The older I get, the more I realize how right elderly people are: life is shorter than you think. The years DO pass much more quickly than previously thought in years of youth. Years and decades eventually pass at the speed that days, weeks, and months used to. It's like someone presses the fast-forward button once we reach mid-life.

Somber and perhaps morbid thoughts, huh? But, the sooner we see life for what it really is, the better. Everything in life is a limited-time offer, so best that we should sort out which limited offers to take advantage of. And, here's one we dare not miss:

"As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer. But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children, To those who keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them." (Psalm 103:15-18)

If life is limited, best that we should seize the one opportunity that can extend it. The lovingkindness of our Creator Father is the only option for us who are terminal, and it is is available to those who fear Him, and "keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them." As mortals, it is imperative that we know the Immortal and acquire His promises.

The "big sleep" is inevitable, but the ultimate wake-up call is ours through faith and obedience. God's Son, Jesus, declared: "an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment." (John 5:28-29) Everyone ultimately gets a wake-up call, but I prefer one to life rather than judgment. I suspect you do too.

A clear mental grasp of the truth about the coming kingdom of God, our mortal nature, and the essential nature of God and His Son, are moot points if my priority is not to seek the hope of resurrection from the dead. And this incredible offer is available through passionate love for the Father, through His Son, expressed in awe and obedience.

The Psalmist implores the Father to "teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12) Let's make them count for eternity by living according to the priorities of the Eternal One.

Steve
©Steve Taylor, 2011