There is a movie that my husband and I both love dearly. It is about a woman whose doctor tells her that she only has a few weeks to live. She has been working in a department store, is not married, and has no children. She has been saving all of her money with the hopes of one day opening a restaurant. The man of her dreams also works at the department store, but she is too timid to let him know how she feels. Once she gets this diagnosis, everything changes. She has to ask herself a question that many have had to ask, “What should I do with my last days on earth?” Spoiler alert… it has a REALLY happy ending 😉
We would all behave differently if we were to receive that kind of diagnosis. Some of us would travel the world with those precious last days. Others would try to spend them surrounded by family and friends. And others would spend it taking every kind of medicine and seeking every treatment they could to prolong their days. As usual, we can look to scripture to see how those few priceless days should be spent.
Our precious Savior knew when His time was drawing near. He knew the hour in which He would be betrayed. And He knew by whom it would come. He knew when His last days on earth would come to an end. So, how did Jesus spend His last few days?
In Luke 21, we see that Jesus spent time in the temple. But He didn’t go there to make sacrifices. He didn’t go there to obtain forgiveness (He was perfect). He went there to teach! “And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet” Luke 21:37.
Jesus didn’t travel to see the sights. He didn’t sit at home with His mother and His brothers. He spent His last days teaching in the temple. And He spent time telling people about what God desires of them and drawing them into a relationship with His Heavenly Father.
Jesus also spent time with His disciples, fellowshipping and sharing a meal. “So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” Luke 22:8.
Jesus spent His last moments of freedom (before His death) with His disciples. And He spent it pouring into them. He was waiting with anticipation for this moment. “And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Luke 22:14-16
What would we do with that time?”
The time that Jesus spent with His disciples in that upper room was very intimate. He taught them about what was to come (He prophesied). Jesus taught them about the Lord’s Supper. He taught them how to take it and that they should continue to do it in remembrance of Him. He taught them about what it means to be a follower of Christ. That meant He taught them how to be a servant.
Then, Jesus taught them how to pray. On their way to the Garden of Gethsemane, as they left the upper room, Jesus prayed to His Heavenly Father. He not only prayed that both He and the Father would be glorified by what was about to transpire, but He prayed protection over His disciples. And, He prayed for us! “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”.
Our Savior spent His last days caring, teaching, and praying for others! And the end goal was that “the world may believe that you have sent me”.
His life — and even His last few days — were about the Father’s will and rescuing the world from the penalty of their sin.
If we knew we only had a few days to live, what would we do with it? Would we try to share Jesus with those who don’t know Him? Would we teach and preach and pray? Or would we think only of ourselves and our desires?
The sad reality is that our time here on earth is limited. And we do not know how many days we have left. No one is guaranteed a tomorrow here on earth. Having that knowledge, we should be asking, “What should I do with my last days on earth?” But we shouldn’t be asking ourselves that question. We should be asking God.
This life is short. And whether our last days are this week or 10 years from now, we should be doing what Jesus did. We should be living our lives for the will of the Father and the salvation of those around us. We have all of eternity to see the world and, once Jesus comes back, it will actually be worth seeing. Let’s follow Christ. Let’s allow ourselves to be used by God to rescue those around us from the enemy’s grasp!
Father, forgive us for living out this life for ourselves. Forgive us for seeking our wants and desires and disregarding Your plans and desires. Lord Jesus, thank You for your example. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your sacrifice. And thank You for the prayers that You lifted up on our behalf. Oh, Holy Spirit, help us to recognize how short our days are here on this earth. Help us to grasp the peril that awaits those who don’t know you. Give us hearts that desire to put the Father’s will and eternal souls before our earthly desires. And today, Holy Spirit, encourage us to ask our Father in Heaven, “What Should I Do With My Last Days On Earth?”.
Do you fear where you will go when your days on earth are done? Do you worry that you are too bad for God to forgive? I used to fear and think that too. Please go to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/) and pray the prayer that is outlined there. God wants to forgive you of your sins. It’s what Jesus lived, died, and rose again for! All that He requires is that you pray the prayer on that page (or one similar) from the bottom of your heart. Then the Holy Spirit will help you live a better life. One in which God will have a personal, intimate, and loving relationship with you. He wants to guide your steps and help you to live out an abundant life… and an even more abundant eternity.
Please pray and, once you have, reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com and let me know. I’d love to be in prayer with and for you.
Luv Ya!
