The Final Breath

Darren Holt was his name. He was the preacher for the Figueroa church of Christ in Los Angeles, CA. And on Sunday, October 25, 2015, he would draw his last breath. It seemed to be just like any other day and any other sermon. As he was coming to the end of his lesson he stepped down from the podium and told the congregation he needed to sit down. While resting on the front pew, and in his final breaths, he uttered the words, “If you’re not a Christian, say yes to him. You’ve heard the Word. Believe it. Repent of your sins, confess Christ, be baptized.”

After these incredible words, Darren Holt became unresponsive. Several members with medical training administered CPR until the paramedics arrived and rushed him to the hospital. Sadly, all these efforts were unsuccessful and he passed away shortly at the hospital. He had drawn his last breath, uttered his last words, and taken his last action (Read More Here).

Every breath we take brings us one closer to our last. Only the Lord knows when our final life-sustaining draw will be. While we shouldn’t live in a panic, we need to live life with a sense of urgency. The end of our lives is nearing and is unavoidable. We do not know what our lives will be like tomorrow, or even if we will have a tomorrow (James 4:14). Like the rich man in Luke 12:16-21, tonight could be when we take our final breath.

Darren Holt used his final words and final breaths to tell people what they needed to do to be saved. As we near our end, far too often we have unfinished business. If our life ended today what would we regret? Who would we wish we had tried to reach with the gospel? What sins would we wish we had fixed? What relationships would have wished we tried to mend? What apologies would we wish we had made? What words of love would we wish we had expressed?

Possibly thinking about these very things, David wrote these humbling words, “Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath” (Psalm 39:4-5).

Let’s seize the moment. Let’s fix what needs fixing in our lives. Let’s use every breath we take today for good and for God.