Living the Dash
Part of One Month to Live
June 23, 2024

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LIVING THE DASH

Each person’s life comes between two dates: Birth date and Death date.

Birth ———— Death

What’s in the dash?

We are on this earth for a purpose and we are given a life to live for a reason.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
John 10:10

What would you do if you knew you only had one month to live?

“Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.”
Psalm 90:12

We don’t have control over many things in life.
We didn’t get to decide where we were born, who our parents are, or which time period and culture we face.
We don’t get to decide the dates on our gravestone.
We don’t know when our time on this earth will be up.

We get to decide how we’re going to use our dash.
Why wait until a big life moment to accept this knowledge and allow it to free us?

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die,…”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

There are three universal principles that will help you extract the most out of life for the glory of God.

These three universal principles are seen in the life of Christ.
Jesus knew when he had 30 days until the cross. What did He do when He knew He had one month to live? From His life we discover three universal principles that will empower us to make the most of our dash.

Jesus lived passionately, loved completely, and left boldly.

“I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”
John 10:10 Msg

PRINCIPLE 1: Jesus lived passionately.

No matter where you are in life, God wants you to live the better life where you are fully who He made you to be.

God says, “I have the better life for you than you can even imagine.”

You can experience that life now!

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
1 John 5:11-12

Satan is constantly telling us to wait and play it safe.
He is the one who whispers that we need to change but let’s wait until someday when the time is right.

You tell yourself that someday you will get your life right with Christ. That someday you will get involved in a small group or someday you will spend more time with your kids or someday you will spend less time at the office or someday you will make enough money to slow down but someday never comes.

You need to learn how to turn your intentions into actions.

Avoid the “Someday Syndrome” so that you can make the most of today and not live for that elusive someday that never comes.

PRINCIPLE TWO: Jesus loved completely.

Look at what Jesus did when He knew He had only a short time left with His disciples in John 13:1

“Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love.”
John 13:1

If you knew you only had one month to live you would…

  • Say the things you’ve always wanted to say
  • Do the things you’ve always wanted to do
  • Focus on your relationships
  • Express your love to those closest to you

One main reason you are placed on this earth is to love and you’re never living until you’re loving.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:37-39

Everything boils down to loving God and loving people.

At the end of your life it won’t matter:

  • How much money is in your bank account
  • How many awards you’ve won
  • How many goals you’ve achieved

All that will matter is:

  • Did you love?
  • Did you love the people in your life?
  • Did you love God with all your heart?

Pastor John’s story about Jimmy

Jesus showed His disciples the full extent of His love by doing something simple.
He washed their feet.

Over the next 30 days, think about the simple little things that can make a big difference.
A minor change can make a major difference in letting someone know you really love them.

PRINCIPLE 3: Jesus left boldly.

Not only did Jesus live passionately, love completely, but He also left boldly. He was resolute in His mission on earth and knew why He was here. Pastor John loves the sense of urgency in Luke 9:51.

“As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”
Luke 9:51

There was no hesitation or reservation with Christ.
He was resolute in fulfilling the purpose for which He came.

If you knew you only had 30 days to live you would be resolved to finalize your purpose.

  • You wouldn’t waste time or energy on things that didn’t really matter
  • You would look for ways to leave a lasting legacy
  • You would prepare for eternity because you know where you are going

Leaving boldly means that you are prepared to meet Jesus face to face.
You spent your time on earth growing closer to Him and doing what he tells you to do right now not someday.

You can live a beautiful life.
You can live an abundant life.
You can live a full life regardless of how many days you are given.