Wow! New Year’s blasted by, then Valentine’s Day, then
Easter, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween and just last week, Thanksgiving. Soon, we will experience the celebration of
the birth of Christ, and then on to 2018. They say, “Time flies when you are
having fun.” At 71, time flies whether you are having fun or not! I am having
fun! It is all a matter of appreciation for each day God allows us to have on
this side of the green grass. Each day should be encountered with an attitude
of gratitude.
Several verses
in Psalm 90 are instructive concerning the days of our lives:
Psalm 90:4 (NIV)
4. For a
thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a
watch in the night.
Psalm 90:10 (NIV)
10. The length
of our days is seventy years-- or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their
span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
Psalm 90:12 (NIV)
12. Teach us to
number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:14 (NIV)
14. Satisfy us
in the morning with your unfailing love that we may sing for joy and be glad
all our days.
In verse four, we come to understand that God lives
outside of linear time. C.S. Lewis explains it this way:
“Almost
certainly God is not in time. His life does not consist of moments one
following another...Ten-thirty-- and every other moment from the beginning of
the world--is always present for Him. If you like to put it this way, He has
all eternity in which to listen to the split second of prayer put up by a pilot
as his plane crashes in flames.”
Verse ten gives insight into the length of our days.
With modern medicine, those numbers may, on average, change upward… But not
that much!
Verse twelve is the great challenge for us. We need to
learn to count each day as precious. At the end of each day, we should assess
what we perceive God has taught us that day so that we may apply that knowledge
to the days ahead. That is the essence of wisdom…applied knowledge.
Finally, in verse fourteen, each morning we should
seek to encounter and experience God’s love for us through His Word and prayer
so “that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”
Remember, each day is a gift from God. We are not
promised tomorrow. Treasure each day. Use it to bring honor and glory to the
One who gives us each breath we take. Take joy in the little things. Live life
to the fullest. Remember, Jesus said, “I
have come that you might have life, and have it to the full.”(John 10:10)
Be a blessing to others.
I realize that we are past Thanksgiving but I would be
remiss if I fail to express my gratitude to each one of you who has been a
friend, an encourager, a partner in ministry, and a fellow follower of Christ.
Because of you, I continue to be active in ministry with individual men and
their families as well as bi-weekly meetings with men of the Friday Morning
Group. I also continue in my role as volunteer pastor to the staff of Young
Life in the Southeast Region. In late October, after publishing the last
newsletter, I had the honor of officiating the memorial service for Peggy’s
only cousin.
Blessings to each of you as we enter the season of
celebration of the birth of Christ.