Yes… I know… To the people reading this, I know that’s not how the scripture goes…
As I sit down to write this, it is Monday 17th October 2016 and I woke up to some shocking news that has shaken the Gospel music community. Thomas “TC” Clay passed away in his sleep this morning, in his hotel room after ministering last night… He was an incredible singer, musician and well respected around the world; not only that, but so very down to Earth. He even extended his help and advice to me. I will be forever grateful for his ministry and friendship.
Now… I always knew what I was going to write about this time around and Thomas’ passing fits very well into what I want to talk about. Over the last few weeks, our church has been focusing on becoming who we are supposed to be and taking the appropriate steps, and measures to get there. Our Pastor, Marlene DaCosta, preached one Sunday and I can’t remember the words exactly but they echoed the last clause of Kirk Franklin’s “The Appeal”… Then Issac Carree sings,
“When I die what will they say about me?
Will the work that I've done be enough to help someone? When I die, will I draw men's hearts to you?
At the setting of the sun,
I wanna hear you say well done when I die…”
For me, this is a huge lump of reality check and currently finding it difficult to swallow… To think that all may seem well on the surface and yet, we could be on the brink of death itself?! Whilst God has given every believer a mission or assignment to complete, who can really say they’ve done enough? Who can say that they are nearing the end of their assignment? Let me be the first to say I am nowhere near completing and fulfilling the call over my life… So many unfulfilled prophecies, unfinished songs, unwritten teachings, and so on. Does this make me a bad person? Not really… But it does mean that I have a responsibility to submit myself to the Father’s will, so that He is pleased with me. I cannot… WE cannot afford to waste our potential and sleep in the comfort of procrastination.
Procrastination… There’s that word again, coming back to haunt me!! What springs to mind is two scriptures that have etched in my heart and pricks me to my core;
“Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near” Isaiah 55:6 KJV
The misconception of this scripture is that often people seem to think God is going somewhere!!! Not so, my friends… God is omnipresent; the forever God!! Isaiah is telling us that whilst we have life and breath in our bodies, we should seek Him; for when we pass away, so do our opportunities. Whilst we are, He is near us.
“I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9: 4
Jesus describes the day as being we are alive and the night being when we have passed on, therefore we must complete God’s assignments whilst we still have function.
So… What does all of this have to do with the title of this blog? EVERYTHING!!!! I wrote “life and life” because I don’t want to speak death into my own. In fact, SCRATCH THAT!!! The things we should be speaking death over are depression, disease, poverty, rejection, evil and all the other negative things you can think of… And we must speak and pour life into everything positive God has placed into our hands, in order for it to grow and flourish in the way He ordained it. So speak life, and MORE LIFE. The word of God tells us we shall have it and MORE ABUNDANTLY!! So what are we waiting for? Let’s make the most of it while we still can.
Thomas Clay was a perfect example of someone who died on the job. He wasn’t perfect and invincible; he knew this. But he was exactly where God wanted him to be. Active, on duty, willing; with no excuses. And yes, he had some challenges, just like you and I; but he fought the good fight. Time for us to assume a fighting stance.
BY: STEPHEN MCCORMACK
Sources
Song: Kirk Franklin- The Appeal
Header image: Thomas TC Clay Facebook page