This week seemed like movie week. I took one of my daughters to see the Hunger Games. As the movie unfolded, I realized that there was a question pummeling my mind. How would you live if you knew you were going to die?
I must admit, the movie was popular, and I have not read the book(s). I was interested in this sociological craze, and it sounded intense, and I thought it would be good to see. The first part of the movie left me thinking, ‘I will need to see this again’ several times. I thought of how when the DVD comes out, I would want to watch it a few times, because I thought with so much going on in this film, I must be missing a lot.
Then as the movie concluded, I can’t say I regretted seeing it, but I would be satisfied to never see it again. Intense it was. In fact it was very intense. Participating in the Hunger Games meant basically a death sentence for 23 of 24 participants.
So how would you live if you knew you were going to die? Well, that’s a great question, because we all are going to die. Apart from the rapture of the church happening before our final breath, we will all die. That leads me to the second movie I saw this week.
On Tuesday night, my wife and I attended the live event kick off in theaters of the movie ‘Monumental’ by Kirk Cameron. Kirk retraced the steps of the pilgrims and significant events in the life of the United States to look deep into our past to better understand our response to the present. I was overwhelmed with the strength and determination of those early pilgrims. They were focused even though they knew they might die. They had a cause. They had the right cause – the glory of God, and the advancement of the Christian faith. You can read about that in the Mayflower Compact.
Hebrews 9:27-28 says ‘And just as it is appointed for people to die once – and after this, judgment – so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.’ It’s true we will die. It’s also true that we live. The way to live if you know you are dying, is live every day to the fullest for the glory of God and for the right cause. That cause is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I gladly devote my life to keep the fire burning for that purpose. It is for me, my family, our neighbors, our community, and to the ends of the earth.
