THE PRAYER OF MOSES - PART 7

10 The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
12 So teach us to number our days,  that we may gain a heart of wisdom.....(Psalm 90:10-12)
Any glance at the obituaries in any local newspaper would show its usual share of senior citizens who have passed on into eternity, after long productive lives. However, on an increasing basis, a disturbing trend has developed over the last two decades as more and more younger people are moving into eternity in their 20's, 30's and 40's. I have known some of them.

Judging from the brief synopsis of their lives and legacies,  the chief end of the younger set seems to be a whole lot of self-gratification and almost nothing of any eternal value. Most of them do not even have a Christian burial. They are mostly cremated now and "celebration of life" in taverns, restaurants or banquet halls are increasingly the norm. Their apparently main accomplishments in life seem to include things like "he was a loyal St. Louis Cardinals and NASCAR fan"....or "she loved pets and volunteered tirelessly at the local animal shelter"....or  so and so "loved family picnics, backyard barbecues and feeding ducks in the park".

What does all of this mean, in relation to what the Bible says in these verses (Psalm 90:10-12)? It most definitely shows us that the normal nice folks next door and down the street, while susceptible to the same uncertainties of life, which you and I possess, are oblivious to what the next stage of life holds for them.  As previously stated, mankind was created to live forever. The choice is up to the individual WHERE their eternity lies. By the time this current age expires, which it will, NOBODY could use the excuse before God that they never heard of God, Jesus or the plan of eternal salvation.

Before the great Flood in Genesis 6, of which there is ample evidence (Grand Canyon, rock formation etc), people lived hundreds of years. However, the sheer volume of water flooding the earth, altered the eco-systems to the point where, apart from Noah who lived a couple hundred years after the Flood subsided, the atmosphere (and God) only allowed a lifespan of around 120 or so years. Abraham lived 176 years before he went into Eternity. Moses was stronger at 120 when God took him, than most 40 year olds are today. The average lifespan in the 1800's was hardly 35-40 years yet today, due to excellent medical care, we can now live into our 80's and 90's.

In the long run, the numbers are not as important as our preparation to meet our Maker.  Additionally, the demands of modern life are such that hope is a premium. The cost of living and/or providing for a family leave many to wonder if "this is all there is".  When you parallel this to the increasing number of  "nones" (those with no religious or "faith") - they are correct - there is no Hope. There is no Hope because they refuse to see the evidence of God all around them in Creation and the still on-going proclamation of the Gospel from street corners and church pulpits. We can blame the culture, churches and conmen from Charles Darwin to Marx to the new Buddhist craze of "meditation" etc. But the fault, as we know from the prompting of the Holy Spirit, Who indwells Christians, that the problem is sin.

Sin faces the Wrath of God. The nice couple in the 40's who perished together in a motorcycle accident, as friendly and hard-working as they were in their community, will face eternal separation from God as much as the 70 year old pastor who was never born again, but faked his way through life with people thinking he was such a godly man!  The nice grandmother who volunteers in the small town library or the forty year old social worker who specializes in helping people access needed benefits for her hungry toddlers will face the anger of God one day, for rejecting the Gospel and staying at arms' length from the Everlasting Arms which wanted to hold and love them.

So given the fact that the majority of mankind, whether they perished when a bridge collapses in China or an earthquake kills 350 in Ecuador or another scaffold collapses outside a half-finished skyscraper in Seattle,  will have no standing before God, what can be done?

Verse 12 tells us "teach us to number our days".  The original word for "number" is the Hebrew word "manah". Basically, God is encouraging us through this portion of Moses' His Prophet's prayer to make every day of our lives count! Not just that, but we have the opportunity to approach God to ask Him HOW to make it happen. "Teach us" means "God, I have no clue how to do this, can you help me make something out of my life, to make a difference to someone else's life which can bring meaning both them and me, please? Teach me, oh God, how to do this thing called life. I feel so useless, in vain search of meaningful thoughts and actions and feel as if all I do is work, sleep, eat, watch TV, go to ball games and such. Help me oh, God."

This is guaranteed to work....but there is one catch. God does not hear the prayer of an unrighteous or unsaved person. This cry and appeal to Holy God only works if your life is found in Christ, your sins are forgiven and you are a real Christian, which Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

The second part of verse 12 is "that we may gain a heart of wisdom". The Wisdom of the knowledge of God implied here is "chokmah" or true wisdom, which starts with knowing God, fearing Him in the right way and wanting to seek and serve Him daily. This is what brings meaning to our lives - being wise in the Ways, Works and Wonders of God. Hence, this heart of wisdom can only come from knowing Him....and we know Him from knowing His Word - reading, studying and understanding the Scriptures. Verse 12 is calling us to come to God to ask for a realization of some of His Wisdom that we may be focused and disciplined in our approach to life.

This may seem easier to speak about than to put into practice. However, it is a common sense approach to these fleeting years on earth. It used to be when we were little kids that the summer months seemed to last forever. Now, even young people comment how fast the years are flying by. This can be compared to the last few sheets on a roll of paper towels where those last sheets of Bounty or whatever, fly right off the roll - then it's over.

Life is like this, for us as well as all mankind. The end of all things approaches quickly. Therefore, it is very wise to be prepared no matter how young or old, whether 17 or 70, to stand before God. The question is - how prepared are we?

(Photo Credit Here)

WHAT NOW?.........Part 3

WHAT VALIDATES YOU?
A man gains validation from his work - even saved Christian men. We want to see the fruits of our labor and not just from the number on our paycheck (after tax), but from where we have progressed....where we came from.


A woman, and correct me if I am wrong, gains validation from the quality of her relationships; the ability to multi-task and their nurturing instincts...as well as work, whether she is a career professional or a kind receptionist at your local dentist.


A few years ago, in the capitol city of Illinois, a twenty something young man took off from a well-known popular downtown Springfield bar (name withheld) after spending hours drinking on St. Patrick's Day. He was driving a menacing Lincoln Navigator and blew out of the parking lot, heading west on Jefferson Street at speeds of over 90 miles an hour! After running several traffic lights and endangering several other motorists, this man came down the hill (about 4 miles later) at such a speed, where a busy four lane city highway crossed, that he would have been unable to stop....even if he knew how.


After flying across the intersection, with all traffic stopped as they noticed this pending disaster, this guy hit a curb and went airborne for a long time. He came crash landing upside down in a huge dip right next to a then busy strip mall and died instantly. While his family was mourning yet another wasted young life, no one seems to have learned the lesson about the brevity and the beat goes on.

Year after year for seven years, I have evangelized intensely on the streets of Springfield. During the St. Patrick's day parade, I go up to the front of this same bar, where this man drank the final hours of his life away and tried to hand out gospel tracts to dazed drunks (with alcohol) or all ages (mostly young) who recoil at the sight of a harmless piece of paper.  Yet it is this same piece of paper which carries a message they (and we) all need to hear. 


Solomon wrote the following, at the end of HIS wasted life: All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him? (Ecclesiastes 3:20-22 ESV).


This is a sad commentary on his life and the lives of most alive today. The wisest man on earth did not know if a beast had a soul and seemed doubtful his own soul was heading up to be with the Lord. This is no different from those in pursuit of material happiness - whether men or women. Solomon's validation was in his work, which gave him the excuse and temporary release in extreme pleasure. More and more today are finding it in "working for the weekend" or  working for that upcoming retirement or who knows what....when the meaningful life can only be found in a fulfilling walk with the Lord!


So what now? We see that Solomon knew how to blow it and why....and this young man in front of this famed city bar....and the teen who gets pregnant right before graduation....or the 51 year old grandma in the office having an affair with her car salesman....or....or....

Well, it would be better if we start taking stock of our lives right now - all of us. We may still have a few more quarters that we can plug into the parking meter of life, before time runs out. Each day is a day of grace and mercy that we are not standing before God in judgment. We still have time to make it right and so we won't have to ask "what now"? ....well....pray with me:


Father God, in the Name of Jesus, I come to you knowing that Life is so short and Eternity is a long time. Thank You for the lesson You provided us when Your Spirit allowed Solomon to write this passage into the Scriptures, that we may learn from his mistakes and apply these truths. Help us to know that we know that we know that our souls would either go UP to be with You or that those who reject You, will be made to depart from You forever. Help us to rejoice not in OUR work, but the WORK OF CHRIST on the Cross, Who gave all that we may have all - all this important, which is Eternal Life in Your Holy Presence! Lord we love You, adore You, worship You, surrender to You, ask forgiveness from You and seek You, even more now, that we know the days are both short and evil. Be with us this day and for as long as you gave us time on this earth, may we rejoice in You and glorify You to the praise and honor of Your Name, through Christ Jesus, our Lord, amen.

(images courtesy google)

THINK ON THESE THINGS - TUESDAY

LIKE THE GRAIN OF SAND......

"The Hourglass of Our Lives"

There was a long running TV soap opera which began like this "Like sand through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives". This has since run its course (coarse?!) but if you think about an hourglass for a few moments, there are parallels to our own mortal lives!


When we are born, the top half of the hourglass is full of sand. This could represent the full potential awaiting us in life. The bottom half of the hourglass of our lives starts off empty or blank. It is a canvas on which we can paint the picture of our short lives. How beautiful this picture is depends completely on us!


The hourglass is well, glass! Therefore it is transparent.


After we stand the hourglass up, the sand starts flowing into the bottom half of it and it starts a rapid movement.


"LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered--how fleeting my life is..."Psalm 39:4 NLT


Our verse today as we move through Hebrews 11 is Verse 12: "Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore".

Abraham was chosen by God to have eternal impact on mankind until the end of time. We are seeing those days now. The Scripture is clear about this and also about how we are to live as those grains of sands on our own beach head.

Therefore, without much more fluff, here are some thoughts today as we think on these things:


Like the grain of sand in the Hourglass,  It is recommended we live transparent lives. The more transparent, the more authentic and real to the world we are.


Like the grains of sand, we can flow through the lives of many and leave an everlasting impact as we settle into the second half of this amazing device.


Like the grains of sand, we should go through the narrow middle. This regulates our flow and keeps it from falling fast and flat-dead to the bottom without definition! This Narrow Middle is Christ. Wide is the gate to destruction, narrow is the Way the Truth and the Life - the Lord Jesus.

Like the grains of sand, sometimes we may get into the picnic basket or may suffer when the bullies of this world kick sand in our face, but  think about how cool it is to feel the sand between your toes as you walk the warm beaches during summer vacation in the past. Think about that...part of the essence of life


An hourglass is a beautiful outline. When God designed us, He had something like this in mind. He made us for transparency and flow and beauty. Sin in the Garden disrupted that plan. But  God sent a man- Abraham to lay the groundwork, and Jesus to complete it.


As we think about Eternity and the billions who are not going to be there, let us purpose to ensure the Days we are given in our lives, are used to gather as many grains of sand, into a beautiful mound, which will be presented to the Lord Jesus, on that great and coming day of our Christ.


In the Name of Jesus the Creator, amen.


Psalm 90:12 (NASB) "So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom."