Hello World, 
No one ever wants to think about dying…But over the last several months, I have been forced to consider the reality that we all must die someday…and many of us will leave this earth sooner than we prepared for and or expected…I truly began considering the ugly reality of death when my beloved Delta line sister Lola passed away in October…Since then, I have thought of her constantly…I wonder what actions she took to prepare herself for her transition, how her family is coping since that devastating day and how we will continue to live here on earth without her…
I was forced to think about the temporal life most of us lead on New Year’s Eve when the pastor preached on Romans 13:11-14….
11 Another reason for right living is this: you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of the Lord is nearer now than when we first believed.
12-13 The night is far gone, the day of his return[a] will soon be here. So quit the evil deeds of darkness and put on the armor of right living, as we who live in the daylight should! Be decent and true in everything you do so that all can approve your behavior. Don’t spend your time in wild parties and getting drunk or in adultery and lust or fighting or jealousy.
14 But ask the Lord Jesus Christ to help you live as you should, and don’t make plans to enjoy evil.
Although I am a Christian, Lord help me, I can get so caught up in what I need to do today, this week, this month, this year and on and on…as if I have a eternal to-do list never factoring in that one day Jesus Christ will return and it may sooner than I expect…I’ve even thought I hope Jesus Christ returns to earth after I die because I’ve got things I want to do, see and be…how disgustingly worldly is that?
And since the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared on March 8, I, among many across the world have been theorizing just what could have happened…I posted on my Facebook a few days later that my best theory was the plane had been raptured…I was sort of kidding…And I got several responses to that post…However, considering the verses above, we have to able to discern what is going on around us and be sensitive to God what is doing…
So this morning, I am wondering are if we living are like we’re dying…because the truth is, we are dying a little bit each day…Below are a few questions to determine if we are living like we’re dying…
- What are we doing regularly for the Lord? I have dedicated my writing talent to the Lord because He gave it to me anyway…But outside of that, the Lord has been prompting me to not just write about Him but to speak about Him as well…I must confess talking about Jesus is so scary to me because I don’t want to others to think I’m a religious nut or just plain weird…but I have committed myself this year to being all about Jesus in “word and deed.”
- Are we paying attention? It is easy to get caught up in what is going with our individual lives or the lives of our friends and loved ones that we don’t pay attention to what is going in the world…This is a huge problem for me…I’m not a hard news person…I have to force myself to pay attention to politics and world affairs (when I would rather be watching the Real Housewives of Atlanta or other ratchetness) because I know that the more I pay attention to politics and world affairs, the better chance I have of discerning what God is doing…I’m not talking about hocus pocus…I’m talking or rather writing about the signs of the times…
- Do we have a personal relationship with the Lord? Many people are churchgoers but knowing the Lord in a personal way is a different matter altogether…My personal relationship with the Lord is the supreme guiding principal and principle in my life..One way that I know I am personally acquainted with the Lord is that I hear His voice regularly… And God speaks to me in various ways, sometimes I get an overwhelming feeling of peace when I’ve heard bad news that lets me know that despite what I’ve heard, everything will be fine…Other times, I know He is speaking to me when I hear someone say the exact words I needed to hear…Sometimes, I come across a book that entirely shifts my thinking…it’s been amazing to hear God in so many ways throughout my Christian journey…
What are some other questions we may need to ask ourselves to determine that we are living like we’re dying?
Any thoughts?
Good message! Scripture tells us to be ready. We don’t know the time or the hour when the Lord will call us home (Matthew 24:44). It is so ‘easy’ to be caught up in the ‘world’ and its activities that pleases our flesh, rather than our spirit.
The world is concerned about the rapture; the ending of the world as we know it. But that very moment a person takes their last breath is the ending of ‘their’ world as they know it. For after death is the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
We must learn to stay focused on JESUS. The spirit man and the fleshly man ‘will NEVER’ work in harmony. We must choose this day who we are to serve—the world (satan) or GOD.
As we continue in the word of God, it gets easier (for those who lean to let go of sin) as we learn to walk in the spirit and let go of the evil desires of the flesh.
God means what He says, and it’s up to each of us to trust Him and not this world and its wickedness. We are to guard our heart, mind and soul with the purity of the Gospel, not with the filth of this world, such as: 1. The things will allow ourselves to see (movies, tv shows, music events; 2. The things will allow ourselves to “indulge’ (fornication, evil associations . ..).
We (Christians) must separate ourselves and live holy lifestyles in peace. Without holiness no man will see the Lord(Hebrews 12:14).
It’s a matter of knowing Jesus and living wrong or right. It’s a matter of pleasing the Lord, not self.
Amen Myra! Thanks for stopping by…