“Time is Filled with Swift Transition”

By Kevin Rutherford

     The old song says,“Time is filled with swift transition.” How true that is. Our lives are passed in the blinking of an eye. James said our lives are like a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away (James 4;14). Every year in this world, 56,130,242 people die. That is about 4,677,520 per month, 153,781 per day, 6,408 per hour 107 per minute and nearly two per second. Assuming it takes you about five minutes to read this article, 535 people in this world will have died from the time you started until the time you finished. Time is getting away from us very quickly, and some day we will be numbered among the dead.
     Because life is but a micro-dot on the time line of eternity we must make the most of our lives. Solomon wanted to make the most of his life, but ended up wasting so much of it instead. After realizing the vanity of multiple women, wine, wealth, he finally came to the realization that one’s life is not well spent unless God is placed first in the life. After all we have been created for the purpose of serving God (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
     Making the most of our lives involves spending time engaged in activities that are beneficial to us physically, Eating right and exercising are important. After all, there is some benefit to exercise (I Timothy 4:8). In addition we are to be self-disciplined, and we are to take care of the body God has given us to use (Galatians 5:23; I Corinthians 6:19).
     Making the most of our time involves spending time with family and friends. God wants us to bring our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). We can’t do that if we don’t spend time with them.Too many families are splintering because the members of that family have become too busy to spend time with one another.
      Making the most of our time involves serving God. Spending time on the bodies’ health,and with family are certainly involved in serving God. However, serving God goes far beyond that. God must be first on our list of life priorities (Matthew 6:33). We need to make sure that we are using our time to worship Him, learn from His Word, pray to Him, teach the gospel among the lost, and spend time with fellow Christians. It is our service to God that is going to count on the judgment day (Revelation 20:13).
     By the end of this hour 6,408 people will have died. Some day you and I will die. Solomon said,“the living know that they shall die” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Don’t waste your life in the pursuit of the vain and the foolish. Spend your short life in  service to God. Don’t die with doubt. Live with hope, and die with hope. Faithfully serve the Lord and confidently expect the reward (II Timothy 4:6-8).

- Kevin Rutherford, St. Louis, MO; via the Belvedere Beacon, the weekly bulletin of the Belvedere church of Christ, Belvedere, SC.  Ken Chumbley preaches for this congregation, and he may be contacted at their website: http://www.belvederechurchofchrist.org