There is a popular saying, “Life is short.” When some individuals state, “Life is short,” they give the impression that we must enjoy life to the fullest by usually doing things that are based upon some type of personal pleasure. Maybe, they are implying we only live once and then it is all over. Yes, life is short, but compared to what? Even if human beings lived to be 200 years old, many would probably complain about the shortness of life. People are living longer now than in the past and people love to live by their own terms.
Consider the following alternative: According to the Bible, God endlessly exists. His eternity is defined as the ongoing existence and continuance without beginning or ending and distinct from change. Psalm 90:1-2 states, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
God is an eternal being without a prior cause. Man is a created being as mentioned in Psalm 89:49, “Remember how short my life is, how empty and futile this human existence” (New Living Translation). Whether young or old, we should not only live for ourselves. Consider the request in Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (NLT). How do we attain a heart of wisdom? By having the fear of the LORD! By having respect and reverence of God who is the source of all true wisdom.
Every day belongs to God, so we ought to live within the perspective of eternity. Our time of blessing existing on this earth is a small foretaste of what awaits believers in the life to come. Notice the Lord wants to snatch sinners from death as Proverbs 14:27 states, “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that we may turn from the snares of death (English Standard Version). God desires to save us from His wrath. When nonbelievers are saved and pass away, it says in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” To be away from the body is to be with the Lord in heaven.
Scripture calls sinners (people who don’t know God through Jesus Christ), to turn from a lifestyle and mindset of evil intent. God is the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things. Therefore, unto Him, all creatures owe the highest respect, reverence, love and devotion.
James 4:13-15 addresses the self-centered attitude of planning life events, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow, we will go into such and such town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
In biblical times, travelling was very popular. It was common for the travelling business man to make arrangements ahead of time in order to have success in his sales and purchases. The book of James is not in opposition to making appropriate or needed preparations for the future. His concern focuses on a mindset in regard to future planning that does not have any desire to include God. We should attempt to avoid those types of personal attitudes that do not recognize God as the source of life.
God gives life even after death. Life does not end in the grave. For example, when individuals die, they are dead. In the case of Jesus, God raised him from the grave. Christianity provides the best help for the hurting and the only hope for the dying. Jesus said if you believe in Him you will have “eternal life” (John 3:16).
George L. Arroyo