Where was His "Bucket List"?

Teaching.  That's what he was doing on his second to last day on Earth.  Spending precious and valuable time ministering to the sick and broken, sharing the message his Father sent him here to deliver so that he might accomplish his goal.  Of all the things he could have been doing in those last days, he was serving others.

This makes me think about 2 specific points, totally unrelated to one another: 1) How awesome must Heaven be that he continued to teach people about their Heavenly Father so that they might one day get to see him, and 2) How frivolous is the idea of the "bucket list", trying to do all the things here on Earth before we die.

Knowing his ultimate destiny was nearing, Jesus continued to serve man by sharing the hope and grace of eternal salvation.  Our human nature is to focus our concerns heavily on this life and all the needs, wants and desires we continuously develop.  Satisfaction is something rarely achieved while here, in this life, yet the message of eternity is the opposite- there are no wants, needs or desires.  So, it makes sense that Jesus would have focused on what is truly important- eternity- in his last waning hours.  Building my faith in that message and holding on to the hope of eternity in Heaven with Jesus and all of the other believers is something I pray  I continue to pursue the rest of the days of my life.

And, how many times do we hear about the terminally ill completing their final "to do" list while they have the strength and energy to find enjoyment in it's fulfillment?  I pray I am never in that predicament for I am not certain of which I would choose.  I would hope that my faith was strong enough to carry me through to recognize the futility of clinging to this truly temporary, and ultimately, meaningless existence knowing what was in store for me in the near future.  If Jesus, my shining example of faith, hope and love, spent his last hours helping others find grace and mercy through salvation, I should hope that I might have just a small portion of his character to be able to do similar.

In these final days of Holy Week as we prepare to celebrate his victory over death, and ours, I can't help but be humbled and grateful for having and knowing such a loving God.  My prayer today is for those who don't have this peace and don't know my Lord, Jesus, and that somehow, someway, all of those lost souls might be touched by his love and peace this week.  Look around.  The signs are plentiful.  He is coming.  Praise God, our Father, for that glorious day!