“…Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death” (Phil. 1:20).
The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years…” (Ps. 90:10, NKJV). A hymn says, “Life at best is very brief.” Compared to eternity, our life is just a little blip on the screen of time.
During 2004 a woman died at age 115, the oldest woman in the USA. She was reported as saying before she died, “Dying is so hard. I hope I do it well!” It was not stated whether she was a Christian or not. Kenneth Hildebrand wrote a song years ago in which he said, “If I live well, praise the Lord! If I die well, praise the Lord!”
It is possible to die well, at peace with God and man, with a sense of having accomplished the will of God in one’s life. Paul wrote at the close of his life, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:6-7). He was executed for his faith, probably beheaded, in Rome. It was a triumphant entrance into the glory of heaven. Paul died well.
The preacher in Ecclesiastes states: “A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth” (7:1). Parents rejoice over the birth of their little one. It is new life, fresh and vigorous, radiant with hope. But who knows how that life will turn out? That baby may grow up, turn to the Lord and live a productive, fruitful life. But that child may go the other way, become a rebel, defying God and man. He may come to death early with a wasted life. What makes the difference?
Remember Samson’s last days after a strong beginning. The beginning of a race is important and exciting, but it is the end of the race which will determine who ran well. The day of death is more important than the day of birth. Then the quality of one’s life will be revealed. How important it is to live wisely!
A Confident Death
Hear again the words of Paul: “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). He is facing death but he radiates confidence. It is a triumphant cry. He has triumphed in the fight against the devil, the flesh and the world. It has been a fierce battle but he has won. Life has been a marathon race, requiring focus on the goal and strong endurance. Paul has run well and finished the race. He has not compromised God’s truth, obeying it and proclaiming it faithfully. He could exhort Timothy, “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13). A triumphant life is a faithful life, faithful to the Lord and to His Word. Will we finish life triumphantly as Paul did?
Preparing for Our Passage
One needs to prepare for death from the day of his birth. An elder pleaded with young people to give themselves to God early. “Do not waste your life. Do not wait until old age to begin to serve God. Old age is a time of declining health, energy and vision. Make wise choices
while young for a fruitful, meaningful life.” Good advice! A wise life will have wise goals. Our Lord urged us, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Mt. 6:33). The Lord Jesus later said that the first and great commandment is: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind” (Mt. 22:37). The decision to put God first in one’s life is the most important decision one can make after conversion. It will affect all of one’s other decision-making for eternal good.
This decision to love God above all else will lead one to consecrate himself to God and His service. Paul pleads with believers: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2).
Years ago at a Bible camp in Minnesota, a young man came to me and said, “I’ve been saved for some time but I have never given myself completely to the Lord. I would like to do that now.” We prayed together and he poured out his heart to God. His life now for over forty years has been a blessing to the people of God. That decision set the course of his life toward God and the things of God.
This decision should lead one to a disciplined life. One begins to realize that life is precious; it must not be wasted. Paul said, “Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to other, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:26-27). Literally he says, “I beat my body and lead it about as a
slave.” A disciplined life spells death to the sinful desires of the flesh. “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:13). All that would encourage the sinful tendencies within must be rejected. Be merciless here; avoid media and influences that arouse the flesh within. The thought life must be brought under Christ’s control, “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). It is in the thought life where sin begins (Jas. 1:14-16). Evil thoughts must be banished and one must focus on thoughts of God and His love.
A disciplined life will schedule regular times of study, meditation on God’s Word and prayer. There is no short cut to spiritual life and maturity. To love God is to love His Word. “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me” (Ps. 119:97-98).
A disciplined life will use time wisely. The good will need to be put aside for the best. Time will be scheduled with the help of a good calendar. Always the things of God will have priority. Every day will have opportunities which must not be wasted. For a healthy life one must also make room for exercise and relaxation. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time (literally,
“buying up the opportunities”), because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16-17).
A godly life will be marked by a good conscience. “Now the purpose [goal] of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience and from sincere faith” (1 Tim. 1:5). Sin must be confessed and put away if one is to maintain a good conscience. Sin will grieve the Spirit of God (Eph. 4:30), defile the conscience and rob one of joy. Paul could say, “I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience” (2 Tim. 1:3). To die well, keep your conscience pure.
A forgiving spirit is vital for spiritual health and blessing. An unforgiving, bitter spirit will sour one’s life and defile others. “Pursue peace with all people and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord, looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble and by this many become defiled” (Heb. 12:14-15). During the course of life one is sure at times to be offended by others and to cause offense. We must be forgiven by the Lord and by others; we, in turn, must be forgiving. Pray for the one who has offended you and refuse to cherish your hurts. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32). It is sad to see a Christian come to the end of life with a heart loaded with bitterness. A bitter heart can lead to an early death. We who have been forgiven much must learn, by God’s grace, to forgive others.
To die well one must be accepting of one’s lot in life. Paul could write, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Phil. 4:11). At that moment Paul was a prisoner in Rome awaiting trial. Some people are always complaining, unhappy about their work, the climate or their church. With old age will come physical limitations which are hard to accept. One may find his hearing going and his eyesight dimming; his energy is diminished and his aches and pains multiply. Maybe early in life he experienced some disabling handicap. He looks with envy at those who are well. Submission to the trials of life and acceptance is not easy. But to be resentful and to bemoan one’s lot only increases the pain. There are always others who are in worse circumstances. A man who is in a wheelchair is very thankful, saying. “I am so thankful I have the use of my arms. If my spinal injury were higher I would have been a quadriplegic.” His life is marked by thankfulness. To die well one must accept the circumstances of his life and realize God is working in his behalf for his good (Rom. 8:28).
And glory lies ahead for the believer. “We are confident, yes, well pleased, rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). Dying well means living triumphantly and knowing that heaven is just around the corner.