Life Sentence or Death Sentence?
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“Seek the Lord and live…” (Amos 5:6).
Last evening I talked with a man who had just received a death sentence. Doctors recently announced that a person with his condition lives, “on average,” five years from the point of diagnosis. A vague verdict at best. Out of fifty people, ten may live five years. Science cannot accurately predict the life span of the other forty.
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This man and his wife have already walked through some of life’s most turbulent waters, losing their only son. All their hopes and dreams died when the vibrant boy dropped dead of unknown causes while dribbling a basketball on their patio when he was only eight years old. And now this.
Did Henry just receive a death sentence? Most of us would see it that way, but in our conversation Henry continually used phrases like “I am so blessed,” “God is so good,” “I’m so excited about what God is doing.” This does not sound like a man living under the cloud of impending death.
Erwin McManus* writes, “Is your goal how long you will live or that you will live?”* We were created for life, and death is an interruption originally brought about by sin. But even death has been redeemed by the work of Jesus Christ. Christians are familiar with the words, “O death, where is your sting?” and Eugene Peterson vividly captures that truth in this paraphrase: “Death swallowed by triumphant Life!” Who got the last word, oh, Death? “Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now?” (I Corinthians 15:5).
Henry is choosing to transform a death sentence into a life sentence as he and his wife triumphantly walk with their ultimate Victor, seeking to live.
Father, thank you not only for life, but for the power you provide to live with triumph.
*Seizing Your Divine Moment
Questions: How do you help someone who has been given a short time to live? What is your goal for the future…to live or to see how long you can live?
About the Author Marilyn J. Ehle
Jesus is the answer to all things let us praise him my church sister is sick she is doing a brain scan right now she is a believer and she sister Clark by name is just praising God for whatever he choose to do in her life.
My aunt only has 20% of her heart functioning and has been told that she will die. Please pray for her soul as she has had bitterness against all of my family for years. Dear Lord, please help aunt Mary come to you and I thank you Jesus.
Praise Jesus; God’s precious gift, who sacrificed his life on the cross for us. Our sins are forgiven, and we no longer wonder. We have eternal life forever and ever. Praise the Lord.
There is a song by one of my favorite gospel artist that says, “There is no place like the will of God” I love this song because if we believe God we know that, all things work together for our good, and that really means ALL things not just the good things. Walking in His will, His love, His word is the best thing for us no matter where that my lead us. Thank God for Jesus, His Word, and His Holy Spirit!
Thank you so much for this perspective on life. While I am very much “pro life”, I feel many others who are have an unbalanced viewpoint of life on this earth as opposed to in the next. We have greater glory waiting for us beyond this life, not that we don’t need to do all that God has called us for here, but we have such a great hope for what lies ahead, so there should be no fear when man numbers our days, but anxious anticipation like the time for a long awaited and planned for trip has finally arrived.