If Today Were the Last Day of Your Life …
Ed Jones
In a 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, Steve Jobs said that for 33 years he had looked in the mirror every morning and asked himself the question, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
There is no greater clarifier in life, he told the graduates, than remembering that you will die.
Our failure to view our present lives through the lens of eternity is one of the biggest hindrances to seeing our lives in their true light. Yet Scripture states that the reality of our eternal future should determine the character of our present lives.
People who don’t know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior look at this life as a brief interval that begins at birth and ends at death. Those who know Christ have an entirely different perspective. They know life is short; it’s the preliminary—not the main event.
In a prayer, Moses asked God to help him number the days he had on earth. “As for the days of our life, they contain 70 years, or if due to strength, 80 years … for soon it is gone and we fly away…. So, teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:10, 12).
Take a moment to number the days you estimate you have left on earth. This can help you become more aware of the need to invest your life in efforts that will count for eternity.
We are aliens, strangers, and pilgrims on earth. Peter wrote, “Live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.”
(1 Peter 1:17, NIV).
Pilgrims are unattached. They are travelers—not settlers—aware that the excessive accumulation of things can distract. Material things are valuable to pilgrims, but only as they facilitate their mission. John Wesley said, “I value all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.” God’s kingdom was the reference point for him. He lived as he did not because he didn’t treasure things, but because he treasured the right things.
We often miss something in missionary martyr Jim Elliott’s famous words, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” We focus on Elliott’s willingness to sacrifice, and so we should. However, we often overlook his motivation for gain. It’s not that he didn’t want treasure, but that he wanted real treasure.
There are only two things on this earth that are eternal: the human soul and God’s Word—the Bible. Matthew 24:35 says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass away.” If you purpose your life to build God’s words into the lives of people, that is an eternal work that will never be burned up.
So, the question that Steve Jobs asked still remains, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
Ed Jones pastors Fellowship At The Ranch Church at Robson Ranch. This nondenominational church meets at the Robson clubhouse on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. For information, visit Fellowship’s website www.fellowshipattheranchchurch.com.