JOB 14:1-2 – “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.”
THEME OF THE DAY: HOW QUICKLY IT PASSES. Life. That is the “it” in today’s nugget’s theme. When it comes to the Bible defining the nature of life in this world, we get words contained in today’s scripture – “few of days, like a flower and withers, like a shadow” and in the New Testament, James would add the words, “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14). Add them all up, we come to the obvious conclusion that life does quickly pass and is of short duration. So, how should that impact us starting right now? Three applications.
First, think more about the brevity of life because we don’t. Perhaps that is too broad a statement, but evaluate yourself. Do you consistently remind yourself life is short? The best way to answer that question is not with words but with priorities. The Christian who lives with the awareness of the brevity of life strives to do so with spiritual and eternal priorities shaping and directing their lives. By way of warning, Jesus, in His Parable of the Rich Fool, tells us of a person not shaped and directed by spiritual and eternal priorities – And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:16-21). The fleeting nature of life demands we invest wisely in the spiritual and eternal, not the worldly and temporary.
A second application living aware of how quickly life passes is tied to the first – don’t waste time. God gives each of us 168 hours a week. He also has given us commands to obey, a mission to accomplish, and the power to do both. And if we are going to do so, it requires time, wise use of time. The Apostle Paul instructs the Ephesian believers to “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). Remember, time knows no master. We either invest it wisely or waste it foolishly.
Finally, and really the first step in applying the truth of the brevity of life is to ask God to constantly make us aware of this truth. As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, I don’t think we live with this awareness and it easily shows in the level of our obedience to God’s commands so we should pray earnestly for the Lord to remind us. Like David – “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! (Psalm 39:4-6). Such a prayer will keep us aware of the first two points of application in today’s nugget – living by right priorities and making wise choices in the use of time. May God help us to see ourselves as we are – finite and fleeting beings in a fading world!
PRAYER: “Father, teach me to see how fleeting life is and not waste a single day on the trivial things of this world.”
QUOTE: “Life is so short and we are so foolish if we waste the only life we have consumed with life in this world.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim