How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. James 4:14
Last December, I was asked what my favorite part of the Christmas season was. As I thought about what to say, I knew that there was only one answer: the anticipation. I love the months of September, October, and especially November because I love the anticipation of Christmastime. It is so fun to have something to look forward to. I even realized last Christmas that, as much as I love Christmas Day, I felt a little sad the closer and closer we got to it because I knew Christmas Day meant that Christmastime was coming to an end. I always notice how quickly time passes the month of December. The truth is, time does just not pass quickly during December. Time is always moving fast. Life is short. Do not just take my word for it, however. Scripture also teaches about the brevity of life.
One place to turn to in Scripture when thinking about time is James 4. In this book of the Bible, James warns that time is passing by quickly. He says, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (verse 14). What James is teaching us here is that time is passing by faster than we could possibly imagine. Like fog in the morning, time is fading. Like morning fog, we cannot recreate time or make it last longer. We simply have the honor, privilege, and responsibility to use that time well.
As we consider the importance of using our time well, we first must have a confident understanding of what is important to us. After all, if we do not understand the things that matter to us, how will we be able to make intentional decisions to live for those things? Our question today is, what is important to us? What matters to us? Do the things that matter to us align with Scripture? If not, what changes need to be made? Are we living for those things that matter to us, or have other, less important things gotten in the way? Life is short. Let’s choose intentionality, living for the things that truly matter.
Life is short. It is passing by each and every day. This knowledge calls us to reflect on what really matters to us. It calls us to prioritize those things that truly matter, starting today. Make a list of the top things that really matter to you. Then, think about what you will do, starting now, to make these top things a priority each and every day.
Read James 4:13-17 (NLT)
Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
©2024 Sagebrush Church
