Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Matthew 25:13

The doctors gave John Brandrick the bad news. He had cancer of the pancreas. With less than a year to live, Brandrick was told to get his affairs in order. Looking at his imminent end, Brandrick made a choice. If he was going to die, he was going to make the most of every moment.

In pursuit of his dying dream, Brandrick quit his job. He sold or gave away most of which he owned, stopped paying his mortgage, and spent his savings going to fine restaurants and traveling to visit the many places he had always wanted to see.

Brandrick had wanted to go out with a flourish. The only problem he encountered was this. He didn’t go out. When he reached the one-year deadline, Brandrick was pleased and kept on spending. At two years, and still feeling fine, the condemned man started to have some questions. A return visit to the doctor told him that his life-threatening tumor had been misdiagnosed. He was informed that he had had nothing more than a minor inflammation of the pancreas.

That’s right, John Brandrick, who was now left with little more than the black suit, white shirt and red tie that he had planned to be buried in, had been condemned to life! When he was interviewed, he admitted that he was pleased with his new lease on life, but he’s also broke and would like to have the hospital pay him something for the doctors’ misdiagnosis.

John’s interesting story got me thinking about the Savior who warned, “you know neither the day nor the hour.” I began to wonder, “If my doctor told me I had less than a year to live, what would I want to use those precious days?” Would I ‘eat, drink and be merry?’ Would I party like there’s no tomorrow? Would I spend money on myself, or would I give it away? Would I draw the shades and waste those moments wallowing in self-pity? What would I do with my time?

Jesus, our loving Savior, suggests that each of us, with a limited amount of time, might be wise to be prepared for that unknown moment when we will be leaving this world. The crucified and risen Savior gave His life as the only Sacrifice that can forgive and save sinners, so we might be prepared for our unknown day of departure.

So, how will you live today? A wise person might live as if this day were his last. I think Christians will spend every day giving thanks for the Savior who has made it possible for their lives to go on forever.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, because of your life, death, and resurrection I know that my end will never come. May I, thankful for this great gift, use every day as a great blessing that has come from my gracious God. In Your name, Amen.

Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 31, 35    John 11:30-57

To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"