Life Here—or—Life There: We Can Be Prepared!
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’
(The Letter of James 4: 13-14 NASB)
Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.
You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”
Stop right there. Re-read the words of brother James and remind yourself: There is far more to this life than just THIS LIFE.
After this life is over, we have ETERNITY! (every single person)
Now imagine for a time a mom and her daughter talking inside their home one afternoon.
- See in your mind a typical home, one filled with parents and children.
- Hear the voices of play, of laughter, of instruction, of frustration, of stress, of talk, of prayer & peace.
This was my childhood home & maybe this was your home too.
“Mom, can we ____________________?”
What came in the blank did not really matter because my mother always responded with exactly same words.
“If the Lord wills,” we will ____________________.”
Talk about frustration!
“If the Lord wills.” ‘Mom, you are in charge. Dad and you make the decisions here.’ Those were my immature thoughts as a child because I never understood why my mom could not just speak the answer I wanted to hear & not wait for the Lord to decide the decision for us.
STOP RIGHT THERE!
DID WE SEE THE WORDS WE JUST READ?
Throughout the years, I have found myself remembering these conversations with my mom, and when I was a child, I never truly understood the wisdom of my mother’s words.
I never realized she was speaking the truth of God.
James, the brother of Jesus Christ our Savior, wrote to describe exactly how we should respond to the decisions of our lives. Please read with me God’s Word—
“Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’
(The Letter of James 4: 15-17 NASB)
But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Truly, it does not matter what the ‘outside façade’ of the home bears in the community because the ‘interior relationships’ & ‘godly instruction’ are more important than whether the grass has been manicured into perfectly straight lines. This description is also so true about us.
Most of humanity spends a great deal of time presenting themselves as ACCOMPLISHED within the world, but if the world could peer inside the hearts and souls of humans, they would see how people are at times plagued with doubt, hurt, confusion, shame, and indecision. May we this season, realize the TRUTH found inside God’s Word.
- Most assuredly, our life here on earth is but a breath.
- Quite importantly, our eternal life will be everlasting.
Therefore, who we choose to follow & whether we allow God’s Holy Spirit to direct our steps is of upmost importance!
In a psalm of David, we read—
“Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths,
(The Psalms 39: 5 NASB)
And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah”
What are our plans for this day?
- Have we invited the Lord into our plans?
- Are we walking with Jesus, going and doing where He is leading?
- Do we live each day as if our final breath could actually be breathed today?
Both biblical men: James & David wrote to help us remember: God has numbered our days and allotted our heartbeats.
Yes, God is in control of me and He is in control of you, too!
Life Here—or—Life There: We Can Be Prepared!
Madame Goldschmidt was a lady who once lived, an opera singer and a master of the stage. She was quite accomplished. One particular day, she stepped away from her fame. When she was asked why, she answered the question while placing her eyes upon the Bible laying in her lap—
“When every day makes me think less of this (laying a finger on her Bible), and nothing at all of that (pointing to the sunset), what else could I do?”
- Our Life Here—today—could be our last.
- Life There—in heaven—will be everlasting.
We Can Be Prepared!
‘Father God,
I thank You for a mom who walked with God, who spoke His Word with me, even when I did not wish to hear it or totally understand.
Thank You, God, for giving to me a mom & dad who did their best to train me up in the way I should go, to learn how to walk with the Lord.
Thank You, Lord JESUS, for saving my soul.
Help me, Holy Spirit, to walk worthy of the calling You have placed on my life.
Guide my steps, Lead my hands, Direct my heart in the way I should go.
In Jesus’ name I pray, asking these things today. Amen.’
The man granted wisdom as only God can give wrote these words for us to ponder—
“The mind of man plans his way,
(The Proverbs 16: 9 NASB)
But the LORD directs his steps.”