"Live Like You Were Dying"

      Perhaps one of the biggest songs on the radio right now is Tim McGraw’s smash hit, “Live Like You Were Dying.”  

      Even I, a long time sworn enemy of country music everywhere (though I seem to be mellowing on this lately), have to say it is one of the best songs I have ever heard.

      Perhaps the song would not sell as well, but I think we could accurately name it Ecclesiastes.

      Wasn’t the Preacher telling us we should live like we were dying when he said it was better to go to the house of mourning and take it to heart (Ecclesiastes 7:2)? Do we not all consider our future when a friend is diagnosed with cancer or goes through open-heart surgery?

      What if that were us going on to the operating table and not sure if we would see tomorrow? What would we do? Of course, a few weeks, months or years go by and we forget the feeling.

      But here is the kicker. We are dying. From the moment we entered this world we began our journey to death. Ecclesiastes was written with the express intent of reminding us, we are dying. “For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other” (3:19).

      So then, since we are dying, how should we live? Should we go sky-diving, rocky mountain climbing or 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu? Well, perhaps we should. The Preacher said, “Follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes” (Ecclesiastes 11:9). When we die, we won’t be able to do those things anymore.

      However, he reminds us, “Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.” We should live like today is a gift. If we see tomorrow, it is a gift as well. But it is a gift from God and we should use it to glorify Him. That means following His will, even as we follow the desires of our heart.

      No wonder the Preacher’s conclusion for his book was, “Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

      We need to live not only like we are dying, but also like we are preparing for the judgment. We will face our Creator. We need to be prepared.

      Preparing does not mean never doing anything we think might be fun. It does mean making the most of our abilities, opportunities and resources, using them to follow after our hearts’ desires, but governing our actions with God’s word.

      Let’s face it, we all have the chance to live like we were dying. The question is are we living like we were dying? How will you live if God gives you the gift of this upcoming week?

Edwin L. Crozier