One Breath Away From Glory

"If the dead do not rise, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” - 1 Corinthians 15:32

Now this is a topic that people don’t really want to talk about or dwell on.  It's the elephant in the room.  It is sobering, really.  This mortal life that we live is all we know, isn’t it?  Life beyond the grave is something we know about by faith.  Some people try to talk to people on the "other side", I suppose as a way to give the living assurance that there really is life after death.  And because of the fear of death, for ages, people have been seeking ways to promote longevity.  Some even have themselves “frozen in time”, literally, with the hope that some day someone will figure out a way to unfreeze them and give a healthy life back to them.  People are desperate.  Wealthy people are even more so. Guess what – everyone in your generation is going to die, one way or another.  

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”  Hebrews 9: 27-28

God doesn't tell us where, when or how we will breath our last breath, just that death is inevitable for all of us. It is inescapable.  Many people try and have tried to hold on to their youth … it is all in vain.  Aging is something that is going to happen – just like death.  I was looking at the pictures on the shelves above my desk the other day when I realized that most of the people in those pictures had passed away. Some Christians and, unfortunately, some not. 

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,    I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”  -  Psalm 119:14-16

I am not trying to be morbid – or insensitive to those who have lost loved ones.  My objective is to get you to think about your life.  Jesus told a parable – recorded in Luke chapter 12 – about a man who had an abundance and wanted to keep it for himself for the future.  The thing was, he had a very short future – his days were up – he was going to die that night.  What are you putting your faith and hope in.  Most of us go to sleep expecting to awake in our bed the next morning – what if you open your eyes and you find yourself in heaven instead?  We should live our lives like today is the last day. If it was, then the earthly issues we worry about would fade into in-significance.  Each breath you take is a gift from God.  And each breath you take is one step closer to Glory.  

In light of our mortality – we should live for God like there is no tomorrow – there might not be.  Scare tactic? No.  Truth.  It’s time to get busy and live with an awareness of the realities of life and the Hope we have in Jesus.  Being young doesn't mean you have time. Being older does not mean you are out of time. 

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." - Matthew 6:33-34

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone