By Shane Kastler
Some people live to be 100. Some people die at 41. So it was for basketball great, Kobe Bryant who died along with eight others in a recent helicopter crash. Some people die at 80. Some die at 13. So it was for Bryant's daughter Gianna, the teenage daughter of the basketball phenom, who was embarking on her own aspiring career.
Some people die of natural causes. They know for months, or even years, that they are dying. Others die in accidents. Kobe and Gianna, along with seven others, died in a crash. They might have known for a few seconds that the end was near, or it might have happened so fast that they never knew what happened.
Sometimes other people die. Sometimes it's you. Today, thousands of “other people” died, tomorrow it might be you. Am I trying to use scare tactics to get your attention? No. Just stating the cold hard facts of life. You know what kind of facts I mean? The kind we all try to avoid and pretend they'll never affect us. We snooze our way through life. And then our time on earth is over. The Bible says our life is like a mist that is here for a while and then gone. (See James 4:14) Compared to eternity, it doesn't really matter if you die at 100, or 80, or 41, or 13. All that matters is whether or not you knew the Lord.
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6) The Bible teaches that we are all sinners and have disobeyed God. We do this both by nature and by choice, and the penalty for such disobedience is death. Both physical and spiritual death. One day you will die, but in truth you were born dead. At least in a spiritual sense. Only the Holy Spirit can give you spiritual life, and when that happens you are “born again.” (John 3:3) The result of this new birth is that you turn from your sin in repentance and commit your life to Jesus Christ by faith. It's not a one time “decision” but rather a lifetime commitment. And it's one you should consider while there is still breath in your lungs.
Kobe and Gianna Bryant took off in a helicopter one Sunday morning, planning to go to a basketball tournament. They never made it. Who could have guessed that two young, beautiful people would be taken out in the prime of life? But truly, death will one day come calling for you too. Maybe you'll be elderly and the cause will be natural. Or maybe you'll be young and the cause will be sudden and unexpected. Place your faith in Jesus, so you'll be ready either way.
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