LIVING LIKE YOU’RE LEAVING

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest.–Ecc. 9:10 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.–Col.3:23-24   For many years I have stood before grieving families at funerals and said,”We should be living like we’re leaving”. We need to think about that, because we’re all leaving (Heb. 9:27) and it might be sooner than we think!   Country singer, Tim McGraw had this in mind when he sang,”Live Like You Were Dying”. The chorus says: “I went skydiving  I went rocky mountain climbing.  I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Ma Shu.  And I loved deeper,  And I spoke sweeter,  And I gave forgiveness I’d been denyin’  And he said some day I hope you get the chance  To live like you were dyin'”.   You might not want to go “skydiving” or “rocky mountain climbing”, but you need to think about the theme of that song. We are dying–it’s just a matter of time! So then, how should we live? Peter addresses this subject in 2 Peter 3:11. He speaks of a bitter day and a better day, and he asked this question-“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness—?” That’s a question we need to consider. To live like we are leaving, sinners must be reconcilied to God and saints need to be ready. To live like we’re leaving we must be– -sure of our salvation -seperated in our living -sincere in our loving -stedfast in our serving -serious in our witnessing -silent in our complaining We all have more than we deserve and, if we are truly living like we are leaving, the best is yet to come. The shortness of life and the seriousness of our accountability to God should motivate us to do our best at doing what is best. In other words, we should do what is right and do it right. And we should do it right now–while we can.   The old invitation hymn,”Softly and Tenderly” says: “Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing, Passing from you and from me; Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming, Coming for you and for me.”   We need to think about that. We get just one chance to do what we should–we better do it right! Sooner than you think, your moment under the sun will be over. In light of that fact, Moses said,”So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”(Psalm 90:12). THINK ABOUT IT!