Power Point - November 22, 2004
November 22, 2004
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit;’ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
-James 4:13-14
Many years ago, Billy Graham, who is over the age of 85 now, was asked: “What has been the most surprising aspect about your life?”
He quickly responded, “The brevity of it.”
More than 85 years and it seemed to pass so quickly. I can tell you from personal experience that the older I get, the more I realize that’s true. The rapidity and brevity of life is certainly a reality. Others used to tell me that, but I didn’t quite believe them.
When you were a kid in elementary school, do you remember watching the clock for an interminable amount of time waiting for recess? I do. Since then, people will ask me, “Do you remember 1987?” I can’t remember years now, but I remember decades. I remember the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. Before long, we’ll be trying to remember the beginning of the new century because life is moving at such a fast pace!
The older you get, you feel the same on the inside, but just don’t look it on the outside! I was driving down the road the other day and started looking at my hand on the steering wheel and thought, “That’s my dad’s hand! How did that old man’s hand get on my arm?”
All this to say…life moves so quickly that it vanishes before our eyes. And to add to the rapidity of life, is the fast pace we’re on. We do so much to try and make it to the top. We strive so hard and long for success. Maybe you’re the man or woman who daily says, “I’ve got so much to do! I just don’t now where to start!” And I’ll bet you’re feeling the effects of that too.
James asks an important question. What is your life? He wasn’t asking a philosophical question or demanding a philosophical answer, but literally James was asking what is the significance of your life? He understood how quickly life passes. Sometimes we feel like we’re just on fast forward in all that we do. So, I ask you, what kind of life are you living?
IF YOUR LIFE WERE A VCR, WHAT BUTTON WOULD YOU BE PUSHING?
PLAY? FAST FORWARD? PAUSE? REWIND?
