Life
“Lord, make me to know my end,
And what is the measure of my days,
That I may know how frail I am.
Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.
Surely every man walks about like a shadow ;
Surely they busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.
And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You .
Psalm 39: 4-7
What is life supposed to look like? It seems the new generation is asking us— the ones who should know by now— and they are not satisfied with the mixed responses they are getting.
There are some in the “Frank Sinatra “ camp that think hubris is the answer. As his song “That’s Life” certainly is impressive to begin with,: “ Each time I find myself flat on my face, I just pick myself up and get back in the race…”. However, the song’s ending is more than a little disconcerting: “But if there’s nothing shaking come this here July, I’m gonna roll myself up in a big ball and
die.” All that bravado falls flat in the end.
Then there are some who opted to “turn on, tune in, and drop out” as the band Sin 34 advocates. Life is one big party, as long as you can pay for the drugs, you have loads of friends,… until you don’t.
Life to “those that are perishing” as Roman 1 refers to unbelievers, is like a huge jigsaw puzzle that they try to piece together, only it is with the box top missing, in the dark! Only Jesus knows what life is supposed to look like. Only He can help us find our way. By ourselves, we are clueless!
The psalmist had the right idea of the frailty of life. He asked of the Lord, “make me to know my end..that I may know how frail I am…certainly every man at his best state is but vapor….”.
Life is too precious to entrust to a hired hand. Vessels without honor, with no vested interest, and who only aim to exploit and consume us. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, “the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out….The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10: 3,11) To trust your life to anything or anyone else is to cast the pearl of your life before swine.
We find we are exiles in this life, and need a shepherd to guide us in this strange country. C.S.Lewis put it this way: “I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside. I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.”
A general once said, “You have to return home to know and remember what you’re fighting for.” Which is why soldiers call home and Facetime with family just before embarking on a mission. In the same vein, Jesus knew that He had to talk to His Father and that His prayer life was essential for His mission. In His prayer in John 17, He said: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent….Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” Jesus was homesick for his unbroken fellowship with His father and the Holy Spirit He had enjoyed before the world was even created. But He did it for you and me.
Life. Is not fair. We all have made colossal blunders in the journey. “ Mercy there was great, and Grace was free, Pardon there was multiplied to me, there my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary. “Thank God! It is as simple and profound as following the Good Shepherd. Jesus shows what life is like by the demonstration of His own life.
“And now Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.” Amen.
Questions to Think About
1. “You’ll never lead souls heavenward unless you are climbing yourselves. You needn’t be much further along, but you must be climbing.” Is this true for you?
And what is the measure of my days,
That I may know how frail I am.
Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.
Surely every man walks about like a shadow ;
Surely they busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.
And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You .
Psalm 39: 4-7
What is life supposed to look like? It seems the new generation is asking us— the ones who should know by now— and they are not satisfied with the mixed responses they are getting.
There are some in the “Frank Sinatra “ camp that think hubris is the answer. As his song “That’s Life” certainly is impressive to begin with,: “ Each time I find myself flat on my face, I just pick myself up and get back in the race…”. However, the song’s ending is more than a little disconcerting: “But if there’s nothing shaking come this here July, I’m gonna roll myself up in a big ball and
die.” All that bravado falls flat in the end.
Then there are some who opted to “turn on, tune in, and drop out” as the band Sin 34 advocates. Life is one big party, as long as you can pay for the drugs, you have loads of friends,… until you don’t.
Life to “those that are perishing” as Roman 1 refers to unbelievers, is like a huge jigsaw puzzle that they try to piece together, only it is with the box top missing, in the dark! Only Jesus knows what life is supposed to look like. Only He can help us find our way. By ourselves, we are clueless!
The psalmist had the right idea of the frailty of life. He asked of the Lord, “make me to know my end..that I may know how frail I am…certainly every man at his best state is but vapor….”.
Life is too precious to entrust to a hired hand. Vessels without honor, with no vested interest, and who only aim to exploit and consume us. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, “the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out….The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10: 3,11) To trust your life to anything or anyone else is to cast the pearl of your life before swine.
We find we are exiles in this life, and need a shepherd to guide us in this strange country. C.S.Lewis put it this way: “I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside. I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.”
A general once said, “You have to return home to know and remember what you’re fighting for.” Which is why soldiers call home and Facetime with family just before embarking on a mission. In the same vein, Jesus knew that He had to talk to His Father and that His prayer life was essential for His mission. In His prayer in John 17, He said: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent….Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” Jesus was homesick for his unbroken fellowship with His father and the Holy Spirit He had enjoyed before the world was even created. But He did it for you and me.
Life. Is not fair. We all have made colossal blunders in the journey. “ Mercy there was great, and Grace was free, Pardon there was multiplied to me, there my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary. “Thank God! It is as simple and profound as following the Good Shepherd. Jesus shows what life is like by the demonstration of His own life.
“And now Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.” Amen.
Questions to Think About
1. “You’ll never lead souls heavenward unless you are climbing yourselves. You needn’t be much further along, but you must be climbing.” Is this true for you?
Posted in Devotions