Life is but a Vapor

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:14 (KJV)

As mortal beings created by God, we must be aware that our natural existence is only for a limited time. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, and death is something that we will all have to experience. The life we live now on earth is preparation for eternal life. We should be learning about God, our Father, and growing in a relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ.

Unaware of when our time on earth will expire, we must be mindful of how we spend our time. Some of us disregard time and do not understand that it is fleeting. Every day that we wake up, we are a day closer to the return of our bodies to dust. We are aging, and although we may feel that we’re in our prime, we are all slowly fading away. Moses was conscious of the mortal state of man when he wrote these words:   So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.  Psalm 90:12 (KJV)

With that in mind, we have to know that we cannot waste our days because we do not know how many days we’ll be alive or if we’ll even see tomorrow.  We don’t know when our soul may be required to face our God. For those reasons, we should apply our hearts to wisdom and consider our latter end.

Moses asked God to teach us to number our days.  We should meditate on the shortness of the time that we have and the importance of serving Him. Our human life is time-limited, and with carnality all around us, we need God to teach us to put things in the proper perspective.

 In Ephesians 5:15 (KJV), Paul wrote, See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. 

We should be wise in the way that we live our lives. We can be foolish and waste our lives by living life after sinful, worldly pleasures, or we can seek to follow the way of righteousness and find life.

Sin is what keeps us from living a righteous life. By definition, it is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. The divine law that it transgressed against is God’s law. God has commandments and statutes that He wants us to obey, and when we disobey them by satisfying the desires of the flesh, we are sinning against God.

We mistakenly take time for granted because we do not understand its value. When we value something, we are careful with it, recognizing its importance. Appreciating the importance of time will help us make better use of our days. Living in a world full of distractions, we have to be mindful of our time and use it for the things of God. 

Romans 6:23 (KJV) reads, For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

The payment that sin affords is death. It produces emptiness here on earth, and it leads us to eternal separation from our God. But Jesus came so that we don’t have to experience the eternal separation from God that sin affords. Yes, we will all die a natural death, but through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we can live life eternally. 1 John 2:17 (KJV) says,

 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. 

This world and the things of it will soon pass away. Let’s make quality use of our time and seek to do God’s will so that we may abide with God forever!

Let us pray, Father I pray that in Your grace You will allow me to make proper use of the time that You have given me. Help me to be mindful to approach each day with the dedication to serve You from a sincere heart.. Lead me in Your way everlasting and help me to apply my heart to the wisdom of Thy word. In Jesus name, Amen.