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life is short make it count
TEXT: James 4:14 – “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
INTRODUCTION
A while back I heard a motto that has never left me.
In fact, I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t think about it.
maybe not word for word but the concept of it at least
And the concept of this motto is what I want to preach on this morning
this little motto in one phrase gives us what should be the whole GOAL and PURPOSE of the Christian life.
The motto goes like this: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Perhaps you’ve heard it before.
I’d like us to ponder that little motto today.
This motto tells me three things about my life and yours.
So what I would like to do is to dissect it and see what we can learn
I. IT BEGINS WITH “ONLY ONE LIFE…” – THIS TELLS US THAT OUR LIFE IS SINGLE.
The first modern missionary from America, Adoniram Judson, said this:
You have but one life in which to prepare for eternity. Had you four or five lives, two or three of them might be spent in carelessness. But you have only one. Every action of that one life gives coloring to your eternity. How important, then, that you spend that life so as to please the Savior.
Those are profound words.
this life you have is the only one you will EVER have, so…
* God help us to make it count for eternity.
* God help us to live our life for the things that count.
*God help us to spend our time doing things that make a difference in God's kingdom
I read of an assistant pastor who went to visit an old man who had lived his whole life in sin and selfishness.
He finally had came to the Lord in his sixties. When he was diagnosed with cancer,
Anyway This pastor went to visit him at his home shortly before his death.
The day That he was there the older man was in a reminiscent mood.
But The pastor said he didn't hear stories about “the good ’ole days”
like He had expected-to
instead It was more like a confessional.
The old man shared with his pastor how before he came to the Lord,
* he had neglected his family for his job;…
* how he had not been there for his children like he should have been;…
* how he had not trained up his children in the Lord, or even with any real character;…
* how he had missed out on opportunities to make his life count by doing good to others or serving God;
Instead he had lived for sin and pleasure and popularity and making money and accumulating material things.
The pastor said he could recall that during their conversation, the man suddenly grew very quiet.
Sensing some inner struggle, The pastor said that he too sat silently awaiting the man next words, pondering the things he had shared with him frankly not knowing quite what to say.
After a few moments, he looked away from his pastor and He saw him wipe a tear away as he said, “I sure wish I could live my life over again.”
Well you know that is probably true of many of us here today but the fact of the matter is we can't
because our lives are single.
You only have ONE life to live, and then it’s over—
so you’d better make it count because it's all you get
II. THE MOTTO GOES ON TO SAY, “’TWILL SOON BE PAST” – THIS REMINDS US THAT OUR LIFE IS SHORT.
It’s amazing to me that more preachers don’t make more of this fact than they do, because it’s a very prominent theme in God’s Word.
In fact, it’s the source of many fascinating metaphors and different comparisons in the Bible.
Let's look at what the Bible compares our lives to, and as we do,
I want you to notice that the central theme of each comparison is the idea of just how short life is upon this earth (EXPAND ON EACH AS LED):
* First, our lives are compared to A VAPOR –
James 4:14 (our text) – “……For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
(COMMENT ON: Vapor from a teapot. There one moment and poof!—it’s gone.)
* Our lives are compared to GRASS AND FLOWERS THAT WITHER AFTER A SHORT TIME IN THE SUN –
Psalm 103:15-16 – “As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. 16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.” –
Illus. – in the spring time you can travel towards Chillicothe on 35 and you can see beautiful wildflowers along the roads and in the fields. But then the next thing you know you travel that same highway and they are gone
Their lifespan is only a very short time.
* Our lives are compared to A SHADOW –
Job 14:1-2 – “Man that is born of a woman is of few days,… 2 …he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.” –
. – Stand stationary in your yard tomorrow in the morning, and you will have a long shadow.
But by midday it will be gone.
* Our lives are compared to A STORY –
Psalm 90:9 – “For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.” –
* Our lives are compared to A WIND THAT PASSES BY –
Psalm 78:39 – “For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.”
* Our lives are compared to A WEAVER’S SHUTTLE –
Job 7:6 – “My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle….”
– Illus. – A weaver's shuttle can make a complete rotation in about one second.
* Our lives are compared to FOAM ON THE WATER –
Hosea 10:7 – “As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the water.”
Illus. – Go to a big body of water and watch a wave come in.
As the water recedes, it leaves little foam bubbles.
But within seconds, they disappear before another wave rolls in.
You can notice that one thing stands out in each of these verses and that is that our lives are SHORT!
very short
we need to make it count
Illus. – The army that Xerxes led against Greece in 480 BC consisted of 1,700,000 men, besides an enormous fleet. When Xerxes looked over his vast forces from a prominent point, the port below was covered with his ships, and the plains were filled with his troops from different nations. He turned to his uncle, one of his commanders and told him he was happy. But after a few moments, he began to weep. Asked by his uncle why he wept, surrounded as he was by so much glory, he replied that he wept to think that of the vast crowd arrayed before him, not one individual in it would be living in a hundred years—including himself!
That leader not only had military genius, but some measure of wisdom as well.
In the light of eternity, this brief span of our lives is short in comparison
Our life is single—“Only one life,…” and our life is short!—“…twill soon be past…”
III. THE LAST PART OF THIS MOTTO SAYS, “ONLY WHAT’S DONE FOR CHRIST WILL LAST” – THIS REMINDS US THAT OUR LIFE IS SERIOUS.
QUOTE: Maltbie Babcock
"We are not here to play, to dream, to drift. We have hard work to do, and loads to lift.”
Yes, our life IS serious. And yet, many people have no idea why they’re here on this earth.
Illus. – There’s a story about the notoriously absent-mindedness of Dwight Morrow, the distinguished American lawyer, banker, and diplomat in the late 1800s and early 1900s. One time, getting off the train in New York, he rushed into the telegraph office and wired to his secretary: “Why am I in New York? What am I supposed to do?” Think about that—here was one of America’s premier business and legal leaders getting off a train to New York, having no clue what he was there for! His secretary promptly wired him back: “You are on your way to Princeton to deliver a lecture. Hurry!!!”
Sad to say, like Morrow, millions of people wander through life with no earthly idea what they’re here for.
it’s fascinating to me how the Bible often compares people to sheep. After watching them for awhile, you can see why.
Sheep, by their nature, live only for the moment.
Their line of vision is never more than the next clump of grass.
They just chew a clump, and then go to the next clump.
Slowly they get further and further away from the fold.
Without a shepherd they would wander off, with no direction or purpose.
People are like that. Often they live for the moment;
the next clump of grass of pleasure;
having no direction or purpose;
not knowing what they’re here for.
God’s Word tells us what we’re here for.
The Bible tells us we were created for one purpose to bring glory to God.
* In Isaiah 43:7 we read “…every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory…”
* Ephesians 1:5-6 – “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
Why are we here?—To bring glory to God through our lives.
If that is true, then everything that we do ought to be done for the glory of God.
No wonder Paul commands us in 1 Corinthians 10:31 – “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
God has put us on this earth to glorify Him,
and we do that by loving Him with all our hearts,
fellowshipping with Him,
and serving Him.
And we can only do that by trusting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior
and then letting Him guide and rule our lives.
When we come to the end of our short lives and face eternity, the important thing will be what we have accomplished for the Lord and His kingdom through His power working in and through us.
Time is lent to us to be used at God’s service…
It is precious, short, passing, uncertain, then it's gone,
POEM:
The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To say just when the hands will stop;
At late, or early hour.
Now is the only time we own
To do His precious will,
Do not wait until tomorrow;
For the clock may then be still.
(Title: “Clock of Life”; Author Unknown)
Paul said in Philippians 1:21 – “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Let me ask you a question: Is that your testimony?
Can you honestly say “for to me to live is CHRIST, and to die is GAIN”?
If you’re honest, then could it actually be…
* “For to me to live is pleasure,…”
* Or “For to me to live is my family,…”
* Or “For to me is live is my job,…”
* Or “For to me to live is money, or material things, or popularity or man’s acceptance.”
If ANY of those statements are true in your life, then you cannot say in all honesty the last part of the verse: “…and to die is gain.”
No, if any of them is true, then to die is loss in a sense.
Why? Because to have LIVED would have been loss, and to die is to have to come to terms with a life misspent and wasted on lesser things!
but listen guys live your life with such a commitment to God and His Kingdom that you can honestly say in your heart of hearts, “For to me to live is CHRIST, and to die is gain.”
And consider these truths:
* Your life is SINGLE—you only have ONE LIFE to live.
* Your life is SHORT—only a TINY SPECK of time in the light of eternity.
* Your life is SERIOUS—very serious.
Illus. – Stephen Olford, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in New York City, relates how he was influenced by the motto, “Only One Life”:
he says
My parents were missionaries in Angola, and I was born in Africa. At an early age I was saved. Then the day came when I went to Britain to study to be an engineer. Little by little I lost the glow of my Christian faith.
One night I had a motorcycle accident, and was taken to a hospital, where the doctors held out little hope for my recovery. At this time my father was still in Africa and did not know what I was going through. One day I received a letter from him, in which he said, “My son, of most importance is this fact: ‘Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.’” It was like a hammer blow. I was shattered. I could see my life before my Maker as a shriveled-up piece of wastage.
With father’s words echoing in my soul, I capitulated. I just looked into the face of my Lord by faith and said, “I give in. No more rebellion. I have been a fool. I have tried to run my own life and have made an awful mess of it. I want to come back to you. I want You to receive me. I return in humility and in repentance.
As I knelt in the presence of God, a wonderful peace came into my heart. I yielded my life to Him. I said, “Lord Jesus, I want You to take over the reins of my life. I want You to be supreme Sovereign.”
And He did it! Not only did God meet me in my deep spiritual need, but He also healed me, for in three weeks’ time I was on my feet again.
CONCLUSION
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” If that is true—and it is—what should you do about it?—
1. If you’re not saved this morning, you need to be saved.
Don’t waste another minute outside of Jesus Christ.
You need to be saved TODAY so you can make what days you have left on this earth count for eternity.
The Bible says, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” (Proverbs 27:1)
That’s why the Apostle Paul said, “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)
2. If you’re sure you are already a believer, you need to realign your life so that you are living with eternity’s values in view.
What changes do you need to make?
What priorities do you need to set?
* Maybe you need to spend less time in front of the television and more time in your Bible.
* Maybe you need to share Christ with friends, neighbors and co-workers.
* Maybe there is a bad habit you need to give up.
* Perhaps you need to start giving to God a tithe and spending less of your money on fulfilling your own desires.
* Maybe you need to spend more time with your spouse and your children. – You can never take your career to heaven, but you can take them to heaven with you.
I could give many other application, but I hope you get the idea.
Remember, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”
I pray that you will Make that the motto of your life.
