Psalm 90:12 instructs us to number our days. When we understand that our time on this planet is limited, we can begin to live with a greater sense of urgency and purpose. All of us realize that we will die someday, but few of us live like we believe it. We spend our days engaged in trivial pursuits and sleepwalking through our nights as if there will always be another. Many have resigned themselves to the mediocrity of conformity and accept the notion that as long as they are comfortable and able to “get by”, then life is good and they are doing enough. This isn’t the “abundant” life promised by Jesus, so why are we so willing to settle for it?
Pastor and expert communicator Andy Stanley recently said that, “My time is limited which means I need to limit what I do with my time.” He went on to explain that there are things we need to begin doing, things we need to stop doing, still others we need to do more of, and others of which we need to do less. All of us would profit from carefully examining our lives and determining how we are spending our time for the Kingdom of God. Are we even considering the mission of Christ as we go throughout our days? What is our primary focus when we get out of bed or head to the office for work? When we interact with our families and coworkers, are we thinking of God’s agenda or our own?
How much time do you have left to live? The answer could be as short as less than a minute for any one of us. It’s perfectly legitimate and wise to make plans for the future (Luke 14:28-30), but we must balance that with the realization that our lives could end at any moment (Luke 12:16-21). If you knew you had forty-eight hours to live, what would you do differently? Would you not be incredibly intentional about how you spent each and every minute? Would you spend time worrying about what others thought or being timid about the actions you took? This is the attitude with which we should be living every day.
We have a mission, a calling from God, to spread His message throughout the world (Matthew 28:19-20). We are to tell others about His great name, about His love, His grace, and His mercy. The best way to do that is by living each day in His power and reflecting His glory. We must seize every moment as a divine appointment from Jesus. Not a second can be wasted because we have no guarantee of another.
The laissez-faire life we’ve been leading must end today. From this day forward, we must live with intentionality and purpose. We are the called and we are the chosen. If we will not live the life He created us to live and spread His love throughout the world, then who will? Every day is a gift to be treasured and multiplied. Every hour is an opportunity to live for Jesus with every ounce of our being. It is imperative we understand that our time is short and getting shorter. Our days are numbered. How will you spend yours?