What If This Were Your Last Year on Earth?

Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries recommend a great new children's book by Sally Lloyd-Jones called Jesus Our True Friend. You have kids and they need to hear the story of Jesus. And I bet you struggle at times trying to read Bible stories to your children. This is a great tool, so order your copy of Jesus Our True Friend Stories to Fill Your Heart with Joy, written by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Yours for a gift of any amount at harvest.org.

The title of my message is, What if this were your last year on earth? You know, one thing that you notice as you get older is time seems to pass more quickly.

Now of course time is the same. But it depends on where you're at in your life as to how you view time. For instance, when I was a young boy in elementary school, it seemed like sitting in class lasted forever. I would just stare at the clock, waiting for the hands to move. But then, as you get older, months go by more quickly, years go by more quickly, even decades go by more quickly.

And now, as I look at my life, I have more behind me than I have in front of me. And I have been described as middle-aged.

However, I don't know about that because I wouldn't feel bad about being called middle-aged if I knew a few more people over the age of 100. I mean, middle-age seems like it would more realistically be somewhere in your mid-30s than where I'm at now in my 40s. No, my 50s. But youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to.

You know? A middle age is when you know all of the answers and no one ever asks you the questions. Yeah, time passes by quickly. And then the funny thing is my generation, the architects of youth culture, are now officially entering retirement age. I read an article the other day that said that the baby boom generation now is at retirement age and 7,000 of these boomers are turning 65 each day.

Many believe this is going to bankrupt Social Security and Medicare.

Now the irony is this is the original youth culture. You know, it was the baby boomers that effectively introduced rock and roll to the world. The generation that gave us the rolling stones and other symbols of rebellion has now gone from sex, drugs, and rock and roll to nip, tuck, and Botox. We've gone from acid rock to acid reflux. Of course, some people are in denial about this and they want to appear to be younger than they really are.

Nothing is sadder than a person who shops at forever 21 when they're 66. You know, so they think, oh, I'll do cosmetic surgery, and everyone will think I'm younger. I really don't know if that ever works, to be quite honest with you. I'm not against it. If you want to get it, that's fine.

But I don't think it really makes anyone look younger, it just makes them look different. That's all.

Okay, and sometimes you look at some people and you think internally, did you want to look this way? And some maybe don't want to make that leap toward cosmetic surgery, so they just get a bunch of Botox. And the problem with Botox is your expressions disappear. You're supposed to have lines in your face.

So a person who's had too much Botox has to tell you how they're feeling in a given moment. You know, I'm really mad at you right now. But I can't move my face.

So I'm telling you. I'm mad with a Botox face. Oh wait. I'm really happy now, but you can't, I can't smile. My face is frozen.

Sorry, how many of you have had Botox, right? I didn't think you'd raise your hand. You know, everyone wants to figure out how to prolong their life, how to live longer, and so forth. But here's the thing that we need to realize. God is an appointed day for our birth and also for our death.

In fact, we're told in scripture, Job 14, 15, you have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live when we're not given a minute longer. Hebrews 9, 27 says, it's appointed unto a man once to die, and after this comes the judgment. And then Psalm 39, 4, it says, Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered and my life is fleeing away.

So I have a question for you. Let's say your doctor called you in tomorrow morning and said, we have just done tests on you after your last physical. And we have to tell you, you have only one year to live. This is your last year on planet Earth.

Now, if this were the situation, How would you live your life? Would you live it any differently? Irma Baumbeck was a columnist for many years. She has since passed on, but. When she found out from her doctor she only had a year to live, she wrote a column with the title, If I Had My Life to Live Over.

And here's what she said, and I quote from her column: If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. If I had my life to live over, I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains. I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

If I had my life to live over, when my kids kissed me impetuously, I would have never said, no, hurry, go get washed up for dinner. But mostly, if given another shot at life, I would seize every minute, look at it and really see it, live it and never give it back, and I would stop sweating the small stuff. Don't worry about who doesn't like you or who has more or who's doing what. Indeed, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who love us. I thought that was very well written.

You know, when life comes to an end, certain things become more important to you that frankly should have been important all along. And those three things seem to be faith, family, and friends. The first thing a person becomes aware of if they're on their deathbed or they know that the end is there is their faith, either how important it is to them or their lack thereof. Those that are strong believers become stronger in their faith, it seems, under such circumstances. And those that aren't walking with God are aware of the fact that they need to do something about that.

And then there's family. You're very aware of the fact that you might be estranged from members of your family, and hopefully that's something you'll want to make right. And then, of course, there are friends. Billy Graham was recently interviewed by Greta Van Sustran. And he hasn't done an interview in many years now.

And he was asked the question: if he could live his life over, what would he change? And here was his response, and I quote. I would study more, I would pray more, I would travel less and take less speaking engagements. If I had it to-do over, I'd spend more time in meditation and prayer and just telling the Lord how much I love him and adore him. And I'm looking forward to the time when we're going to spend eternity together.

I thought that was well said. And now I want to look at the lives of two men that knew that time was short. Two men that effectively found out that their time on earth was quickly coming to an end. The first is found in the Old Testament, and his name is Hezekiah. He was the king of Israel.

Hezekiah, in contrast to many of the kings that ruled over the Jewish people, was a godly man. In fact, he tore down the idols that had been erected to false gods, and he called Israel back to turn to the Lord. In fact, when Israel was threatened by an enemy, the Assyrians, it was King Hezekiah who went and brought his request before the Lord and asked for the Lord to deliver them. And the Lord answered his prayer, and an angel of the Lord was sent, and he destroyed 185,000 Assyrian troops on the battlefield.

So this was a man of God, a man of faith.

Well, one day, Hezekiah got very ill. In fact, so sick that he was really on his deathbed. And the prophet Isaiah was dispatched to him by the Lord and was told to give him a message. And Isaiah said to King Hezekiah, this is what the Lord says. Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die and you will not recover from this illness.

Ominous words for sure. And Hezekiah was not prepared to accept this news. And he called out to God. He reminded the Lord of how faithful of a king he had been. And he asked the Lord to spare his life and heal him.

And God answered the king's prayer. Isaiah was told to go back to Hezekiah and say, your life has been extended for 15 more years.

So that's a good thing, right?

Well, not necessarily. Because scripture tells us in 2 Chronicles 32, 24 that Hezekiah's heart was proud and his response was wrong.

So how should the king have responded when he found out that his life was coming to an end?

Well, he probably should have said something along the lines of, well, Lord, I'd like to live longer. If that's in your will, but if this is my time. Then fine. He should have put it in the hands of God. And you know, when you've lived long enough, you come to realize that it's a good thing God did not answer all of your prayers.

How many of you have prayed for something really stupid? Raise your hand. I hope you're all raising your hand. Come on. We all have.

And as you get older, you look back on things you prayed for when you were younger and you say, thank you, Lord, for not answering that prayer. That girl you were madly in love with, or that guy, or that career choice you wanted to follow, or whatever it was, you look back and realize that closed door was an answered prayer and it ultimately was a good thing. C.S. Lewis wrote, and I quote: I don't know where I'd be today if God had granted all the foolish prayers I'd offered to Him, end quote.

Well, Hindsight is 20-20, and we have the benefit of it in the case of Hezekiah. He was given 15 more years to live.

So how did that work out?

Well, for starters, he gave classified information to his enemies.

Sort of a biblical version of WikiLeaks. See what happened, it was an emissary from Babylon was sent. To visit Hezekiah, and for some reason that we don't understand, Hezekiah showed him all the treasures of Israel, all of the wealth of the people. And this gave a motive to the Assyrians to later invade Israel, which they did, taking the Jewish people into captivity for 70 years. Hezekiah should not have done this, revealed such sensitive information to his enemies.

But he was sort of like a guy taking his buddy into his garage and showing him all of his toys. Hey, look at all the cool stuff we have. There was an element of pride in it, so that was a big mistake. And then secondly, it was during this Extended 15 years of his life, if you will, that Hezekiah had a son, and his name was Manasseh. And he went on to rule Israel in his father's stead and effectively undid all the good Hezekiah had done.

Where Hezekiah tore down the altars to the false gods, Manasseh erected new ones and led the people into full-scale idolatry. He was one of the most wicked kings that ever ruled over the nation, even offering his own son as a burnt offering, killing his son to the pagan god Molach. Frankly, it would have been better if Manasseh had never been born. But to kind of give you an insight into where Hezekiah was at. In the final years of his life, after he revealed this classified information to the emissary from Babylon.

Isaiah was kind of calling him on it, saying, why did you do that? That's wrong. And he went on to say in 2 Kings 20, the time is coming when everything you have, Hezekiah, all the treasures stored up by your ancestors, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord.

Some of your own descendants will be taken into exile. Bad news for sure. But yet the scripture tells us that Hezekiah was thinking to himself, well, at least there'll be peace and security during my lifetime. In other words, who cares? As long as that doesn't affect me.

Oh, my family's going to be taken into exile. I don't care. All of our stuff is going to be taken away. As long as it doesn't bring me discomfort. I'm fine with it, sad.

He should have thought more about his legacy and what he was passing on. And that's what we all need to be thinking about in life. It's not just living a long life. but living a full and meaningful life.

Sometimes people live long lives and waste them. Others live long lives and do horrible things with them.

Some live shorter lives. But their lives make a great difference. Jim Elliott. who was a young missionary. Who felt called by God to bring the gospel message to the Alka Indians and unreached tribe?

was martyred in his endeavors. And though he had so much promise and so much life ahead of him, it was cut short. But yet in his journal, Jim Elliott wrote these words, and I quote, I seek not a long life, but a full one like you, Lord Jesus. You see, when it's all said and done, it's not about just living a long life, it's living a life that is full and purposeful. Corey Tinboom said, and I quote, the measure of a life after all is not its duration, but its donation.

So what kind of donation is your life making?

So there was Hezekiah. Finding out his life was coming to an end, he asked for an extension, made a mess of his life, and frankly, it probably would have been better if he had just gone to be with the Lord when the Lord said the time had come.

Now let's contrast that to another man. His story is in the New Testament. He was not a king. He was an apostle. We know him as Paul.

Because here in 2 Timothy, we read the last words of the great apostle. These were written in the Mamertine prison in Rome. Why was he there? Because he had faithfully proclaimed the good news to people. And though he had been warned if he persisted, he would be arrested.

And now here he was, chained up in this miserable, primitive little place. None of his friends were with him. He was all alone. But yet as you read his words, they resonate with joy and with hope. not with depression and despair.

So let's read the familiar words of the Apostle Paul in his final epistle that he wrote as he knew the end was near. 2 Timothy 4, starting in verse 6. I am already being poured out as a drink offering. For the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight.

I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me in that day, and not to me only, but to all who love his appearing.

So what do we learn from the final words of Paul? What takeaway truths can we glean from them as we enter into a new year and how we ought to be living our lives just in case it's our last year?

Well, number one. Paul knew that the time to leave this world had come. Verse 6, he says, the time of my departure is at hand. I know it's close. I know that sounds sad and tragic, and in some ways it is.

But when you're a believer who has put their faith in Christ, you know when you leave this life, you go straight to heaven.

So it has a lot to do with your destination. Yeah, I don't know about you, but I don't look forward to going to the dentist. Even if it's through a teeth cleaning. Because it seems like they always find something wrong, you know? While they're cleaning, oh, we have a little problem here, let's do an x-ray.

Oh, no. What now? But you know, it's an important thing to get your teeth cleaned and to take care of your teeth. But I don't look forward to it.

Now, when someone says, let's go to lunch, I'm happy. I look forward to that. All depends where you're going, right? When you're really young, you get excited when someone says, let's go to Disneyland. And when you're older, you look forward to the time when someone says, let's now leave Disneyland.

The happiest moment for a kid is the Matterhorn through the front windshield. The happiest moment for the parents is the Matterhorn in the rearview mirror. Because you're exhausted. And you're ready to go.

Well Heaven is what was before Paul and he looked forward to it.

Now, in Paul's case, there was a home court advantage. And by that, I mean Paul had the unique experience of dying, going to heaven, and returning back to the earth. That is why earlier he wrote in the book of Philippians to live as Christ and die as gain. I'm hard-pressed between the two. I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

Nevertheless, it's important that I remain here with you. But Paul understood that heaven was a promotion. It was a coronation. It was a good thing.

So he says, verse 6. The time of my departure is at hand.

Now, the word he uses there was a word that was used to describe a Roman soldier breaking camp. or striking the fort. How many of you like to go camping? Raise up your hand. Oh, we had more campers than the first service.

Uh Now, I've camped a little, but I'm not a huge camper, okay? I look forward to going home, to a hot shower, and a warm meal. And I feel that way about the beach, too. To me, the most exciting time of going to the beach is right when I get there, and I'm all set up, and then after about 20 minutes, I'm like, eh, I kind of want to go now. Because I'm hot.

And someone just pulled their beach chair up next to mine, and they're listening to weird music, and you know, there's sand on everything, and it's just not as exciting as it once was.

Well, this is the idea of Paul saying, it's time to break camp. I'm ready to leave. The time of my departure is at hand, which brings us to point number two. Point number one was: Paul knew he was leaving. Number two, this is really important.

He had no regrets in life. Paul had no regrets in life. Notice he writes, I fought. The good fight. I finished the course.

I kept the faith. In other words, everything God had called Paul to do, he did. He had no regrets. No sense of unfulfillment or incompleteness. He had lived life to its fullest.

And my question for you today As if this were your last year, would you be able to say the same thing? Are there things that remain left in life to do?

Now, of course, there are for all of us. I mean, things we would like to do, places we would like to go. But I mean, I'm talking about important things now, things that you feel God has called you to do that you have not yet done. Maybe there are people you feel you need to forgive. There are things you need to stop doing that you know are unproductive.

Things you need to start doing that would help you a great deal. Paul knew that time was close. And now to sort of describe how he lived. in this point of his life. He uses three pictures to describe What it's like to live as a believer, realizing that any year could be your last.

He likened himself to a fighter, a runner, and a soldier. And we should do the same. Number one, Paul said he was like a fighter. Verse 7: I have fought the good fight. Fight the good fight.

Now, have you ever been in a real fight? I don't mean like the ones you see in the movies where it's the barroom brawl in the Western and when a person gets punched in the face, they smile and faint and it looks like fun or something. Have you ever been hit in the face?

Well, it hurts. And the fight that Paul is describing here is not a gentleman's boxing match where the bell rings and we go to our corner and we have the guard on our teeth and our gloves on.

Now, this is a little bit more like ultimate fighting. Or mixed martial arts. We're talking bare fists. We're talking a fight to the death potentially. This is the idea that Paul is conveying: the Christian life is a conflict.

And the surprise is some people. They think once they become Christians, everything's going to be sweet and nice and easy. A contraire. Little French there. It's the very opposite.

You see, now that you've entered into this new relationship with God, you're going to discover your adversary, the devil, is going to try to undermine you and stop you. And so you enter into a fight. Ephesians 6:12, describing this from a modern translation, says this. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps.

a life or death fight to the finish against the devil and his angels. It's a spiritual battle. And thus, we need to use spiritual weapons.

So Paul said, I fought the good fight, and all of us fight it every day. How are you doing in that fight? Are you winning or losing? Number two, Paul also compared himself to being a runner in a race. Verse 7, he says, I have finished the race.

And there were numerous hurdles and obstacles in Paul's life he had to deal with, ranging from persecution. and even having to cope with his own thorn in the flesh. The word that Paul uses here for race describes a race with obstacles in it.

So it's not like the race we would see in the Olympics. Where you run a certain distance, and whoever runs the fastest wins. It's more like getting through an obstacle course. That's what Paul is describing. And he is saying that he has run that race.

He has completed that race. And we're in the race of life. And all of us should run to win. I don't know about you, but when I was in school, I was in track and field and I entered a lot of races and I don't think I ever won one. I can't remember one I won.

In fact, I don't even think I got second or third. I want a lot of these honorable mention ribbons. As I recall, they were purple in color.

So on my wall, all these purple ribbons, honorable mention, which basically means... You showed up. Or even worse. We acknowledge that you do exist and that's the extent of it. You know, no first place ribbons, no trophies for me, but we're running a race.

And we should run to win. Don't run to get second or third place. You run to win, you run to score. In fact, that's what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9, everyone runs, but only one wins a price, so run to win. All athletes are disciplined in their training.

They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

So run with every purpose in step, or run with purpose in every step.

So that's the idea that's being conveyed. We're going to get a reward that's worthwhile. You look at some of the rewards or awards I should say that people win. I have a friend who has won the Iron Man. And that's a very hard competition.

That goes on for hours. And I look at the medal, I said, This is all they gave you? I mean, I've never won anything like that.

So I guess it's what it represents. He's an Iron Man, I'm an Ironine Man, you know, but. Still. You win these little awards, they're not worth much, but we're running for an eternal reward that God will give us in that final day. And finally, Paul says, That he is a soldier in verse 7.

He says, I have kept the faith. The word that he uses here for kep. Carries the meaning of having guarded the faith as an armed soldier would guard his post against enemy attack. Paul is saying that he never strayed from the truth of God's word and he lived it out.

So let me ask you. If this were your last year, Would you be able to say the same thing that Paul said? Have you been winning in this fight and struggle against Satan and personal sin? Have you kept up the pace and the race of life or have you slowed down? Have you guarded and kept your faith in the way you live?

And tell others. If you have, Here's the promise that you have from the Lord. Verse 8. Paul says, finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me in that day, and not to me only, but to all who have loved his appearing. There is a reward waiting.

And here's the thing. One day, when we leave this world as Christians and we go to heaven. There will be a judgment seat waiting.

Now this is not a judgment about Getting into heaven because the fact is, the judgment I'm talking about is in heaven. The Great White Throne Judgment. that determines who does not get into heaven is not something a believer will participate in. Because whoever is not found written in the book of life is cast into the lake of fire. No, I'm talking about a different kind of judgment.

You can almost compare this judgment I'm talking about to an awards ceremony. where you will be rewarded for your faithfulness.

Now, if you have served the Lord with the gifts that he gave you, and you've used your life for the glory of God. Rewards will be given, including the crown of life that Paul alludes to here in Timothy. And there's other crowns that are promised in Scripture, other rewards that God says we can receive. But if you have effectively squandered your life, and by that I mean you put your faith in Christ, so you're in heaven, thank God for that. But you never really did much with your life, you didn't run the race to win, you didn't maximize your opportunities.

The Bible says it will be a burning, a fire. To see what kind every man's work is, and some people will be left with nothing. Oh, yeah, they're in heaven. but they have nothing to show for their life on earth. And then there will be others.

Who will be rewarded for their faithfulness to God?

So that's something to think about in the way that we live our life. You see, when it's all said and done, the only thing that's really going to matter is whether or not you accomplish the purpose that God had for you. Are you doing that? Jesus was 12 years old when he said to Mary and Joseph, I must be about my father's business. And just 21 years later, he could say to the father, I have completed the work you gave me to do.

When it really is simplified, there are three things that we can offer to God. in this life. We can offer our treasure. We can offer our talent. and we can offer our time.

Our treasure, our talent, and our time. First, there is our treasure. I'm speaking, of course, of our Possessions, our resources, our finances. We can offer that to the Lord. Of course, I urge all of you to give faithfully to the work of the kingdom in this coming year.

Why should we do that? Because Jesus said, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. You see, whenever you put your money into something, you develop a vested interest in that thing. And ideally, your treasure will go where your heart is.

So, if your heart is changed, it will change where you put your treasure. But it works the other way: where we put our treasure, our heart will follow.

So, you want your heart to be in the things of God? Put your treasure in the things of God. Invest in the work of the kingdom. Number two. There is our talent.

God has given to every one of us certain abilities and skills and even gifts. And we are to use those for his glory. Romans 12 says, just as our bodies have many parts and every part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of his body, and each of us has a different work to do. And finally, there is our time.

Our time. Let's say that tomorrow morning you got a call from the president of the bank that you use and He told you that an anonymous donor who loved you very much had decided to deposit 86,400 pennies into your bank account each and every morning. You thought what? That's right, 86,400 pennies in your bank account every morning. And here's the condition: you have to spend all of the money.

You can't carry it over from day one to day two. What isn't spent? Is Taken away.

Well, you thought, I don't know, is that even that much money when you got your calculator out and you figured it out and realized that totaled up to about $315,000 a year. That's a lot of money. Say, well, Greg, that's interesting analogy. What's the point? There is no point.

Just wanted to share it.

So anyway, no.

So listen.

Someone who loves you very much. Deposits into your bank of time. 86,400 seconds of time each and every day. They cannot be carried over from day one to day two. There's no such thing as a 27-hour day.

You are given 24 hours each and every day. to use as you choose. And we can say, Lord, I want to give this time to you. Because the Bible says, redeem the time, because the days are evil. And that means to make sacred and wise use of every opportunity.

So what if this were your last year on earth? Here's the reality. It could be our last year on earth. You say, well, do you know something I don't?

Well, maybe, but I don't think so. But here's why I could be your last year. Because the Lord himself could come. And call his people home in the rapture of the church. And that could happen in this coming year.

And I, for one, would like to see that happen. Wouldn't you? Really, would you? How many of you would like this to be the year we all go to heaven?

Okay, good, good. I agree. How glorious that would be, just going about our business. Hopefully our father's business. When suddenly, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we're caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

You know, Billy Graham was asked the question not long ago. This was not in the interview with Gretavancustrin. This was in a dinner that we attended. He was being interviewed by his longtime associate Cliff Barrows, and Cliff asked him the question: Billy, You've done so much in your life. You've been so many places.

Is there anything left that you would like to do that you have not done? Without hesitation, Billy said. I want to see Ruth. He's talking about his wife. And He loved Ruth deeply, and she, of course, loved him.

They were just a perfect match. Having the privilege of spending time in their home and watching them interact was a real joy. And it just broke his heart when the Lord took Ruth to heaven. And he has missed her ever since then. And that is why, when you have a loved one that has gone before you into heaven, It causes you to have a longing for heaven you did not have before because you see, now it's personal.

That's someone that was dear to you, someone you want to see again. And this is why the rapture is such a great hope, because it's a time of reunion. In fact, the Bible says that we will be caught up in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, together with them in the air to meet the Lord. Who are the with them?

Well, Paul was writing to the believers in Thessalonica that were wondering about what happened to their loved ones who had already died. Where were they? Would they ever see them again? They were wondering. Paul said, Listen, when the Lord comes back for his people in the rapture and catches us up to heaven, we'll be instantaneously reunited with them.

So maybe you have a loved one that has gone before you that you miss deeply. It'll happen so quickly, you couldn't even measure it in human time. You'll just be with them, and most importantly, you'll be with the Lord Himself.

So, that could certainly happen, and that is something we all look forward to. You know, with our son in heaven now, and it's been two years and five months. It is something that affects us deeply. and it causes our heart to be more in heaven. And it changes you.

You know, sometimes people ask, are things back to normal yet? Yeah. And they never will be because, you know, it's a new kind of normal. You have to learn to live in a different way. But there are certain things that happen in one's heart.

When a loved one leaves them, that are quite unique. And one of those things that I found in my heart, and I've found in talking with others that have had the same thing happen to them. is you have a new determination to live your life to its fullest because especially when a child goes, you realize your life could end at any time. You realize how short life really is. And a lot of things that maybe I was a little frightened to do before.

Have dissipated and it's replaced by a determination to accomplish what God has called me to do.

So that's a good thing. Another thing I've noticed is my fear of death is effectively gone.

Now if somebody held a gun up to my head right now, I probably would say, please don't shoot me.

So, I don't want you to think it's an irrational statement that I'm making, but that dread, that fear isn't there anymore. Because I look forward to reunion. I look forward to what is ahead. And that is a good thing to not have the fear of death hanging over you. We need to all be ready to meet the Lord because this could be that year because we could die this year.

I know that's a heavy thought for some and it's not what you want to hear right now, but listen, someone's name is going to end up in the obituary column tomorrow. And the next day. And we always say it won't be me, and it certainly won't be someone close to me, but the fact is, it could be.

So you want to prepare.

So here's my word of encouragement to you in this coming year. Keep your heart in heaven in 2011. This could be the year we see the Lord, and we want to be ready. Coming back to the words of Isaiah, the King Hezekiah. When he initially approached me, he said, get your house in order, for you are going to die.

Now, that's what we all need to think about. Is your house in order?

Now, there are the practical things you should do. I hope you have a will. drawn up and you've thought those things through, those are important things to consider. But then think about your legacy. Think about your life.

Think what you live for. Think what you'll be remembered for. Think about your effect on your on your family and on your children and if you live longer, your grandchildren. What kind of legacy are you leaving? Don't be like Hezekiah, who couldn't care less about anyone but himself.

Hey, as long as it doesn't affect me, I'm good with that. Think more like Paul. I fought the good fight. I kept the faith. I finished the course.

I've done what God has called me to do because we never know. when this could be our last year, our last month, or even our last day. The Bible says Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. That simply means help us live wisely. Help us live practically.

Help us live spiritually. We have those three things to offer to God, our treasure, our talent, and our time. But let's live each day as though it were our last, being about our Father's business.

So we'll know that when he calls us to heaven, we will hear him say to us, Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord. But maybe some of you sitting here right now would say honestly. You know what, I don't really know that if I died, I would go to heaven. I don't have that confidence that you've spoken of today.

Well, you can have it by putting your faith in Jesus Christ. Or maybe in this last year you've strayed, you know, you haven't fought the good fight and you haven't run the race of life and you haven't done well.

Well, then make a recommitment as we enter into this new year.

So you can be confident that if Christ comes back this year, you'll be ready. And you can be confident that if this is your last year, you'll be ready to meet the Lord. Hey, everybody, thanks for listening to my podcast. Before you go, I wanted to let you know about the important work we're doing here at Harvest. You know, we've had the same goal these last 50 years, which is simply this.

We want to know God and we want to make Him known. And we do that in a lot of ways. Documentary films, animation, radio, television, large-scale evangelistic events, and more. If you want to be a part of what we're doing to fulfill the great commission, you can support us with whatever you can give. At harvest.org/slash donate.

Again, that's harvest.org/slash donate, and thanks so much.