100 Things To Do Before You Die

In Luke 13 Jesus is talking to some people about death. He basically tells them that everyone dies, no matter how "good" or "bad" they are, and that the moral of the story is that everyone should "repent or perish." In other words, Jesus is saying that everyone is going to die...and they need to be ready for it.

Cut to August 17. Did you hear the news? Dave Freeman died. Who's he? He's the co-author of "100 Things To Do Before You Die." He apparently had a nasty fall at his house, hit his head on something, and it killed him. He was 47 years old. I looked on the internet, but I couldn't find any report about how many of the "100 things" Dave accomplished before he died. I assume he did all or most of them - after all, he was one of the authors of the book. But I'm pretty sure he wasn't expecting to kick the bucket at the tender age of 47.

I'm sure he still had a lot that he wanted to do, places to see, destinations to visit, adventures to have. But it was all cut short because he slipped, fell, and hit his head. Do you think he was planning on that happening? Surely not. And despite his list of 100 things, there was really only one thing on his list (whether he knew it or not) that was essential: be ready to die.

Back to Luke 13: Jesus gives an example of a large tower that collapsed and fell, and killed 18 people back in his day. He says that there was nothing about these 18 people that caused the tower to fall on them. In other words, karma didn't make the tower fall and kill them - it just happened because it happened. They weren't super evil people who deserved to die for something they did or did not do. Accidents just happen and sometimes, people are killed. It doesn't make sense, there's no rational rhyme or reason for it, it just happens. The warning Jesus gives is startlingly to the point: "...unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

Jesus' point is that you don't know what's coming. You might be walking down the street and have a tower collapse on your head. You might be driving across a collapsing bridge and fall to your death. You might be in a tower, minding your own business at work when someone flies a plane into your building. You might be killed in a tornado or a hurricane. You might slip in the shower and bang your head on the sink. The point is, YOU DON'T KNOW. No one ever expects to be tragically killed. And since we live in an evironment of such uncertainty and accidents, what should we do? Repent.

John Piper's ministry released this video after the 35W bridge collapse, and it would be well worth your time to watch it:



This is not a scare tactic - it is reality. Again, just ask Dave Freeman. Or ask the people who died on 9/11. Or ask the people who died in Hurricane Katrina. Do you think they were expecting it?

Most people have their list of things they want to do before they die, and they look forward to the things on that list. They want to accomplish these things because they want to do something interesting with their life. What they take for granted though, is that it could all be over in an instant. Just ask Dave Freeman. People don't realize that the number one item on your list of things to do before you die is to get saved. And don't go on to number two until you've completed number one. It might be you who slips and falls and bangs your head.

I probably haven't (and won't) accomplish 99 of the 100 things that Freeman says I need to do before I die, but I can still go to the grave knowing that the most important thing on that list is taken care of.