Wisdom for Living.
By Tope Banso.
“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 New Living Translation).
Life is short! No matter how long you live here on earth, life is short. Life in this dispensation is infinitesimally small compared to life in eternity.
It is therefore important to live with the mindset that life on earth is temporary, transient, fleeting.
David understood this, and that was why he prayed the prayer in our anchor scripture above. A similar prayer is also credited to Moses in Psalm 90:12 where he said, “Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise” (New Century Version).
It doesn’t matter if you live 150 years on earth, life is still short compared to eternity. Your time on earth is brief (Psalms 144:3-4, 109:23, Job 8:9). Psalm 119:19a says, “l am here on earth for just a little while” (Good News Bible).
Eternity is endless. Where will you spend your eternity – hell or heaven? Are you preparing for life after death as much as you are preparing for life before death i-e preparing to live a full life or fulfilled life before you die?
It would have been a different thing if death is the end of everything, but it’s not. There is judgment after death (Hebrews 9:27), and there is life after death (Revelation 21). That is why it is not wise to pursue living life to the fullest and neglect preparation for life after death.
Your relationship with Jesus in this temporary life determines where you spend your eternity – heaven or hell. It is useless if you gain the whole world and lose your soul (Mark 8:36). You cannot truly live a full life or fulfilled life without Jesus in your life.
Therefore if you’re not yet born again, give your life to Jesus today and begin to live in obedience to his word. If you’re already born again, be a true disciple of Jesus to the end. Only those who endure to the end shall be saved (Matthew 10:22, 24:13, Mark 13:13).
As you celebrate Christmas, the birthday of Jesus, does the celebrant, Jesus Christ, know you? Do you know him? In Matthew 25:12, the bridegroom (Jesus), told those five foolish virgins, “I don’t know you.”
Celebrating Christmas without violating the word of God is not a sin but on the judgment day, anyone who celebrated Christmas without knowing Jesus, the celebrant, and died in that sinful condition will be told, “l never knew you” like those mentioned in Matthew 7:21-23. The issue then won’t be if anyone celebrated Christmas but personal relationship with Jesus.
Don’t live for this temporary world. Live for eternity. “Those in frequent contact with the things of the world should make good use of them without becoming attached to them, for this world and all it contains will pass away” (1Corinthians 7:31 New Living Translation).
This is wisdom for living, and it’s worth sharing.
(For more inspiring messages, visit: www.cedarministry.org).
Merry Christmas!
T. O. Banso,
Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
cedarministryint@yahoo.com
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Tel: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp: +2349081295947
