‘When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, and the hope of the unjust perishes» (Proverbs 11:7).
INTEGRITY
«We were born to die!» I’ve heard that statement several times from the lips of some college friends. They argued that you had to have fun without thinking about the consequences too much. In the end, they would die someday. Supposedly, that was the law of life. So almost every weekend you would see them at parties and gatherings where alcoholic beverages, tobacco and overindulgence abounded. However, one Monday morning the College of Arts and Sciences where I studied awakened to deep sadness. Three classmates had died the previous day in a horrific car crash. Suddenly, the students realized how fragile human life was and how fast it could fade away. Then, a great number of questions were asked regarding that terrible situation, «Where had they gone? Could we communicate with them? What lies beyond death?» I took advantage of that opportunity to share the Christian hope with them. But there were also statements that reflected deep despair, typical of unbelief, «They’ve left us. They won’t come back. There’s nothing that can be done.»
Natural selection (survival of the fittest) states that we are born to die and we have to learn to survive in this world no matter what. Many young people are led by those guidelines. That’s how they organize their lives without any kind of spiritual expectation, limiting their outlook to earthly realities and surrender themselves to the fun and happiness this world offers. But that’s extremely frustrating. Why? Because no person living a selfish life will obtain happiness and personal satisfaction. That’s why the Bible says that «it is more blessed to give than to receive» (Acts 20:35).
God didn’t bring us into this world to destine us to die eternally. Jesus came to this Earth so that we could access eternal life, «I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly» (John 10:10). We weren’t born to die! What’s more, we don’t even cling to this earthly life because we know that the Lord has prepared something better in the Heavenly mansions. That’s why the Apostle Paul affirms, «For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain» (Philippians 1:21).
Living is a gift from God. He wants us to be with Him for eternity. He’s prepared everything for that to be a reality. Death can’t even tear us from His side. Trust His Word.