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A LIFETIME Last night a friend's brother died. Although he had advanced cancer, the end came sooner than expected for those who loved him. And now his life is over, finished, complete. Life is a mystery: it can begin by accident- unwittingly, be planned and arranged, or be longed for, prayerfully but no matter how it starts, life is sacred. It is a gift from a loving creator. There is a beginning and an end with a lifetime lived in between. This is a constant for us all. Whether you trust in God or not, this is truth. Some are only here briefly they may hardly be able to catch their breath they are loved and lost all too soon. Some are born to short lifetimes, to handicap or pain, and leave us to marvel at their will to live, their generosity of spirit, and the joy they bring into our lives. Others may live to be ancient with a wealth of experiences to look back on. Is it the length of our days that give them meaning? Is it better to spend a long time upon this earth? Is there less value to a shorter lifespan? What gives our lives significance? Questions like these can swirl around a person's head when faced with the passing of a loved one. If we look at ECCLESIASTES 3:1-8, we can see that a lifetime can be filled up with many contradictions weeping, laughing, mourning, embracing, loving, hating, war and peace. In fact the whole book of Ecclesiastes is one man's struggle to understand the purpose of life, his words a reflection of the need to make sense of human existence with it's multitude of competing experiences. When we are faced with someone's death, we are generally challenged to look at our own mortality. When we consider what a person has meant in our life, and in the lives of others, we may be motivated to examine ourselves and we may or may not like what we see. A death reminds us that our time here is finite, we too will face an end at some point and that all our opportunities will be over. So what is to be done with the time we have been given? There are so many pieces of advice out there plan for the future, live each day as your last, don't look back, learn from your mistakes, take the road less traveled, look before you leap So who should you believe? Where can you find the truth? How can you know what to do? Who can you turn to for help? Let's look at what the writer decided in ECCLESIASTES 12:13 14: Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing whether it is good or evil. The advice we are instructed to follow is God's. Our Heavenly Father is the one who decides the true value of the life we live. If we strive to bring ourselves in line with His will then we can receive the blessings He wants to pour out upon us. He will provide comfort in difficult times, strength and courage to face challenges, peace and rest when we are overwhelmed. We are not promised lives free of struggle, but we are given the promise that what we face in this world is worth the effort eternal life! Death here on earth is not the end of our story if we believe in the Word of God. He will give us new life, in bodies that do not degenerate, for more time than we can possibly imagine! If you can read the Bible and recognize the truth it contains; if you can turn the pages and know that God is speaking to you; if you know that you are a sinner in need of a savior then you should also acknowledge that your time here is running out. If you are not baptized, why not? If you do not attend church, why not? If you want to change the direction your life is heading then DO IT NOW. Christ was flesh and blood for the purpose of fulfilling the will of God. He devoted his human existence to serving his Heavenly Father, and his fellow man. Because He walked upon this earth and then gave up His physical life for the sins of this world, we are offered the opportunity to share a future spiritual life with Him. But there are expectations that come with the gift of grace, the favour of God. We are expected to strive to obey Him and follow the example of Jesus. Now His is an example of perfection, He didn't sin at all. We, as humans, on the other hand, seem to continually mess up. There are just so many opportunities to get into trouble, and so many of them can seem like so much fun. Perhaps you have spent much of your time pursuing wrong goals; maybe you are suffering the consequences of some of your bad choices. But there is hope for you, and me for all those who will grasp it. ACTS 2:38 tells us: "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." If you are still breathing, then there is still time to turn around and change the direction of your life. Today can be a fresh start, a new beginning, a change of focus for you. Jesus came that we all might have life more abundantly. He wants us to follow Him, to know the peace of mind that comes from giving up old, destructive ways and accepting God's priceless gift of eternal love. With His holy spirit, we can face the difficulties that come with being human and find a better way to deal with our pain. Time is fleeting, and death will come to us all but no matter how many days you are given, take the opportunity to make each one count for a life spent with God is a life worth living. Eventually your existence, like mine, will be over, finished, complete so let's make use of our lives we've got to get closer to God, the Creator of time.
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