Pastor's Page

Back in Minnesota we had a family friend that passed away in early January. This man has known our family since the mid-80s. My dad saw him three weeks before his death and everything was normal. But sadly he contracted Covid-19 and died about a week later. When my dad saw him there was no indication that his days were very numbered, but God knew and so is life. None of us know the day we are going to die. The Psalmist tells us, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). Our friend flew in to the presence of the Lord in early January with no notice that he would be arriving there so soon. As I pondered his death and the reality that many people die every day with no warning, it made me think about how intentional we should live our lives on earth. As we go through life it feels so permanent and there are many people that hardly ever think about their death, but the end of your journey will come. As we think about this it would be helpful to ask the question, how should we spend our last week on earth? The apostle Paul wrote that he would prefer to be with the Lord rather than live here, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1:23). But he also wrote a verse earlier, “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me” (Philippians 1:22). So what Paul tells us that we are to spend our time well while on earth. He writes in another place, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time” (Colossians 4:5). 

God calls every believer to spend one’s time wisely. We are not to waste our time here living for pleasure (2 Timothy 3:4). We are not to waste our time going down unhelpful rabbit trails (1 Timothy 1:4). We are not to live for ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:15). We are not to live with our eyes so fixed on the world that we forget this life is so short and eternity is never ending (2 Corinthians 4:18). We are to live for the One that holds our life in his hands and will call us home when our time is done (Acts 17:25; Acts 7:59). We are to live a life of risks, realizing that our only true security is found in God (Acts 20:24). We are not to care what the world thinks about us, realizing the world and their sinful desires are passing away (1 John 2:15-17). We are to have our eyes fixed on Jesus who is the only One that will ever make us joyful forever (John 15:11). He is the only One where true peace is present (John 14:27). He is the only One from whom we can truly be comforted (2 Corinthians 1:4). He is the only One where true hope is found (Romans 5:4-4). He is the only One that can be fully trusted never to let us down (2 Corinthians 1:20). 

So how should we live in our final week? The number one thing we should do is spend time with God in his Word. The only place we will hear from him is through the Bible. In America right now truth is rare, but every time you read the Bible you can be confident that everything you read is absolutely true, and everything you read will be life giving. Number two: we are to spend time with God in prayer. Reading the Bible and praying go together. As we know the Bible better we are going to know how to pray better. God is waiting for us to ask him for things that he has already promised. As the apostle John wrote, “This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15). If we pray for his promises we will receive what we ask. If you are living your last week on earth you should pray to know him more, to love him more, to reflect him more, to trust him more, to have joy, peace, comfort, strength, and hope. To finish the race strong, preparing yourself to meet him. These are all things that God wants a believer to have and we will have these things in increasing measure if we ask him for them. This prayer time is deep intimacy with God. He is your greatest friend. No one knows you better than him. No one loves you more than him. No one knows what you need more than him, so be in continual conversation with him. 

If you are living your last week on earth you will also prioritize relationships. This does not mean just shooting the breeze with your buddies, but rather having rich Christian fellowship. This means speaking truth to one another and encouraging one another as we approach the Day we meet the Lord (Hebrews 10:24-25). This rich time will be with fellow believers, whether biological family or not. There is one more priority to add and that is getting the gospel out. We tend not to share the gospel because of what people will think, but if we have one week to live this should give us boldness. People are dying apart from Christ and going to hell. If it is our last week on earth, we will be more urgent with evangelism. To live our last week this way would be the best way to go out. But here is the question we need to ask, why do we not live every week this way? If we do, what a life well lived when it is all said and done. So may every week be as though it were our last. 

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Seth