"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (James 4:14).
Walk through any cemetery, and you will see a variety of headstones ranging from large and elaborate to small and simple. Some have pictures of the person, some have quotes they may have said, some may have engravings or Scriptures. No two are alike. One thing they all have in common; however, is they have the date the person was born, and they date they died. By this, you can determine how old the person was when they died. Some leave this world young, others live to be old. The date of birth and date of death are just a starting and stopping place that each of us will have in this life. There is something more important on that headstone than the dates, the names, the quotes, the photos, or anything else. What is that? It's the dash between the birth date and death date. This dash represents the life of the person. If that dash could show the entire life, it would show weddings, childrens' births, school, work, hobbies, activities, achievements, accomplishments, mistakes, problems, heartaches, decisions made, failures, questions, actions, grudges, moments of anger, sins, and everything involved in that person's life.
Some day, someone will walk through a cemetery and see your headstone. It will have your name, and maybe a quote or picture or a number of other things. It will assuredly have your date of birth, date of death with a dash in the middle. What will people see when they look at the dash? Will they remember your life as a loving, caring, giving person who was unselfish? Will they remember the kind words you spoke to them? Will they think about the times you helped them and visited them? Will they remember all the prayers you prayed and the testimony you had that you pleased God? or, will they think about the times you neglected them, or ignored them? Will they remember the sinful things you did, while proclaiming to be a Christian? Will they think about all the times they saw you lash out in anger against someone? Will they call to remembrance the way you treated those around you?
This life is short. This world is not our eternal home. You will live forever somewhere; either Heaven or Hell. The choices you make now will determine where you spend eternity. If your life is surrendered totally and completely to Christ and you are true to Him, then you will spend eternity in the glorious splendor of Heaven! If your sins are not forgiven and you have not confessed Christ as your Savior, then Hell will be your eternal home; even if your "dash" tells people you did all kinds of good deeds and were a good person. What really matters is where your relationship is with the Lord. Are your sins forgiven? Are you surrendered to Him fully? Do you obey His word? Is He your Savior?
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)
How you live your life here on this earth matters greatly. Your life will influence your family, neighbors, co-workers, children, grandchilren, and all those you come in contact with. Your life is not just about you. It does affect others, and could possible alter their decisions for eternity. So... what will your "dash" say about you?
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