In a conference that I participated in this week, one of the speakers posed the question, “What if you had three and only three years left to live?” How would you lives those remaining days?
As I have been chewing on that, it occurs to me that this is both helpful and painful. It is destructive and edifying…all at the same time.
How so…you might ask? (Yep…me too.)
If you only had a limited and fixed number of days to live, you’d likely spend every one of them in the most productive way possible. You would pursue the most important purposes. You would not allow yourself to become bogged down with the trivial things that so often consume your time and energy. You would be highly sensitive to the investment and outcome of every ounce of effort. After all…today is nearly gone and tomorrow promises one less day to invest in the Kingdom of God.
- Certainly, you would invest in helping your family know how to live without you. You would pour into your children (in every possible way) the wisdom necessary to make it through the next several chapters of their lives.
- You would seek to impress your affections for your spouse.
- You would “bury the hatchet” with that old and lingering enemy. After all…life is short.
- You would make amends with everyone.
- You would seek to help others know (if you are a disciple of Jesus) the urgency of Salvation!
What would likely not be so prominent:
- Your sports team’s record.
- The fact that your friend hurt your feelings by saying something stupid.
- Getting another raise (as if ten cents an hour really was important).
- Buying that third pair of shoes or the latest CD or “rims” for your truck.
The fact is, we spend a lot of energy on things that are temporal and allow that which is eternal get pushed back until tomorrow. This, in light of the fact that we do have a fixed number of days (It is appointed unto man once to die), and that all men will stand before God and give an account for what he/she did with the Messiah of God. He/she will not be judged for his comparative righteousness or his education or heart for social justice…but for what he/she did with Jesus. In light of that…does not our daily concern for the temporal call us to repentance in light of its idolatrous pursuits.
I am dying! This is certain. If I am to be effective in my life and not squander the gift that God has given me, I must act AS IF it is at an unknown but very soon coming date and live purposefully and for the glory of God above all else. God deserves nothing less from me as I respond to His great grace toward me in giving me abundant life through salvation in His Son.
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