How many times have you thought about your death? We might think how, when, and where is it going to happen. But what happens after we die? Some might think we are reincarnated. Others think there is nothing, we are just dead. As Christians we know there is a God who is ruler and judge of all. We know that one of two things will happen: we will either die and our spirit will go back to God, or Christ will come again and our spirits will go back to God. In either scenario it ends the same why, with God as the final judge. Let us look and see if life is worth living and what consequences our actions will bring in the end.
Ecclesiastes tells us life is worth living: “Rejoice, O young men, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth” (Ecc. 11:9). We are to live our lives as we see fit. We were given free will from God because of His love, “Walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes” (Ecc. 11:9). God has given us the ability to do what we want with our lives. We can choose our jobs, our spouses, and hobbies. If we want to live our lives writing books or cooking, we have that opportunity. Our free will is one of the greatest gifts from God. With it we are able to choose our life and its purpose, but there is a catch. With free will comes responsibility and a choice. What is that choice? We are faced with the ultimate choice – good or evil. Choosing God is good and rebelling is evil as we are reminded by Joshua, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Joshua is telling the people, after conquering the promised land and removing idolatry from the land, they need to choose for themselves whom they will serve. We are all faced with this same decision, and we will be judged for it, “But know that for all these God will bring you into judgement” (Ecc. 11:9). Solomon tells us here we have consequences for our choices and actions. In the end we will be judged for what we do in this life. We might have the free will to choose, but we must be prepared for the judgment that awaits us in the end. So is life worth living? It is IF we choose to do right. Even then we need to remember, “The dust will return to the earth as it was” (Ecc. 12:7). We must not get so caught up in material things that we forget we belong to God, for “…the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Ecc. 12:7). We have seen that we can make life worth living, now let us examine what our actions mean.
Ecclesiastes 12:1-6, Solomon urges us to remember God while we go about our daily lives. We must never forget the end of all things will come, and after this the judgement. One option for our lives is to do whatever we want, no matter what happens to anyone or what laws are broken. This choice has led to disaster from the beginning “As righteousness leads to life, so he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death” (Proverbs 11:19). Doing evil leads to death. What about doing good, where will this lead us? We see that Joshua chose to follow God, “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil” (Proverbs 19:23). Joshua knew choosing the Lord meant choosing life. We also have this assurance in Christ, “Jesus said to him, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
As Christians we have confidence in Christ and the life He offers us if we choose to follow Him. We can choose good because we know God is faithful, “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenants and mercy for a thousand generations with this who love Him and keep His commandments” (Duet. 7:9). In the end, God will judge and our actions evidenced against us. So is life worth living? Yes it is! If we choose Him and keep His commandments we are assured eternal life, which gives us a reason to live.
All scripture is from the NKJV.
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