Fox -Hamilton House in Eufaula, Alabama. Constructed 1865 of brick veneer. Queen Anne Classical style.

These beautiful old homes show us, among other things, that everything decays. The treasures we have on earth are fleeting. In the grand scheme of things, they are but for a moment.  The treasures we store up in Heaven, in the ongoing relationship with the Lord Jesus, are eternal. Everything in our culture points to this spiritual truth, but we can't rightly interpret it unless  and until we read God's word. 

Conner-Taylor House in Eufaula, Alabama built in 1863. Greek Revival style. 

If we don't continually read God's word, we won't have the valuable and urgent wisdom we need everyday.

God has only one book. We are responsible to know what He tells us in that book. Unlike other books,  the Holy Spirit of God accompanies His book - His written word - as we read and meditate upon it.  Both the Bible and God are living. They are not dead nor ineffectual [without the ability to affect us as we read.] As we read the Bible, the Holy Spirit is our ongoing teacher. 
Russell-Kellogg House in Eufaula, Alabama, built in 1905.  The style is Neoclassical Revival.
Death will rip away everything we possess in this world. In that approaching moment we will clearly realize that life in this world is over and we cannot take anything with us either into heaven or hell.

What treasure are you laying up for yourself today? Is your life centered on things in this world or in God who is the center of everything, where nothing decays? 

 

   Shorter Mansion built in 1906 in Eufaula, Alabama. The style is Neoclassical Revival.

How long we live does not depend upon diet and exercise or even upon medical care. It depends wholly upon the sovereign decree of God.

"Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil.  Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; and his limits You have set so that he cannot pass" (Job 14:1,5).

No matter how much whole grain you eat, how many miles you walk per day and how many desserts you reject, God has set a limit for you and for me and we cannot exceed it. We cannot live one minute more than He has decreed.

 

 Couric-Smith home in Eufaula circa 1845. Greek Revival style.

Death does not end everything for any of us. For the Christian, the angels of God will convey us into the presence of God where we will live forever.