https://odb.org/2026/05/05/plan-on-it
Ecclesiastes 7:1–10 (NIV): 7 A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. 2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. 3 Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5 It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools.
6 Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless. 7 Extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart. 8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. 9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. 10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.
Death is a sobering reality we all must face. King Solomon, who searched for the meaning of life in pleasure, work, and knowledge, and came up empty, said, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting” (Ecclesiastes 7:2). Negative situations give more perspective than happy times. If we face the reality of death, we can better prepare for what comes after. Verse two adds, “Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” We should ponder it and plan on it. Preparation comes from receiving forgiveness of sin from Jesus, who died for us and rose again. Everyone dies because death came when the first man, Adam, disobeyed God, and we have followed his ways. But “everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life” (1 Corinthians 15:22 nlt). (Anne Cates, Our Daily Bread 5th May 2026)
As the saying goes, there are two things man cannot avoid in life – death and taxes. As much as kings have pursued and searched for immorality, it remains a fantasy only seen in novels and films. Immortality only exists in our make-believe world. The reality is, as we can see in ourselves – we grow older by the day. It is also evidenced by the funerals we attend. People will pass on one by one from this world to the next. “For death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:2B)
One thing I learnt from attending funerals is that our attendance is for the living. The dead is gone. Some believe that the spirit of the dead lingers on for a while but as far as our Christian theology is concerned, once we die, our spirit returns to God. The dead is gone and is no longer a part of the affairs of the living. When we die, the tasks and deadlines we chase at work cease to matter. How much money we have to live on also ceases to matter since we are already dead! After we die, we don’t need to eat anymore!
To prepare for our inevitable destiny, most importantly, we need to settle our hearts with God. Make our peace with our Maker, our LORD God. Our sadness, disappointments, even anger at how our life or certain things had turned out, settle all that with God. Seek forgiveness of sin from Jesus Christ our Lord, from our Heavenly Father. Reconcile in our spirit with our Father God in heaven.
Then we should prepare for the living. Our family, our loved ones, our church and ministry. Because, in the end, our departure will affect them the most. They will not see us again in our present self. We will meet them one day but that day may be a long time more to come, after all the events predicted in Revelation come to pass.
Finally, before we meet our ultimate destiny, do the things we always wanted to do. Travel abroad if we can afford to. Be kinder to the people around us. Spend more time with our loved ones. Make that road trip to the smaller towns in Malaysia, some still frozen to a bygone era of the 50s and 60s. Have meals with our friends. Continue to serve God fervently in whatever capacity assigned to us. When the day finally comes, we will have no regrets – we have done our best for God and our loved ones. We are ready to meet Jesus face to face.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 “The end of a matter is better than its beginning“. Let’s all end well, no matter how we started or how we have journeyed thus far!
P/s If my late dad is still alive, he would be 84 today…
Ronnie's Thoughts 