"What Would You Do?"

Written by R. E. Bailes

What If Today Was Your Last?

What would you do different? How would you treat the people you have known all of your life? Would you give them a hug? Would you tell them something you have always thought but haven't ever said? Something that would make them feel fulfillment and satisfied within.

How would you treat your children and grandchildren? What would you have to do to leave things in order for your family? Would you write a letter to your children? Would it be just one letter to all of them or one for each child? Would you get that big bunch of flowers for your special someone? Would you cook a big meal with steaks and all the works so you could all sit around the table one last time and laugh, talk about their lives and tell everyone what you really feel deep in your heart about them? Would you want to send your pastor a letter of appreciation? Would you want to talk to someone you have worked with for years and make sure they knew that God loved them and had paid the price that they may have life too? Would you ask someone for forgiveness of some wrong you had done to them? Would you forgive the ones who had mistreated you and never made things right? Why not? It wouldn't matter if tomorrow wasn't going to come, would it? What would it hurt to forgive? What would you gain by forgiving them?

You would gain a peace of mind, heart and soul in the last 24 hours of your life if you forgave them. You would also have the peace of mind in knowing that they would not feel that your hurt had gone with you to the grave. Your family would know that you loved them. You friends at work will know that you cared enough to tell them about the gift of God. Your spiritual leader or mentor would have a reminder for life that they had made a difference in your life. What if you had done these things already?

Just think about it for a minute! You wouldn't have to spend your last 24 hours doing all these things if you knew you were going to pass from this life into eternity!

Matthew 6:33-34 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

In the past week I stopped at an accident to help out. It had happened in the middle of a highway that had about four lanes going in each direction. The car was slammed into the guard rail in the middle and the side of the car on the driver's side was crushed in really bad. There was no way out of this car for the man and his daughter who was about the same age as my own daughter. As I assisted in keeping them stable and translating some in Spanish I kept looking at the man's face and wondering how he must feel. I knew he was scared because he couldn't move everything and he was trapped. I knew he hadn't been prepared for this moment in his life and had no way of knowing this would happen; but he held a few papers in his hand and a New Testament. I couldn't speak enough Spanish to ask him, but I felt that it was the most important thing to him at that moment! It was a moment when his life teetered on life and death. His mind was on the things that mean the most in this world as he continued to stare at his Bible in his hands.

This man's life was changed but I also had changed in a split second as I began to think about how it could have just as easily been me in that car and I might not have had a second chance to do what's most important. The chance that we all need ,to do the things that count!

What is keeping us from doing the these things before we get to the end of our lives? Why must we wait until then? Are we too proud to look past the hurt that we have been through and get on with getting it behind us? I know that I thought about this and I thought, "If I was going to die, it wouldn't matter what anyone thought about me! It wouldn't matter if people thought I was strange for calling them up and telling them things that I had wanted to say to them! Maybe I would be able to leave them feeling better about themselves and our relationship!".

By following the wisdom of the Word, I also would be giving my children an example to love and forgive others!

Luke 6:35-37 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:


Then I thought about this a while longer and I realized that it wouldn't matter if I went ahead and did all of those things right now! It really would make a difference to do the things that I just listed and more, but I don't need to wait until I am coming to the end of this life!

I could do it now and live with the thought of knowing that I had done my part in the lives of those I loved and cared for during my life; not after my life was over. Our thoughts really do count while we are alive.

Psalm 139:2-4 You know my down sitting and my uprising, you understand my thought afar off. 3 You compass my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, you know it altogether.


Please take just a few minutes right now and throughout this day. Give this serious thought because we really don't know when this life on planet Earth as we know it will end!

Be ready!
Don't wait! Just ask yourself, "If I had one day to live, what would I do?".
Make a list and start with the first thing!

Your life will never be better as you begin to live in the blessing of God's love and forgiveness! You don't have to wait until you die to enjoy the blessings of Life!

This may be "the last 24 hours" you have but it is also "the first day of the rest of your life!" I care for you today and pray that your life will be blessed by the message that God has laid on my heart!

It has blessed me and today my life has just begun!

Philipians 3:14-15 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.