ONE MONTH TO LIVE

If you had

ONE MONTH TO LIVE

Those of us who are involved with computers and the

Internet on a regular basis are very much aware of

the “teaser” ads which appear on our screens several

times each day and we are not often fooled by them.

We are offered phenomenal incomes, great vacations,

incredible discounts on prescription prices, trim and

muscular bodies with substantial weight loss, and

fantastic sexual achievements which make the Islamic

promises to suicide bombers pale by comparison.

But this week there was a different one: “What would

you do if you had only one month to live?”

That sounds like a situation in which any Christian

believer would be interested. It was surely worth opening

for careful consideration. And it proved to be an ad for
a new book with that title, “One Month to Live.” It isn’t

an expensive book -- the list of book sellers referenced

in the ad show the regular retail price as $19.99, and it

is already being discounted to as low as $13.59. Then

there is a church program to go along with the book, and

it costs $149. No discounts for that program were listed.

The title is -- at first glance -- an intriguing one, and opens

the mind’s door to thinking about such a concept. For the

Bible centered Christian it is a bit off base for at least two

reasons; First, the new life that God gave us in John 3:16

(and elsewhere in the Scriptures) is permanent -- “eternal”

-- and not divided into various periods, such as up to now,

and then in a “one month to live” period.

And Second, the return of Jesus Christ is imminent --
He can return at any moment . . . there is no allowance
for that “one month to live” interval.

How we should live, from the moment of receiving God’s

gift of salvation, is clearly set forth throughout the New

Testament. Peter, upon whose statement of faith Jesus

said He would build His church, instructs us in I Peter 3:15,

“be ready always, to give an answer to every man that

asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you.” We are to

be ready to witness “always” not just in some 30 day period

before our death.

Paul, whose writings define the Christian life so clearly,

wrote in Ephesians 4:1, “I beseech you that ye walk worthy

of the vocation wherewith ye are called,” and then gave

some examples, including lowliness, meekness, long -
suffering, etc. Paul did not limit our Christian walk to
the month prior to our death, but set forth those examples
as the way our entire Christian life should be lived.

And finally, Jesus spoke to His followers in Matthew 28:19

and Mark 16:15, telling us to “go into all the world and
preach . . . go and teach all nations.” He certainly didn’t
limit His Great Commission to the month before we might
die, but gave it as a permanent instruction for all believers.

How should we live at this moment, and throughout our
life,right up to the moment of His return? In Mark 13: 32,
33,37 Jesus gave us instructions concerning His return:
“of that day and hour, knoweth no man . . . take heed,
watch and pray , for ye know not when the time is . . .
what I say unto you, I say unto all: Watch.”

None of us is ever given the assurance of a month to live,

but each moment should be lived as the Scriptures teach . . .

witnessing and watching . . . preaching and teaching . . .
walkingworthy of our calling before Him.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Evangelical Viewpoint is pleased to present this

new series of essays by Dr. Jerry Beavan, in which he

offers mature discussions of important elements of the

Christian faith, with the goal of helping Christian believers

to live the Christian life more effectively. At age 89, he

already has a lifetime of experiences in Christian ministry,

as a graduate theologian, as a professor in college and

seminary, and as a world traveler involved in government

relations at high levels, here in America and around the

world. The late Dr. Jerry Falwell referred to him as "one
of God's giants and modern patriarchs." Dr. Billy Graham

said of him, "Jerry Beavan is the architect of world

evangelism as we know it today." Now living in "active

retirement" on America's Pacific coast, although physically

impaired, he is using his writing skills, via the internet, to

help other believers gain a better understanding of their

Christian faith. He is the author of several works, including

his recent volume, “A Handbook of Applied Christianity.”