Surprised By Death

For the footballer Marc - Vivien Foe (28 years ) of the Cameroon National Team , June 26, 2003 was a special day in your life . He and his teammates would play against Colombia the opportunity to contest the final of the Confederations Cup . It was also a special day for his wife and his family, who were anxiously waiting for the game in a crowded stadium . Of course everyone expected a victory of his team and a good performance of Marc - Vivien . He prepared intensively for the tournament and like all other players tried to be in excellent physical shape .

The whistle started the game at 13:00 in Lyon , France . The team of Marc - Vivien played well and made ​​a ninth-minute goal that secured his place in the final against France .

Then the unexpected happened . After 28 minutes the second time, for no apparent reason , Marc - Vivien fell , when he returned to assist in marking . None of his opponents had touched , not even one of the players on your selection . With eyes turned he remains lying on the ground ! Shocked, the other players give signal to the medical department to make the call. Also in camp was attended by the Colombian team doctor , Hector Cruz , who tried to " revive " it. Thereafter , on the edge of the field , other doctors trying , unsuccessfully , for another 40 minutes. Marc - Vivien did not react to any attempt at revival and died there on the lawn in front of spectators and television cameras .

That painful tragedy ! His wife and her family are forced to watch helplessly everything ! The same way as their colleagues who could not rejoice in victory and even thought about the possibility of giving the final. FIFA president Sepp Blatter lamented : " The football family is shaken by this tragic event."

The Bible is very clear about death . In Hebrews 9:27 it is written : " And as it is appointed unto men once to die , but after this the judgment ... " . Every human being will die someday. Death is a reality with which we are confronted daily by the news in the newspapers and on television . The important question is : are we ready for death , and what comes next ? As the player prepares for the tournament , training daily, and each of us is prepared for the demands of life, as it has been about death ?

If you think that everything ends with death , we are mistaken . There is "nothing " that awaits us , or a life in another way many religions and philosophies have us believe. No, what awaits us is the judgment , that is to say , we have to be accountable before God on how we react toward His Son this life . This decides where we will spend eternity in heaven or hell . And if we want to believe and we do not have it , we will be surprised .

" When you're old, then 'll worry about life after death" , responds to most people when asked about it . And Marc - Vivien ? Twenty-eight years is an age in which it has death ? Death took him by surprise . He , his family , his colleagues and the whole world , who watched flabbergasted by television or read in newspapers . We can also be caught by surprise . Before our death we will have a " last chance " to prepare ? Or happen to us as the soccer player ?

In John 3:16-17 we read : " For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son , so that everyone who believes in him should not perish , but have everlasting life . For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world , but that the world might be saved through him. " Here we see the great love God has for each person . God sent His own son , Jesus Christ to this earth , in order to save the world . He wants to save us from eternal damnation , which is the consequence of our sinful nature .

Prepare for death means putting your life in order with God . For this there is only one way : to accept the salvation that Jesus Christ offers through His death on the cross - " Neither is there salvation in any other: under heaven there is no other name given among men by which we must be saved " ( Acts 4:12 ) . And in John 14:6 Jesus says, " I am the way , the truth , and the life : no man cometh unto the Father but by me ." Do not leave for later the decision of where you would spend eternity - with Him in glory or away from Him in eternal damnation . Take that step now, today , and give your life to Him He will welcome you with open arms , will forgive all guilt and give you eternal life. He now awaits you in so long !