Certainly you have heard by now that former NBA star and Los Angels Laker icon Kobe Bryant was killed in a tragic helicopter accident early Sunday morning. He played 20 seasons in the NBA, was a 5 time NBA champion, and an 18 time all-star. He is considered one of the greatest NBA players of all time. His death is a great loss and he will certainly be missed.

Nobody woke up Sunday morning thinking that it would be Kobe’s last day on earth, certainly he didn’t wake up thinking that. The majority of us do not wake up thinking “today could be my last”, but the truth is it could be. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. Life is fragile and it could be over in an instant. I don’t mean to be morbid, but it is important that we consider these things from time to time: none of us will live forever and death could come suddenly. Certainly, it did for Kobe Bryant.

As we mourn the loss of Kobe and the others who were aboard the helicopter Sunday morning let’s consider two things…

Life is a Vapor 

The Bible tells us that life is a vapor (James 4:14). Here today and gone tomorrow and it can be over in an instant even without any warning. The Bible tells us that we should number our days (Psalm 90:12) and live wisely (Ephesians 5:16) knowing that we may not have tomorrow. But how often do we live this way? The majority of us assume that we have years to live and as a result we do not make the most of our time. We don’t invest in people’s lives as frequently as we should, we don’t give of our time, talent, or treasure for the Kingdom of God as often as we could, and we are not striving to share the gospel or make disciples with any real urgency. As Christians we should go to bed each night knowing that we did something that day (no matter how great or small) of eternal significance.

We serve a great Savior who can do great things through us, let’s live that way. 

Life Will Come to an End

Not only should we know that life can end suddenly for some, but we should also know that life will end with certainty for all. It doesn’t matter how successful, healthy, famous, or financially stable you are – you can’t stop death. As it’s been said, “There are only two things certain in life: death and taxes.” All of us (unless Christ returns first) will die. The author of Hebrews makes it clear, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement” (Hebrews 9:27). And when death comes you will either stand in judgement on your own and be found guilty resulting in eternity in hell or you will stand with Christ and be found righteous resulting in eternal bliss. The difference is faith. Do not neglect so great a salvation (Hebrews 2:3), but turn in faith to Jesus today. He alone can forgive your sin and save your soul.

May we live in light of this every day He gives us.