We have been gearing up to join hundreds of other churches throughout the United States for a six week, “One Month To Live” – 30 Days to a No Regrets Life campaign. I addressed some of it during the Easter morning sermon. Contrary to what the title might indicate the campaign isn’t about dying within the next 30 days. It’s about the probability of living more than 30 more days on earth, but doing so with no regrets. Check out the Gospels and look at what Jesus did the last month of His life on earth. He knew when He had 30 days left what became His priority?

Moses’ prayer recorded in Psalm 90:12 is: Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should. Psalm 90:12 (TLB).

As uncomfortable as it is for us to face up to, the fact is our time on earth is limited. The mortality rate in the state of Rhode Island and in fact the whole country is holding steady at 100%. No matter how much this makes you squirm, it’s a fact. I say at every funeral or memorial service I officiate at, that only a fool fails to prepare for the inevitable. Mortality, death remains the great equalizer and is not a respecter of age, wealth, social status or place of residence. Every second that passes means a second of your life is behind you, time you can never regain or relive.

The normal response is to view this reality as something harsh, something that should be avoided in friendly communication between friends. But I ask humbly, what could be more loving than to address the one thing all of us will indeed experience. Too often the reaction to talking about one’s mortality is to somehow choose to play life safe, to try and enter into a self preservation mode. But with all due respect, that is not what I believe our Lord would have us do. In John 10:10 Lord Jesus said He came so we might have life and have it abundantly. The abundant life means we live and not merely exist. I believe the parable of the talents shows He would have us take some deliberate and calculated risks to enhance our talents, and not do the “safe thing” and bury what he has given to us.

I’ve had the privilege of knowing many who were aware their time on earth was limited to weeks or days. They embraced their time remaining as a limited resource. They sought to make things right in relationships. They prayed for opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and to live their remaining days with incredible spiritual power. I find they were liberated from being overly concerned about what others thought of them or their Biblical world view. The big question I am wrestling with today is “What keeps us from living that way now?” As Kerry Shook writes: “For most of us, if we knew we only had one month to live, we would live our lives differently. We would be more authentic about who we are and more deliberate about how we spend the time we have.”

On Easter Sunday I started the sermon by showing a video of a man walking in a cemetery talking about the purpose of life. His key statement was made when a close up was taken of a grave marker. To paraphrase his thought – our life is but a dash between two dates. What makes the dash significant is how we choose to live our lives. I’m asking myself how do I want to live the dash? How would others, especially my loved ones say I lived the dash? More importantly, what will my Lord and Savior say about how I lived the dash and what I did with the talents, time and treasure He entrusted me with.

I am expecting God to change perspectives and priorities the next 30 days as I and the regular attendees of Stony Lane accept the One Month To Live challenge. I am also expecting to hear about miracles, challenges and blessings that come as fruit born of the desire to live as if these were my last 30 days God has given me on earth.

In Christ,

John Wheeler