Live Like They're Dying
Did you hear the one about the three buddies who were talking about death and dying? One asked, "When you're in your casket and friends and family are mourning you, what would you like to hear them say about you?"
The first guy says, "I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor of my time and a great family man."
The second man says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow."
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The last guy says, "I would like to hear them say…LOOK, HE'S MOVING!!!"
Maybe you've also heard the song by Kris Allen called "Live Like We're Dying." It's a powerful reminder to, well, live like we're dying.
For example:
Yeah, we gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking
Gotta live like we're dying.
We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying.
In a semi-dark and serious way, I would like to remind you that life is fatal because no one gets out alive. The statistics on death are very impressive - 10 out of every 10 people living on earth will eventually die.
Unless Jesus comes back, of course, but since we can't control that, what we should control is how we approach each and every one of the 86,400 seconds that God grants us in a day.
In the song, Allen encourages us to tell people we love them and live with no regrets - which is good advice - but to truly live like you were dying involves much more than that.
Ironically, to truly live like we're dying means that you should live like they're dying…
Who are they? Everyone! They are your friends and your enemies, your family and the foreigners, your teachers and coaches and delivery people and cashiers where you shop.
They are anyone and everyone that God puts in your path…and you need to remember that they are dying.
Not just physically, but spiritually as well. Everyone on the planet has a terminal spiritual disease called sin that has separated us from God. It not only destroys our lives now, but separates us from the God who made us.
But the amazing news is that we carry the cure! We who have trusted in Jesus Christ know the most powerful message of salvation in the universe, because it has saved us from the penalty and power of sin.
The question is…what are you going to do with the cure? Let me challenge you with the words of someone who absolutely and totally lived like everyone around him was dying:
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23, NLT).
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes (Romans 1:16, NLT).
Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn't preach the Good News! If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust (1 Corinthians 9:16-17, NLT).
And God has given you this sacred trust as well. So each day remember that you
Only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying.
Trust me, the best way to tell someone that you love them is to tell them about the Someone who loved them so much that He died on a cross to pay the penalty for their sin, and now offers the free gift of eternal life and love to anyone who believes. Living a life for THE Cause of Christ is a guaranteed life of no regrets.
We gotta live like they're dying!
Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action
This week, take some time to sit down in the mall or at a park alone. As you look at all the people around you and passing by, picture a sign right above their heads that says "bound for hell." Pretty soon you'll realize what Paul was feeling when he said that he is not ashamed of the gospel.
Accelerant: Feed the Fire
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20).
Snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear-hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh (Jude 1:23).
I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ (Philemon 1:6).
