YOLO

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 2:2-3
“I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.”

Israel is facing some very serious challenges. Their beloved king has grown old and is on the eve of his death, and the nation is divided between two drastically different successors. Surrounded by enemies and struggling with an array of internal conflicts, Solomon is chosen to take the throne and lead the nation. With what amounts to his final words, we read of a charge given by King David to his teenage son,

“I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man…

Today, there seems to be great confusion regarding what it means to be a man. An iconic figure from a few years ago was the Marlboro Man; a cowboy with a cigarette. More recently, we have been introduced to the most interesting man in the world; an aged playboy who consumes alcohol. We have movies like Fight Club, or the Fast and Furious series that portray manhood as living a fast paced life, not worrying about the consequences, and social media taught us a new term – YOLO – meaning you only live once. David had none of these things in mind when he charged Solomon to be a man. Instead, he defined true manhood when he said,

“Keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.”

A real man is one who looks to the word of God and lives by its principles. A real man is one who will not let culture shape him, but will be transformed by the Scriptures, into the image of Christ. It was Pilate, who looking at the beaten Christ declared, “Behold the Man.” And it is Christ who is the true image of manhood.

Like David, I believe that what our world needs is young people who will step up and act like men. Young men who will not be swayed by culture, but will seek to influence it, by taking heed to the Word of God and live accordingly.

Pastor Jim