Dave Freeman died at his home in Venice, California at age 47. Just a few years ago, he and his friend Neil Teplica co-authored a hugely successful book entitled: 100 Things to do Before You Die. He wrote, “This life is a short journey. Make sure you fill it with the most fun and visit the coolest places on earth before you pack those bags for the very last time.”
Among the 100 things to do before you die, Dave Freeman included such things as the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain and land-diving (leaping from massive handmade towers, with vines attached to your ankles) on the remote Pacific island of Vanuatu.
Mr. Freeman didn’t die while running with the bulls or in a landdiving accident. He died in a much more mundane way – tripped and hit his head in a fall at his home. The Bible is right when it says that death is but a step away. People plan for other trips in life, but for the last trip often they are unprepared and caught off guard.
Do you think a book entitled: One Thing to Do Before You Die would become a bestseller? Would you read it? Would you do it?
The one thing you must do before you die is “prepare to meet your God” (Amos 4:12). When you cross over the boundary between life and death, it is final and forever. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Make sure you are ready to meet God.
How do you prepare?
Your sin is a barrier between you and your God (Isaiah 59:2). Unless that barrier of sin is removed you will be separated from God forever. You will be in a place where the Bible teaches there is conscious eternal suffering. There is nothing you can personally do or contribute towards the removal of your sins. In Romans 5:6, the Bible says we are “without any strength” to save ourselves.
But there is good news. Christ died for your sins (1 Corinthians 15:3). “Christ Jesus came into the world to SAVE sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Have you ever realized that you are the guilty one and He was the innocent One who became your substitute and took upon Himself the punishment your sins fully deserved? The moment you appreciate that beautiful truth and trust Christ as your Saviour, your sins will be fully and freely forgiven. That’s what it means to be prepared to meet God!
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