LIFE IS A VAPOR

Even though eighty or so years seems like a substantial time to live, the Bible urges us not to take it for granted. Since I am less that 20 years away from that age, I am cherishing every moment as precious, especially as I see so many people dying around me even young ones.

JAMES 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away.

As I pondered this scripture, I have discovered some priorities of how God wants me to spend the rest of my time here on earth. While we are young, our time on earth seems like an eternity, but truly our days are like a vapor, here one moment and gone the next.

A vapor cannot make its existence last any longer, and it leaves the space it occupied virtually unchanged.

James is pointing out the self-importance we give to our lives and our plans without considering eternity.

Consider the Psalm written by Moses "For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away…So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:9–12).

It looks to me like a heart of wisdom is what is important. One way we get wisdom is by regularly studying and hearing The Word of God in the Bible.

When we learn to look at our lives as fleeting, we understand that the true importance of our lives lies not with business deals, schemes for success, hobbies (like riding horses), sports, and the like. But rather how we can make an eternal impact on peoples' lives by being a witness for Christ.

We are to consider ourselves sojourners on this earth because our eternity will be spent elsewhere. What we do here impacts our lives and potentially the lives of others for eternity. Think about the far-reaching impact of that statement.

I leave you with one last scripture and encouragement. Don't be so busy with things of this world that you leave out the important things of eternity. Because you don't know what tomorrow will bring.

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" (Colossians 3:2–4).