As I looked over the sports news this morning I was greeted with an all too familiar reminder – life is unsure and ever-changing. The news that caught my eye involves a player from the Jacksonville Jaguars that was sitting in a car last night waiting to meet a lady when someone drove by and shot him numerous times. The player now lies in a hospital bed fighting for his life instead of prepping for the NFL season - his playing career cut short
Couple that news with news of hurricane Gustav hitting the gulf coast while 3 other storms are formed in the Atlantic and one has to ponder the brevity of life.
It makes me more eager to get the most out of every day – knowing that my “playing career” is not guaranteed to be a long one. The Scripture tells us to “redeem the time” in Ephesians chapter 5.
There is also the passage in James 4 that is often quoted to remind us of the brevity of life.
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
But the part of that passage that is not often mentioned is in the same paragraph. Verse 17 is a strong statement.
17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
We live our lives consistently planning to good in the future. We make excuses about our spiritual laziness because we always feel there is time. Yet God has called each of us to make a difference in this world! What are you neglecting? What has He called you to do?
Time to get off our butts! Let this Labor Day remind you that we should be working for the Lord! (Remember: not to earn salvation but because we have salvation.)
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