O Death, Where is Thy Sting?
Tim Sweetman
Death. It’s coming, and getting closer each day, yet it still seems so far away.
“For death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.”
Eccl. 7:2 [NIV]
We live each day many times with not one thought that we could die at any moment. I don’t want to be depressing (you’ll see in a moment how to not be depressed), but we really do need to have this thought. It is foolish to live our lives not thinking about the end and beyond.
“The wages of sin is death.”
Romans 6:23 [NIV]
When Adam first sinned, he brought sin into all the world, bringing disease and death. Man became a finite being.
“He must not be allowed to…take from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
Genesis 3:22 [NIV]
“Just as sin entered the world through one man and death throught sin, and in this way death came to all men because all sinned—for before the law was given, sin was in the world…Death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.”
Romans 5:12-14 [NIV]
But the awesome thing is God’s gift to us. It was given to us by one man’s death, the opposite of many men’s deaths. And another awesome thing is that the judgment was on one sin, where as the gift forgave many trespasses. By one many were made sinful, and by One, many were made righteous.
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Where, O Death, is your victory?
Where, O Death, is your sting?”
I Cor. 15:55 [NIV]
The sting of death is sin, and sin has been conquered by Christ. And all we have to do is let Christ come into our lives to conquer this sting. Nothing in all of this world matters as much as our souls. They are all that will last from this finite and sinful world. What good will it do you if you live your life on frivolous pleasures and waste your life? We must have a mindset of “not being of this world” or if we don’t know Christ, “I could die at any moment—I need to get things right with God.”
Our lives have purpose—that is to glorify God. We glorify God by “making much of Jesus”* in everything that we do, living our lives like Christ every single day. We are to live our lives to the fullest by living like Christ. (recommended reading “Don’t Waste Your Life” by John Piper.) Life is more than empty pleasures, money, friends, the mall, computers, clothes, cars, and big houses. It’s only going to be lived to the fullest by making much of Christ through our life. There’s just no other way.
If you’ve been living an unfruitful life, I suggest that you get on your knees, and pray to the Lord, telling Him that you want to live your life to the fullest by living wholly for Him.
And when those we love die, we can know that God has a purpose and plan that we don’t know yet. We need to put our trust in him. It’s hard, but we must do it. Jesus is with you, he is your friend, your shelter in times of trouble. Pray to him, and he will answer you. Rely on him, and he will be faithful.
*Steven Curtis Chapman, “Make Much of You Jesus”, All About Love.
*Don’t Waste Your Life, by John Piper
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Tim Sweetman is a 15 year-old writer, artist, and soccer player from the D.C. area. He is home schooled along with his four other siblings, and is also currently running a web blog located at www.agenttim.blogspot.com. He writes other articles on his site and is currently working on a spy novel.