Room Full of Dead Men

There's a riddle that goes something like, "You're standing on a bridge and you see a boat full of people. Yet, there isn't a single person. Why? Because they're all married." 

Well, I've got one for you this morning. "There's a room full of breathing men. They all have heartbeats, they all have pulses, yet, every single one of them are dead." 

Why? 

Well, because the death I'm talking about isn't physical. It's spiritual. 

They are all breathing, walking, talking, living, men. Yet, spiritually, they're deader than the ham on Christmas morning. 

Sometimes it's easy to spot these dead men. (Know that when I say "men" I also mean "women.") 

Yet, other times, they are so good at covering up the stench of death that we don't even notice. 

But today, we're not going to be focusing on other people. Today, we're going to be focusing on ourselves.
How do we know that we are alive in Christ? Well, these five points below are a big indication of our salvation. Also, if we look at this the other way around, we can spot these dead men rather quickly. If these men (and women) don't follow these five points, then it's time to look closer at the situation. 


5 Ways We Should Be Living Today 

     1. With Love (Mark 12:30-31) 
John said that other people will know we are Christians by our LOVE. (John 13:35) 
I said that sometimes it's hard to spot a dead man. But friends, trust me, if we're alive in Christ, people should be able to spot that from a million miles away. 
We should have love SO abundant that it's pouring out of us like Old Faithful. Love isn't only a sure sign of our salvation, but it's also commanded by God. (Mark 12:30-31) 

     2.  With Fruit (Galatians 5:22-23)
If we have the Holy spirit living in us, we should have such an abundance of fruit that we could start our own farmers market! Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 
They should ALL be a part of our daily lives. 

     3. With Love for the Church (Acts 2:42-47) 
I know we already talked about loving others. But having a deep, yearning desire to be with His people is also very important. Sundays are a day of refreshment, a day to edify, strengthen, and exhort our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
If we don't have a desire to be with His people, we might just want to check our spiritual pulse.   

     4. With Godly Actions (2 Peter 1-7)
A simple action can sometimes speak louder than a thousand words. Are we quick to volunteer? Are we always ready to lend a hand to the homeless, widowed and orphaned? Are we fast to put our own desires last, and others first? 
This, my friends, is where true joy is found. By putting Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last. 


     5. With a Heavenly Mindset (Romans 12:2) 
My friends, this world is NOT our home. Of course we can be content, happy even, but our contentment shouldn't stem from worldly pleasures. It shouldn't come from ice cream, marvel movies, or The Greatest Showman. It shouldn't manifest itself in the next big adventure, a fancy car or a million dollar home. 
While all these things can have their proper places in our lives, our joy, our worth, our contentment, should be found in Christ. 
Don't get attached to this world, friends. It will fail you. EVERY TIME. 
Attach yourself to Christ who will NEVER fail you. Who will never leave you nor forsake you.  

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So, friends, let's make sure we aren't like those dead men. And if we find ourselves by a "dead man," let's be quick to tell him about Jesus. Quick to listen, and pray.  

Let's all keep in mind our heavenly goal, while trying our hardest to be Lights for Christ.