One Month to Live

“Who knows the power of Your anger.... so, teach us to number our day” (Psalm 90:11-12).

D.L. Moody, the great evangelist of the 19^th century, was asked over dinner how he would react if he knew the Lord was returning in one month. D.L. put his fork down, paused for a moment, and then responded, “I would finish eating my steak.”

He was already making every day count for the kingdom of God!

A friend of mine was going through cancer treatment. He said God was impressing on him the brevity of his time here on earth. Isn’t it interesting how short our life looks when facing cancer?

We tend to live life like we have lots of time on our hands. In the Old Testament, people would live hundreds of years before death. But now the Bible suggests we only can count on 70 or 80 years, and that only with good health.

Man’s sinful and fallen nature is the reason for life’s brevity...“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). God is most definitely angry at sin, so according to Psalm 90, our earthly lives are shorter than He originally planned. ‘This isn’t the garden of Eden anymore, Eve.’

So... what should I do, Lord?

“Teach us to number our day” (Psalm 90:12).

“Redeem the time, for the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).

‘Redeem’ means to ‘buy back’. No, I cannot fix my past. But I can maximize my future.

When I focus on giving rather than taking, sowing more than reaping, speaking faith instead of doubt, I begin to birth life in others.

Here’s four great questions:

‘Am I treasuring this gift called life by lavishly investing it in others?’

‘Am I generously helping people find eternal life through Jesus?’

‘Will I wish I had lived differently when I stand before God?’

‘What would I do if I knew I had one month to live?’

The pressing question for the church is not, ‘when will the Lord return?’ But it’s, ‘when will I be called home? And did I make my days count for the Lord?’ The songwriter wrote, ‘only one life will soon be past... only what’s done for Christ will last.’ Let’s make today count for eternity!

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries

www.oasisworldministries.org