The Most Important Preparation

Billy Graham was one of the greatest evangelists in history. He asked this question with the power and authority of a man filled with the Holy Spirit and on a holy mission: “Are you prepared to die?”

That’s a question that hits us in all its urgency. But when Billy Graham asked “Are you prepared to die?” he wasn’t asking about any of the legal preparations many of us have or will eventually put in place. He was asking, “Is your soul prepared to die?” Then he would share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

His sermons were often followed by phrases like this: If you are not sure, or if you don’t have a day and time defined, then come forward and let’s make this is your defining moment!

The word religion can bring thoughts of division, hypocrisy, and intolerance. But faith—deep, abiding faith—brings unity, transparency, and love. Isn’t that worth seeking?

Remember the moment or season when you met Jesus and you believed. It will remind you of your first love and refresh you in this moment. If you write it down, it will bring peace, joy, and hope for those you may leave behind.

Finding Hope in Facing Death

If you or your loved one have received a serious or terminal diagnosis, you may be experiencing a multitude of emotions. Fear, trepidation, anxiety, and depression are common when we are faced with our own mortality. The unknown journey of dying may be the source of many of these. You may grieve your own death as you consider separation from those you love. But peace, joy, love, and anticipation can be found when you experience the hope found in the cross.

The cross is central to understanding the Gospel. It is the place where God’s righteous justice and infinite mercy reside. It is the place where death occurred and life was promised. It is the place of unimaginable despair and enduring hope. As a believer, the cross represents the death we deserve and reminds us of the cost that was paid for our healing. Without the cross, there would be no resurrection, and without the resurrection we could not anticipate Heaven.

To understand the importance of the cross, we must understand why we need it. Let me give you an illustration I used on mission trips in Rwanda to explain the cross to children.

A Cross to Bridge the Great Divide

Our mission team often would set up stations outside the medical clinics we served. Under big tents, people enjoyed shade, water, and snacks, and the stations became a place for laughter and games — which especially drew in children. One of the games we played illustrates why we need Jesus.

We drew two lines in the dirt, approximately 20 feet apart. We lined up the children on one side and asked them to run and jump the expanse between the two lines. But it was way too far! No matter the child’s physical ability, none were able to jump such a distance.

We then sat down and described how we must view sin. On the other side of that distant line lives a perfect and holy God. He wants us to make it to the other side, to be close to Him. But each of us who tries to make that jump will always fall short.

Earlier, before the children came, we had connected two long pieces of wood by rope to make a 20-foot cross. It was great fun for everyone as children tried to jump farther than their friends and laughed when one of us also would try and fall short. They especially loved when our friend Andre Davis, an NFL record holder, tried but still couldn’t make it across.

After everyone made their attempts to jump to the other side, we would gather together, bring out the cross, and lay it across the great divide. The children could then walk across the cross as a bridge.

Jesus died on that cross as the perfect Lamb of God. He bore our sin and experienced separation from his Father for the first time in eternity.

Faithfully Full of Faith

You might wonder, How do we find hope in a story where Jesus dies? The hope came three days later when death was conquered and Jesus Christ was raised from the grave to the right hand of the Father. The hope is in the resurrection. Because of the resurrection, I anticipate that my death has been conquered, and He is the fulfillment of my living hope.

Even the faith of a child, the faith to trust that walk on the cross to the other side, is a gift from God. If you find yourself just short of full faith in Jesus then, friend, pray for faith. The Son of God came to Earth, died, and was resurrected so we may live forever with God in eternity. God will deliver that last missing piece to show you the way. He does, always. And as believers who have completed our faith walks, we must remember that without death we would not experience the Heaven we have anticipated. May we praise our way home!

Accepting the truth of our own absolute spiritual poverty considering God’s perfection creates in us a deep desire to seek Him. When we receive the undeserved and miraculous gift of salvation, we are transformed. The Bible contains the words of God, and when we are transformed by the Holy Spirit, these words begin to leap from the pages into our hearts. They live and breathe within us, and we can understand them with greater clarity.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

When transformation occurs in the hearts of those who come to God in faith, death then becomes a lie. Jesus conquered death when He rose triumphantly from the grave, and now this is His bold promise:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” (John 11:25)

Are you prepared to die? The answer lies in the hope of the cross and the power of the resurrection. Let this be your defining moment.