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Living to Die

In 2005, Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, gave a commencement address at Stanford University. In that address he made an interesting quote. He said that when he was seventeen, he read a quote that that went something like, “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1422863/posts) While the quote seems humorous, it drives home a point we must all take very seriously: One day will be our last on this earth.

As Christians, we are physically no different than anyone else in the world. And that means that one day this life is going to come to an end. That fact is taught in scripture. Have you thought about how often we are reminded of that as we study His word? When Adam and Eve sinned, they were told, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, And to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:19) Hebrews 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” James 4:14 says, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” David wrote, “What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?” (Psalm 89:48). His son, Solomon, wrote, “ For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it” Ecclesiastes 3:19-21. The reason we need to continually remind ourselves of the coming of death is because we do not know when that day will be. While most of us will live on for years to come (if things continue as normal), none of us is guaranteed even another day. In addition to sickness and disease, there are accidents, crime, disasters, poisons, heart attacks & strokes, ever increasing terrorism and numerous other ways that can bring death about suddenly and without partiality. Because of this uncertainty, we need to live each day as if it were our last.

In addition to the possibility of death that we are all aware of, Christians realize that the days of this world are also numbered. Noting Hebrews 9:27 again, we see that after death there will a judgment. In Acts 17:31 we are told that “… He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained." That indicates that God has a set time when this world will end. And we do not know when that time will be. When asked by His disciples about the end time Jesus answered, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:36-40). In addition to this, Peter said, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). We are living in times that could certainly spell the Lord’s return at any moment. Therefore we need to live each day as if it were our last.

So what do we do?

First of all, don’t quit living! Even though this day could be your last, it is probable that it will not be. Therefore you must continue to live as if you had all the time on earth left. In times past, false prophets have tried to pinpoint the day the world would end. Many foolishly followed their advice, at times selling all they had and lived as if there would be no tomorrow. When that day came and went, they were still here and now they faced a new set of problems. Others, might reason that since they don’t have much time left it is acceptable to not work, to accumulate massive debt and do other things that they will not have to face the consequences of in the future. Such is a wrong attitude. In 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 Paul said, “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.” Therefore, keep on living.

Second, live life to its fullest. Make each day a productive day. Solomon wrote, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” Ecclesiastes 9:10. That ought to describe the work ethic of every Christian in every endeavor of life. It certainly applies within our jobs (1 Corinthians 4:2). It applies in our relationships. It applies to our service to the Lord. Colossians 3:23 says, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” Ephesians 5:16 calls for us to redeem the time. The word redeem used in that text means, “to buy out of, redeem from.” In that article the word is further described, “The word generally means to buy up, to buy all that is anywhere to be bought, and not allow the suitable moment to pass by unheeded but to make it one’s own.” (Strongs #1805, Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament). That means that we use each moment to its fullest. Add to this that fact that in all we do we are to serve the Lord, we a doubly reminded to be productive. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God. Romans 12:11 describes the lives of Christians saying we are to be, “not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” That about sums it up.

Third, prepare to meet your God. In Amos 4:12, the prophet warned Israel, “Prepare to meet your God.” He was telling them that doom was ahead if they did not repent. But he emphasized what we need to do at all times – PREPARE to stand before God. We are told in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

A point that many in the religious world do not want to face is that salvation involves more than initial obedience. It means remaining faithful to God as long as you live (see Revelation 14:13, 2 Peter 2:20-22, Hebrews 10:38, etc.). It would be a terrible thing to have lived a good life and then at the end as you are engaged in an act of rebellion, you die and must face your Creator and Judge. But such doesn’t have to be the case. The answer is to ALWAYS live prepared to stand before Him. As a child of God, when you do sin, you must repent, confess and pray to Him for forgiveness (Acts 8:22, 1 John 1:9). Because of the uncertainty of life, we need to do that ASAP when needed.

In doing this we are living to die. David told us in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” What about you? Are you prepared to stand before God if this day were your last? If not, do whatever you need to do. And if you are blessed with many more days, live each one of them as if it were your last as well. Because one day, you will be right!