The grim reality of dying and death filled the news this week with the poignant announcement that Sen. Edward Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Some reports indicated that the Senator might pass into eternity as soon as six months, while others speculate he might live as long as five years. Regardless of amount of time he has remaining on this earth, it brings to mind the sobering reality that all of our days are numbered. No matter the power, the prestige, the wealth, or the number of friends one might have accumulated, he is subject to the same inevitable consequence that all of humanity has experienced since Adam - death. And no matter how many times the axiom "he who dies with the most toys wins" is promulgated, the fact is material possessions are meaningless in the next life.
Think for a moment if you will. If you passed today, what would your legacy be? How would you be remembered? Would the memory of your life be sate with scandal and chaos, one who devoted his entire life to the pursuit of money, or would others remember you as one who labored for Christ and endured much suffering for His name? The problem is that we so often neglect to keep our eyes heavenward, instead focus on temporal things which take our attention away from the ultimate prize. It is all too easy to become distracted and fail to set aside time for the Lord. He is our number one priority, and we should never forget that our chief aim is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.
The late missionary Jim Elliott gave one of the best exhortations when he said that we need to make sure that when we are faced with death, ensure all that is left to do is die. In other words, our lives should be lived so that we can claim with the apostle Paul that we too have fought the good fight. That should be the legacy for which all of us strive -- and not tomorrow, but today, for no one knows the day nor the hour when we will draw our final breathe. Do not waste the time the Lord has granted you. Instead, make each moment count for Him with an eye heavenward.
