Sun 9:30a Class; 10:30a Worship; 11:35a Communion
Bible Bites
If You Died Tonight...
Do you remember the feeling you had when you were baptized? You knew you had been forgiven of your sins and that you would go to heaven should you die soon. Do you remember the feeling you had when you came forward at church to acknowledge unfaithfulness? You were confident that you would go to heaven should you die soon. There have been times in my life when I felt strong in my faith and I was on fire for the Lord and giving Him my best effort. I was confident that, should I die, I would go to heaven. There have been other times when I was not so confident!
Are you prepared for death? Life is lived one day at a time. Is God a part of your life each day? “This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24). We must live each day as if it were our last on earth. We must be prepared for death. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord” (Rev. 14:13). How about those who don’t die in the Lord? Remember the five foolish virgins who were unprepared, having no oil for their lamps (Mt. 25:1-13). Sometimes death seems closer than at other times. One may have a serious illness or even a terminal illness. One may have a dangerous job. Sometimes death comes unexpectedly.
Regardless, we must be prepared. It is too easy to lose one’s perspective. “You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). We spend our lifetime working to meet our physical needs and pleasures and often forget, abandon, or diminish our spiritual needs. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mt. 16:26). “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life” (John 6:27). We must make sure that we live for the Lord each day. “He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15).
Are you laboring for the Lord? Paul called Priscilla and Aquila his fellow workers in Christ Jesus (Rom. 16:3). “Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord. Greet the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord” (Rom 16:12). “Help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement al~o, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life” (Phil. 4:3). We must abound in the work of the Lord because our labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58). Our works follow us to the grave (Rev. 14:13).
Are you giving God your best? We are taught to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt 6:33). Are you placing family or work ahead of God? Do you find yourself making excuses for not assembling with the saints? We are to love God with all of our being. “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). God has given us all things and we should honor Him with all that we have. “Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase” (Prov. 3:9). We must give God our best effort. “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Col. 3:23). Our service to God must come from the heart. “As bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men” (Eph. 6:6-7). “With my whole heart I have sought You” (Ps. 119:10).
Are you walking in the light? “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). To walk in the light is to follow the pattern of early Christians who continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers (Acts 2:42). The early Christians confessed their trespasses to one another and prayed for one another as they walked in the light (James 5:16). They realized that we all sin and need forgiveness. As we confess our sins, we come back to the light and continue to walk in the light (1 John 1:8-9). To walk in the light is to walk in love. “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us” (Eph. 5:2). We walk in the light by keeping God’s commandments. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3). To walk in the light is to walk in truth. “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4).
Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). Are you keeping the faith? Are you laboring for the Lord? Are you giving your best to God? Are you maintaining good works? Are you walking in the light? Or have you left your first love (Rev 2:4)? If you die tonight, where will you spend eternity?
— In Biblical Insights, October 2014
