Reflections on Kobe Bryant's Death

Reflections on Kobe Bryant’s Death

Like the rest of America I was both shocked and saddened to hear the news that Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and 7 other passengers died tragically in a helicopter crash last Sunday afternoon in Calabassas, California. 

As I listened to the ESPN reporters and guests trying to make sense of it all, one of the themes that emerged was how well Kobe prepared for life after the NBA.  Friends and fellow NBA players all said the same thing – that Kobe started preparing for life after retirement before he retired.  He learned to speak other languages (Chinese, Spanish, Italian), he learned investing and business skills to form Kobe Inc., when he played his last game for the Lakers, he was ready to enter a new life full of new challenges and opportunity.  As a result, since then he spent time post-NBA proselytizing to other NBA players to get ready for life after the NBA. 

As I listened to all this I wondered if Kobe had spent the same amount of energy preparing for life after death.

The Bible says that our days are numbered (Job 14:5) and that none of us know when our life will end (James 4:14). And that after we die we all must stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for how we lived our lives (2 Cor 5:10).

This verse goes on to say that the reason we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ is to reveal, by the deeds done in this life, whether we knew Jesus Christ or not, and based on this whether we will spend eternity with God in heaven or separated from God in hell.

To be clear the Bible teaches that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).  And the reason we are saved is to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). 

When a person accepts Jesus Christ by faith as their LORD and Savior, he changes the mission of their life to do good works that build the eternal kingdom of God - thereby showing that they belong to him.

Last Sunday Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and 7 others tragically and suddenly died and now must stand before their Maker to give an account for how they lived their lives.  I wonder if they are ready.

Are you?