This week, I was reminded of the fragility of life when a good friend of my father passed away. He was fine the one day, and two days later he had passed on! Needless to say, it was a great shock to his family and many friends.
We often live our lives thinking that we’re invincible, but little do we realize the fine line between life and death. One could hope that all of us are alive to be caught up in the air with the Lord at His glorious return, but that would be wishful thinking. Some of us will not be alive then, although that will not detract from the excitement of the resurrection that awaits us! (1 Thes 4:15-18, Phil 1:21)
Life is fragile. It can end at any time, meaning the close of probation for each individual may well be closer than the general close of probation. Wise King Solomon said it well when he said that the living know they shall die, but the dead know not anything. Since life passes so quickly, it should be all the more reason to find those things that matter the most and make your life count for something bigger and better than your wildest dreams - something that will last for eternity! I speak of the Kingdom of God which will never pass away. Jesus said: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other things will be added unto you.” (Matt 6:24-34, Matt 6:19-21)
Are you stressed about things that often seem beyond your control? Do you feel like a headless chicken, or a wave in a tempest, tossed to and fro? Do the little annoyances in life leave you feeling angry and bitter, and then worst of all…ALONE? Are you suffering the negative physical effects of a body and spirit that is exhausted from the relentless pressures of life and the wild dreams and fantasies you chase that mean nothing in the greater scheme of things? Do you feel like a hamster on a wheel, running as fast as you can, but going nowhere? Are you trapped in a vicious cycle of debt that leaves a lump in your throat and feels like an anaconda squeezing the life out of you?
I speak from personal experience when I tell people that Jesus is the answer to true contentment. After all, if the Spirit of the Lord of the Universe dwells within you, what more could you want? I felt my colleague’s sentiments this week when he said that if he didn’t have Jesus, he probably would have committed suicide a long time ago. Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with forward planning and a healthy sense of God-given ambition. God wants us to use all our talents, but most times we take it beyond the boundaries for healthful living. None of us is given a guarantee that we will have tomorrow; all we have is today. Make it count! As the old hymn goes: “…one day at a time, Sweet Jesus; that’s all I am asking of You…”
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."- Matt 6:24-34
Scripture refs: Read the whole of Matthew ch 6, 1Thes 4:15-18, Phil 1:21
