There is no partiality in death.
God knows the day of your death on this Earth. Yet, I do not know, and you do not know. Even in this unawareness, however, we can trust the One who is sovereign over our lives and our deaths (Romans 8:28).
Talking about this is not meant to serve as a means of fear mongering. However, the reality we all face cannot be avoided forever. Millions die each year. Young or old, rich or poor, nobody is immune. Recognizing this, we must acknowledge that God’s decree in Genesis is surely manifested all around us: that of the day that Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would surely die (Genesis 2:17). It has come to fruition. The evidence is all around us. Yet, death does not have the victory. Christ does (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
Yes, we must still face the reality of death, but not in the ultimate sense. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life (John 5:24). Not only will we as believers one day see it, but we have it now. In this, we see that death is just a doorway. Let me bring up an example to demonstrate this. We may see the world differently after passing through the door of adulthood than we did as children, but both of the experiences are real. We will see eternal life differently after passing through the doorway of death, but the eternal life for the believer is already present by the grace of God. As believers, we have passed out of death and into life.
In view of this, we must be eternally-minded people. We must recognize that what may seem mundane or insignificant is actually an opportunity to count it all as joy (James 1:2-3). What may seem difficult in a certain moment may amount to much fruit in the perspective of eternity. The shortcomings that weigh us down now will not hold us down forever. Our eyes must be on the hope of redemption. The creation has been groaning since the fall, but God’s redeeming work will be fulfilled (Romans 8:19-23).
As it stands, in our perspective, the work has not yet come to completion, and so we still must face the reality of death. Yet, life must still be lived with utmost purpose while we are here. After all, we do not choose to do nothing with our day just because we know we will go to sleep that night. In the same way, we cannot live our lives constantly in fear. Jesus is Risen (Matthew 28:5-6)! We no longer have to live in the shadow of death, but death must live in the shadow of its own defeat.
“WE NO LONGER HAVE TO LIVE IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH, BUT DEATH MUST LIVE IN THE SHADOW OF ITS OWN DEFEAT.”
We do not exist to find satisfaction in ourselves or to ascribe worship to the elements of creation surrounding us (Romans 1:24-25). Instead, we exist for the glory of God, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth (Romans 11:36). This is why nothing else will suffice. People run to drugs. People run to alcohol. People run to sex. People run to relationships. People run to money. People run to status. All the while, they are running away from their Creator. Please, consider that there is a God-shaped hole in your heart and seek to find your fulfillment in Him!
It feels like my childhood was just yesterday, as time waits for no man. Nevertheless, there is a great paradox to be found in the intricacies of time just as there is in the interworkings of a watch. That is, as we get closer to the end of our temporal perspective, we are only drawing closer to our eternal perspective. Therefore, let us pursue the things that will matter in the long run. After all, it is not really about what we want to be “when we grow up”, but what type of person we want to be when we get there. This is true for young children, young adults, and even the elderly as we never stop “growing up.” Even so, people plan such things all of the time, but do not really know what their future holds. We cannot plan to pursue what truly matters in life “later” because we do not know if “later” will ever come in our temporal perspective. We don’t even know what tomorrow will bring.
This is where the urgency comes in. In the natural state as fallen image-bearers of God, people are dead in their sins and trespasses (Ephesians 2:1-3). If your faith is not in Jesus Christ, you stand as one who holds a bomb in their hand, who does not know when its destruction will come. Gloriously, on the other hand, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for sins and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). If your faith is placed in Him, there is no more condemnation, and you shall have eternal life (Romans 8:1, and John 3:16). This is a matter regarding the eternal fate of your soul, so may you treat it with due urgency. As human beings, we face many challenges like anxiety and physical disabilities, but our battle against sin must be confronted most of all. Repent, and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15).
While anxiety and many other struggles under the sun are battles that encompass a physical and a spiritual sense, we have the ultimate victory in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who won the war by defeating death. He has ascended, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, while every enemy is being put under His feet. Anxiety, addiction, every other evil under the sun, and lastly, death (1 Corinthians 15:24-26). Since The Lord reigns supreme over death, we do not need to fear it as people without hope do. May our love for God cast out the shadows of fear and death. For to live is Christ, and to die is gain for the Kingdom (Philippians 1:21)! May your trust be placed in Jesus, for this life is but a vapor (James 4:13-15), and thus the call is urgent. So whatever you do: whether you drive, exercise, strive for higher education, and so on, do it all for the glory of God!
