The Average Life Span...

The average life span of an individual living in the United States is roughly 75-78 years.  Now that I am creeping into my mid-thirties, I am becoming more and more aware of this fact.  At any moment I could receive news that would drastically change my life.  Am I to die early?  What about a family member or friend?

Death is something we all look at with a particular uneasiness, hoping it doesn't visit us "before our time."

Things would be different if we knew for sure that the dead are raised.  We would say with the Apostle that "dying is gain."  And instead of uneasiness, we would have a particular excitement when the word "death" showed up in conversation or life.

We would spend money differently knowing that storing up treasures for 75-78 years is relatively futile when compared to storing up treasures in heaven for eternity - for billions and billions of years.

We would spend our time differently knowing that every act of obedience to God's law could change another person's spiritual condition.

Yes, the law is for the other.  When we obey, they are safe.  When we obey, they see our Master.  When we obey, they are led to the gospel that saved us, and provides the gracious foundation of our belief (Jn 15:17).

The fact is, we do know for sure that the dead are raised.  The Bible tells us so. What more do we need?  Christ's bones are nowhere to be found!  His grave is empty.  He is alive.

Therefore, those who have hope only in this life should see our life, as Christians, and pity us.  They should consider us foolish for investing in eternity; for spending our time and resources for something very different - something very "other."  Losing our life is odd.  We save our life by different means.

Those who hope in eternity are different.  Christians are different.  We do not say, "Eat, drink and be merry (now) for tomorrow we die."  We say, "Let us die to ourselves now, for tomorrow we live!"

I personally struggle to believe that Christ is raised from the dead.  My own selfishness attests to this.  I can only pray that the Lord will help my unbelief.  I make it my request to trust his word more and more.

The average life span of a person is about 75-78 years old.  This is true.  But it is not all true.

The average life span of a person (in Christ) is eternity.  We have souls that never die.  And one day, when the trumpet sounds, we will put on the imperishable (1Cor 15)!  I cannot wait!  Come Lord Jesus!