A Time to Die

A time to die (Eccl. 3:2b)

 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, (Heb. 9:27)

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  Phil. 1:21

So a few things are certain and two of them are that we all have a birth date, and at some point we will have a death date.   I'm not sure how many funerals you've attended or even when was the last one you attended, but they have a way of making you think about a few questions regarding when you die:

1.  What do I want my funeral to be like?

2.  Who will come? 

3.  Who will care?

4.  Cremation or burial?

5.  What songs do I want sung at my funeral.

6.  Will my life have made a difference?

This is not an exhaustive list, but it is all the same a list that I believe are questions that we ask ourselves as we see friends, family, and acquaintances transition from this life into the next, and the reality starts to become that soon.....this will hit home, or even be you.  So for the purposes of this devotional blog, I wanna focus on question 6...."WILL MY LIFE, MY LIVING HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE?"  The truth is the only way to answer that is in are you making a difference RIGHT NOW?  If we are made in the image of GOD, then there are some attributes/characteristics of His that should be evident in our lives (jobs, marriage, relationships, communities) that just makes life sweeter for others.   YES, our areas of influence should be overwhelmingly better because of our existence.   If you can't say you LOVE & KNOW YOUR neighbors, co-workers, fellow congregants, etc....then how can you say you are making a difference?

I am ending this with Paul's statement to the Phillipian Church, that he saw his dying as a gain.  The only way Paul was able to see this was because of his very reason for living was eternally focused.  He lived with "spreading The Gospel" as being the No. 1 thing on his bucket list....and fulfilled it.  Only living for CHRIST, affords one to say TO DIE IS GAIN....because you do....you really GAIN: ETERNAL PEACE & JOY WITH THE CREATOR GOD and the saints.  So I pray that you start living today with the END in mind.....Loving GOD, and Loving (all) People!