Short Timer's

James 4:14 - 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.

Life is short, and we never know when we will take our last breath.  Seeking God's will for our lives on a daily basis (pray then plan) is where we need to start.

Ever quit a job because you found a better one?  You give your two week's notice, and then start counting the days.  How hard is it to be productive during those last days?  That is what we used to call "Short Timer's Disease" in the Army.  After all, what are they going to do, fire you?

A lot of us, myself certainly included, believe that since we don't know how long we have left, need to make the most of the time we have.  While this is true to a point, how we make the most of what time we have left is what is important.  Some people party and enjoy other things that bring them brief physical pleasures (I certainly did).  People that do this aren't thinking eternally, and I believe that's the key to surviving this life.

Jesus died for us so that we could have a close, intimate relationship with God for eternity.  It's not something that we get when we die if we were "good people" during our time on earth.  The world is full of "good people".  And usually, those "good people" are full of something else...

This close, intimate relationship starts when we accept Christ as our Savior and turn our lives over to Him.  Every day, we should pray and ask God to guide our steps, our words, and our actions, so that we can make the most out of the time we have left that serves God's Kingdom and brings Him glory.  After all, He created it.  He saved us.  I think He has earned that glory (to say the least).

This doesn't mean that we can't have fun and enjoy ourselves.  I enjoy things that have no eternal value.  I'm a big baseball and hockey fan.  More often than not, these pleasures are a let down (that's the life of a Cubs fan, after all).  But God put them here so that we can enjoy them.  Tempering our joy of these earthly things with moderation is the key.  We need to keep our eye on His prize and continually ask for His will to be done (that does not include praying for a World Series Championship for the Cubs).  Letting these things consume us and decide our lives for us is where the problems start.  I once cancelled a date years back so I could watch a Cubs playoff game...Hey, don't judge...they don't happen that often!

Dear Father, thank You for reminding me to keep my eyes and heart focused on You and Your will for me.  I pray that I will keep an eternal mindset today as I go into the world.  Keep me centered on You as I deal with difficult situations at work (and especially the traffic getting me to work).  I pray for those that aren't living for You.  My prayer is that they will see that their time is short, and they would do best to turn their focus over to You and live for Your will to be done, and not their own.  In Jesus' name, Amen!



God Bless!!!