By Bill Brandstatter
One of my grandsons was married this year. Another grandson entered the sixth grade. Also, my wife and I will be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary later this year. I also signed up for Medicare this year. It just doesn’t seem possible all those events are happening in the same year. It seems like I get up at six in the morning, and before I know it five in the afternoon is upon me. All this has caused me to contemplate life; what the Bible says about the brevity of life and how seriously we need to be to make the most of the life we have. The point of Biblical teaching is that the importance of life is not so much the quantity of years as it is the quality. The Psalmist wrote, “We spend our lives as a tale that is told,” (Ps. 90:9 KJV). What kind of tale is your life telling? In thinking about the quality of our lives, emphasis is placed on making the most of the time we have.
We should pay attention and make the most of our lives on earth. The Psalmist wrote, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psa. 90:12 (NKJV) This is a similar thought Paul expressed when he wrote, “Redeeming our time because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5:16) As we look back on life, do we have any regrets? As we look at the present, are there any changes we need to make? As we look toward the future, is there anything we can do now to affect the future?
We can’t just compare our lives to others by indicating we are better than someone else. Our souls are precious (Mt. 16:26). We should do some serious thinking about where we are spiritually and where we want to be eternally. Peter told the Jews on Pentecost, “Save yourselves” (Acts 2:40). I have to do something because the future will be here before I know it.
We should make the most of our lives because we don’t have long here compared to eternity. Peter described our lives as grass that eventually withers and falls away (1 Pet. 1:24). Life is compared in the Bible to: a sigh (Ps. 90:9); sleep (Ps. 90:5); a shadow (Eccl. 6:12); a moment (2 Co. 4:17); and a weaver’s shuttle (Job 7:6). Many of us can identify with these descriptions. We see how accurate these descriptions are every day we live.
How are spending our lives? Do we pay more attention to the physical comforts of life than we do the spiritual? Jesus said, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). Let us be more diligent in our spiritual lives in case death comes too early for us and our lives are cut short.
One of my grandsons was married this year. Another grandson entered the sixth grade. Also, my wife and I will be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary later this year. I also signed up for Medicare this year. It just doesn’t seem possible all those events are happening in the same year. It seems like I get up at six in the morning, and before I know it five in the afternoon is upon me. All this has caused me to contemplate life; what the Bible says about the brevity of life and how seriously we need to be to make the most of the life we have. The point of Biblical teaching is that the importance of life is not so much the quantity of years as it is the quality. The Psalmist wrote, “We spend our lives as a tale that is told,” (Ps. 90:9 KJV). What kind of tale is your life telling? In thinking about the quality of our lives, emphasis is placed on making the most of the time we have.
We should pay attention and make the most of our lives on earth. The Psalmist wrote, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psa. 90:12 (NKJV) This is a similar thought Paul expressed when he wrote, “Redeeming our time because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5:16) As we look back on life, do we have any regrets? As we look at the present, are there any changes we need to make? As we look toward the future, is there anything we can do now to affect the future?
We can’t just compare our lives to others by indicating we are better than someone else. Our souls are precious (Mt. 16:26). We should do some serious thinking about where we are spiritually and where we want to be eternally. Peter told the Jews on Pentecost, “Save yourselves” (Acts 2:40). I have to do something because the future will be here before I know it.
We should make the most of our lives because we don’t have long here compared to eternity. Peter described our lives as grass that eventually withers and falls away (1 Pet. 1:24). Life is compared in the Bible to: a sigh (Ps. 90:9); sleep (Ps. 90:5); a shadow (Eccl. 6:12); a moment (2 Co. 4:17); and a weaver’s shuttle (Job 7:6). Many of us can identify with these descriptions. We see how accurate these descriptions are every day we live.
How are spending our lives? Do we pay more attention to the physical comforts of life than we do the spiritual? Jesus said, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). Let us be more diligent in our spiritual lives in case death comes too early for us and our lives are cut short.
- Bill Brandstatter preaches for the Marion Church of Christ in Marion, IL. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://marionchurchofchrist.com/
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