Sometimes we hear people say, “I wish I were dead, I just don’t have anything to live for.” Many of these same people don’t have anything to die for either. It is a shame for a person to be so depressed that he cannot see all the wonderful blessings that God give him day by day. It is a greater shame for a person to have lived his life here on earth and not prepared himself to where he can have a better life awaiting him after this life is over. I hope by this study that you will be convinced that you need to be prepared for a better place after death.

            In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. As we read from Gen. 1 we find that God made the earth a beautiful place. He made the trees, the grass, the flowers and everything it takes to make a place beautiful. After creating such a place as this, God created man in His own image and placed him in this wonderful place that He had made. Man was created to be a glory to God. As a result of man’s sin, God drove him from the garden that he might make his own living by the sweat of his face. Since that ime man has been burdened with the job of making a living for his family. Sometimes the task seems to be almost beyond our ability. Due to this, many people become depressed and want to give up. Our responsibility is no greater than that which others has been. We seem to think sometimes that we have more problems than anybody. If we only look around us we can find people in much worse shape than we. Man of thesse people have the best attitude of any, and trust God more than those who have much more. Doesn’t it make us ashamed that we act so childish and always complain and act like a spoiled child every time something doesn’t go just like we think it should? Maybe we need to get down on our knees and ask God to forgive us for being so foolish.

            God send his Son into the world to make a way that we might have hope of a better place. Jesus came and gave His life on the cross to make it possible. God did not make this unconditional as we see from a study of the Bible. If I want the joys and pleasures of Heaven, I can have them. That is if I am willing to do what God has said. If I sit around and feel sorry for myself and think that God is going to save me regardless of what I do, then I will miss Heaven. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” You see, man has something to do. He must come to Christ and obey Him. In Jn. 5:40, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” If a person does not come to the Lord and obey Him he has nothing to die for. According to Matt. 25:46 those who fail to obey the Lord will go away into everlasting punishment. You think that you have it rough now, but just wait until you miss Heaven. Friend, you have it good now in comparison to what it would be in Hell.

            Death can be gain to some. To those who have obey the Lord and faithfully served Him while here on the earth, death is gain. In Rev. 14:13 the writer said, “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them”. Those who faithfully serve the Lord have something to look forward to; they may rest from their labours. The wicked have no rest day or night (Rev. 14:11). Paul said in Phil. 1:21 that for him to die was gain. Death is also gain for us if e devote our life to a work of the Lord like Paul did. 2 Tim. 4:6-8: “For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.”

            Maybe you are looking for your reason for living in the wrong place. Those who have chosen to serve the Lord have found a new reason for living, and a new purpose for dying. Why don’t you obey the Lord, and see if you, too will have more to live for? If you are depressed it is not the Lord’s fault. He make the world and all thing that are therein. He has blessed man far beyond what he deserves, and even made a way that he can be saved. What more could we ask than this? If you are depressed IT’S YOUR OWN FAULT! You know something else? As long as you are happy with being depressed and making everyone else miserable, you will never have any better outlook on life. Get up and do something about it! Obey the Lord and get to work doing His will and I believe you will find that before many days you will be a different person.

---Bobby Robinson