Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

On February 26, 2014, Walter Williams of Lexington, Mississippi threw off this mortal coil. At the age of 78, Walter had lived a good, full life.

The funeral director was called and picked up Walter's body and his family came together to plan his funeral service. Two hours after Williams' corpse had been collected; his family received a phone call from the Funeral Director. The long and short of the message the morticians conveyed was, "Walter's not dead."

It's true. The funeral home had been getting ready to embalm Mr. Williams when they noticed his body bag was moving. Unzipping the bag they found Mr. Williams alive and awake. They immediately rushed him back to the hospital where, as of this writing, he is doing all right. (Update: Mr. Williams has since passed away at his home on March 13).

The doctors who had been ministering to Mr. Williams were, and still are, confused. The best explanation they can give for their patient's rather unique story is: 'We think his pacemaker stopped and then began working again.'

I guess that's as good an explanation as any.

That story had me asking three questions... questions I share with you. Please, take some time to consider your answers. After all, not many of us will, like Mr. Williams, be given a second chance to get things right.

QUESTION #1 - If you were Mr. Williams, that is, a person who has been declared dead and who is back among the living, what would you do differently with your life? Would you think, "I died leaving too much undone. I'm going to start living life to the full. I'm not going to waste any more time." If that's what you'd be thinking, then maybe you'd better get started on the important stuff.

QUESTION #2 - If you had been one of Mr. Williams' family, what would you do differently? All too often we postpone saying necessary things to our loved ones. Only after they're gone do we think, "I wish, one last time I had told (FILL IN THE BLANK WITH A PERSON'S NAME), that I loved them," or "I wish I had talked to (SAME PERSON) about Jesus and the eternal life He has won for all and bestows upon those who call Him "Savior."

QUESTION #3 - If you had been Mr. Williams or a family member, would you have been ready to leave this world? By that I mean, "Is your faith in Jesus so solid that you can leave without worry and your family can say, 'Goodbye" without wondering?" If you aren't ready, then now is the time to let the Holy Spirit do something about it.

The reality is this: not many people will get a second chance at life. For that reason, we need to use this life wisely and well. That way, when our unknown hour does come, nobody will have any regrets. We can simply say to each other, "Because of Jesus, I'll see you soon in heaven."

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, because of Jesus Christ I have been given salvation. May my life be lived in thanksgiving to Him and in love toward all those around me. In His Name I ask it. Amen.

The story upon which this Daily Devotion is based was written by Vera Culley on February 28, 2014 for FOX 2 News. The website where the parent article can be found is: http://fox2now.com/2014/02/28/mississippi-man-awakes-from-the-dead-at-funeral-home/

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Numbers 17-19    Mark 15:1-25

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