially sinned against from his/her own sinful response
to your sin.

May each of us desire to live our lives so that if we should die suddenly and without warning, we
would not leave behind (1) a pile of debt for our survivors to have to worry about; nor (2) a stack
of new responsibilities of which our survivors are quite ignorant; nor (3) any souls who are still
hurting and stumbled as a result of our sinful or un-Christlike behavior.

(To be continued.)