Articles
Fourscore Years
In 1936, Jesse Owens dominated the Olympic Games in Berlin and humiliated Hitler's claim of Aryan superiority; Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind was published; the Spanish civil War began; FDR was re-elected President; the helicopter, color television, the ball-point pen, and interstate highways did not yet exist, and the concept of smart phones, the Internet, and laptop computers was just science fiction. A lot has changed in the last eighty years.
The psalmist wrote long ago, “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow,” and then admonishes us, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psa. 90:10, 12). Even with all the scientific and medical knowledge we have gained since those words were written, the average lifespan of man has still not exceeded those numbers [the world average is 71.0 years]. Our Creator has limited our time on Earth, having “determined [our] preappointed times and the boundaries of [our] dwellings, so that [we] should seek the Lord, in the hope that [we] might grope for Him and find Him” (Acts 17:26, 27). Life on this Earth is short, and intentionally so.
Of course, we are not even guaranteed the seventy or eighty years, either. The wise writer reminds us, “man also does not know his time: like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them” (Eccl. 9:12). Time and chance (Eccl. 9:11) ensure we don't know what tomorrow will bring, and sometimes, tomorrow doesn't come. All of us probably know someone who died at a much younger age, so we know this is true — even though we don't like thinking about it.
The relative shortness or our time, along with the uncertainty as to how long we do have, means we must live not for this world, but for the next. Spending time focused on material things will seem foolish in eternity, since those things will not survive, or help us in the final judgment. Paul reminds us, “we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18). If our efforts are merely towards amassing material wealth, or if we seek happiness or purpose in life in material things, we will always be disappointed, for those things will always fail us and our search will be fruitless.
Jesus speaks of the futility of seeking after material possessions, saying, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt. 6:19, 20). What use is it to seek after things that can be destroyed or stolen, when we can have something that cannot be destroyed or stolen?
Peter likewise tells us that what we have is “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven” (1 Pet. 1:4) — something that cannot be said about any material possession. It is this same inheritance the writer of Hebrews noted when he exhorted the early Jewish Christians to hold fast to their faith, reminding them of how they had “joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven” (Heb. 10:34). While material possessions could be lost or taken from us, no one can take away the eternal reward.
But more than just the question of our earthly pursuits, we should also be focused on what we should be doing, as ones who seek the eternal reward. What should disciples be doing, instead of pursuing the material things of life, and the pleasures it offers? With the possibility of 70 or 80 years — and nothing guaranteed — what should we be doing?
Diligently Seeking God. While the world diligently seeks the physical pleasures of the world and amassing material possessions, those pursuits will be ultimately disappointing. But, for those who diligently seek God, we know this: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). What we know is that God rewards those who diligently seek Him — that “inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven” (cf. 1 Pet. 1:4). Since the material things of this world will fade away, be lost or stolen, or destroyed in the end (2 Pet. 3:10), why not spend your limited time pursuing the eternal? Diligently seeking God will bring rewards that nothing and no one in this world could offer.
Doing the Will of God. It may sound comforting to hear so many profess to be believers in Jesus as the Christ and Son of God, but let us not deceive ourselves into thinking that mere acknowledgement of the fact Jesus is the Son of God and our only Savior is enough. What we find is Jesus Himself telling us, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). Many will be severely disappointed on Judgment Day when Jesus says to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matt. 7:23) because their words were not followed up by obedience to the one they called ‘Lord.’
Paul reminds us that the trivial things do not matter, but “keeping the commandments of God is what matters” (1 Cor. 7:19). Don't waste your time by following the ways of the world, the creeds of men, or even your own thoughts and beliefs; do God's will! Doing this will allow you to enter into the kingdom of heaven. The world can't offer that!
Leading Others to Christ. One of the most important roles of a disciple is that of teacher. Those who know the Lord and who follow Him faithfully know that their part now is to lead others to know and obey Him, too. Paul, in fact, wrote, “a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:24-26). A disciple is one who follows the teachings of the Lord, but one who also helps in the spread of those teachings. One cannot be truly convicted of the truth of the gospel message and not want to tell others about the good news!
Paul also admonished those of Ephesus, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15, 16). The Greek word translated as redeeming literally means "improving opportunity." Let me ask you: Improve opportunity for what? What opportunities do disciples have that should not be missed or ignored? All of the things we have discussed today are things we should not miss an opportunity to do or seek [seeking God, doing God's will, and leading others to Christ], so let us truly make the best use of our time, and improve opportunities to do all these things because when time is passed, we can't get it back.
What we do with the time we have [70 or 80 years, more or less] will determine where we spend eternity —— Steven Harper
