Daily Devotional for Friday February 18, 2000

The Brevity Of Life

(James 4:14)

On a day-to-day basis, we get so wrapped up in our lives, the things we are involved in, that we often take it for granted. Every now and then we do stop long enough to reflect. Today is my birthday, and this is usually the day I sit back and try to see what has happened in the last year and where things are heading in the months to come. It is also the day I am extra grateful to God for the time He has given me here on this earth. It is hard for me to believe that I am 42 today, but it has made me even more determined to get everything I possibly can out of each day. I am totally aware, as never before, my purpose is to serve and glorify God with my life, and be focused on making each day count for Him. Having done many funerals over my years of ministry, having lost both sets of grandparents, my father, and last Christmas my mother, how quick this life is over becomes even more apparent. Each day the news tells us of prominent people who have died, we hear about natural disasters that claim many lives at a time, and it becomes inescapable how brief life is and how we must take advantage of each and every day God blesses us with.

The whole purpose of this devotional today is to make you aware that no matter how young you are or how old you may be, today is a special gift from God. The purpose God gave you this day was to serve and glorify Him with your life. Don?t get so caught up in the day-to-day activities that you lose sight of why you are here and how little time we really have. If our life is focused on our service to the Lord and we are involved in helping others each day, then not only are we fulfilling our purpose, but we enjoy the blessings, peace, joy, and abundance this life can offer.

My challenge for you today is this. If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then today is the day to make that commitment. The greatest decision you have to make during your life is where you will spend eternity. God has given you free will to make that choice. The Bible tells us that ?today is the day of salvation?. I encourage you, go to my website, www.liveprayer.com, and you will see a button labeled SALVATION. Read what is written, pray the prayer that is there, and insure that you will spend eternity with Jesus when this brief life is over. If you have already made that commitment to Christ, then the challenge for you today is to make sure each and every day you are serving the Lord in some way. It is not a choice or an option, but a responsibility we have as God?s children to serve Him.