IMAGE IF...... IT WAS YOUR LAST DAY
We never know when we will draw our last breath, or how we will die. We must always be prepared. Friend, brother, sister, are you ready to die right now? Do you know where you will spend eternity? Christian, do you look forward to going to your eternal home? Are there some things you need to get right before the time comes?
THE LAST DAY OF YOUR LIFE
Knowing that the end was near, Joshua, the valiant soldier of God, used his last day of life to solemnly address the people of Israel. He began by saying, “Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth” (Joshua 23:14). He went on to remind the people of God’s goodness in the past and to warn them that unfaithfulness to God in the future would bring ruin. (Joshua 23:15, 16). He closed his farewell address by urging: “Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness” (Joshua 24:14).
How would you spend your time if you knew that this were your last day on earth??? It is a sobering thought! Consider the following:
You don’t know when your last day will come. Few of us will be as certain of the arrival of our last day as Joshua was. We know that the day will come but we do not know when. The future, at best, is uncertain. We have no guarantee of tomorrow. The Bible compares this life to a vapor which appears briefly and then vanishes (James 4:14). That is why it is so important that we make immediate preparation for the day when we will “go the way of all the earth” ( 2 Corinthians 6:2).
Your last day will probably be a day like today. It is likely that the last day you live will be much like this one. The things you are doing now are probably the things you will be doing then. The great songwriter and preacher, Will W. Slater, spent the last day of his life preaching and leading singing in a small South Arkansas town. One of the songs he sang was entitled “This Is Someone’s Last Day.” He commented on the appropriateness and truthfulness of that title. Later that night he collapsed. He died on the way to the hospital in an ambulance. It was a typical day of his life – a fitting end to a life of faithful service to God. If today were to be your last day, would it be a day that you willingly accept as being typical of your life…?
How have you lived today? This is the real question! Have I used today for good or evil? Have I tried to help or hurt others? Have I sought to grow personally and spiritually, or have I been content to drift? Have I used the day to sow kindness or unkindness? Have I tried to live for God, or have I simply ignored Him? When I was in school, one of my Bible teachers taught me to pray: “Lord, help me to live every day as though it were my last day.” That is the real secret to successful living.
If you could know that this was your last day, would you wish to make changes in your life? This day has been given to you for preparation and self-improvement. Use it wisely!
—Bobby Dockery, Fayetteville, AR
