matters

Job 14:1-2
“Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and fades away…”

In the midst of his struggles, Job came to the realization that life is short. He compares life to a wild flower that blooms one day and seems to be gone the next. While it is important to realize the brevity of life, how we interpret that truth, will radically affect our viewpoint on life.

Some, like Job seem to develop a fatalistic approach to living. They look around, see the rich and poor, young and old, good and bad, all experience suffering, and all die. They soon become disillusioned, and begin to wonder what the point of life really is. Sadly, this usually leads to destructive behavior. It is not uncommon for a fatalist to become isolated from others, or develop a dependency on substances like alcohol or prescription medication. Certainly, the biblical teaching of the brevity of life is not designed to promote such thinking or behavior.

Another response to the shortness of life, is the attitude expressed by the backslidden believers in Isaiah’s day. They declared, he should “eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die” (Isaiah 22:13b). Sadly, it seems this attitude is almost epidemic today. One of the most popular hashtags (short messages on microblogging and social networking services) on social media sites is YOLO, meaning “you only live once.” Most pictures connected with this are of people doing particularly foolish things. It’s as if they are saying “you only live once, so live wild and free.” A viewpoint on life giving no regard to eternity, is anything but intelligent. The Bible declares a person is given one opportunity to live and then we will face judgment for this life (Hebrews 9:27). Rather than living recklessly against the ways of God, why not live recklessly for Him.

The proper response to understanding the shortness of this life, is to live for eternal things. As far as I know, there are only three things which will outlast this life: God, His Word, and the souls of men and women. We should get to know God through the pages of the Bible, seek to put into practice the things that matter to Him, and seek to express His love to others in every way possible. When the journey of life reaches the finish line, I want to be able to look back and see that I have left a mark upon the world for the kingdom of heaven, and to look forward to treasures that have been stored up by living for the things that matter to God.

Time is running out, it cannot be stopped. How will you choose to use it today?

Pastor Jim

1 Kings 5:13
“Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men.”

Building the Temple was a massive undertaking. It was to be a structure like no other. Unlike the pagan temples that were built in an attempt to reach up to the gods, this temple was built so God could reach down to man. The entirety of this structure pointed to the fact that God made a way for sinful man to have relationship with a holy God. As soon as a person approached the temple, they would smell the sacrifices, and be reminded of their need for a substitute to die in their place; removing the guilt and penalty of sin. These sacrifices provided a temporary covering, and pointed forward to Christ, who would die once, for the sins of all. Without question, this was the most important building of the ancient world.

In order to complete the Temple, Solomon raised up a labor force of thirty thousand men. These men, from all walks of life, devoted months at a time to the work of the Temple. Their work included quarrying enormous stones and transporting them to the Temple mount, along with cedar beams, that came from Lebanon. It was no small task. The labor was great and the project took years to accomplish. When it was finally completed, this structure stood as a light to the world, pointing men to God. For hundreds of years, it served the purpose of providing fellowship between God and man.

There are a lot of things in which we can invest our time, talents and treasures, but there are few that rival investments made in the kingdom of God. I imagine at the end of their days, each of those who devoted themselves to the work of God, thought nothing was of greater value than the hours spent in the quarry working on the Temple stones.

When time runs out for you, and you are looking back over the course of your life, what is it you have done for the Kingdom? Has your time been spent on your own pursuits, or on Kingdom matters? Have you invested in retirement plans, family vacations, recreation, at the expense of investments in the furtherance of the Gospel?

Take a few moments to consider your life and be sure that you are spending it on what matters most.

Pastor Jim