A life well spent
By SIEGFRED T. GOLLAYAN
THE WORLD IS in a state of flux-the only thing constant, people say, is change. At a time when a person feels totally in control of his life, something happens that alters his direction, a change occurs at an instant. What he considers predictable becomes unpredictable after all and he has no recourse but to adjust to these unexpected circumstances and situations.
As the cliché goes: “Life is a journey.” Indeed, as we go on in life, many things happen that turn out to be very different from what we had expected. We do plan, but the possibility of facing events beyond our control comes along the way. Financial analysts project economic growths only to be disappointed by a sudden slump that leads to an uncontrollable decline in the economy. A businessman may map out his business with optimism for the next few years but doesn’t get the revenues he had expected, probably due to inflation, unavailability of raw materials, or other reasons. We sometimes are unable to make it to our appointments because of a flat tire or heavy traffic. We promise our children to treat them out only to be sidelined by flu.
Use time wiselyGiven that things are very uncertain, we should therefore make wise use of our time. The apostles, thus, advise us to “make every minute count” (Eph. 5:16 Contemporary English Version).
Just imagine: considering that a person needs to sleep an average of eight hours a day, that means that by the time he is 60, he would have already spent 20 years of his life in slumber. More or less, we only have two-thirds of our lifetime to spend productively. Hence, there is no gainsaying to ask ourselves, “How do we spend our lives here on earth?” and “How do we make use of our time?” We only have one life to live here. If we spend most of our time doing nothing good, indeed, a bleak future awaits us.
If we really care for our time here on earth, we will not waste the life we have been given. The Scriptures says that there is a time for everything under the sun:
“For everything there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth.” (Eccles. 3:1 New English Translation)
Let us live our lives meaningfully. Let us work doing the best we can, make use of our full potentials, and treat important matters with a sense of urgency. If we do this, we help make living in this world less burdensome, even just in our own little way. Besides, the Bible instructs us, thus:
“Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.” (Eph. 5:16 New Living Translation)
Hence, let us not skip the opportunity to do good to others-nothing fabulous, but many occasions to make life a bit more pleasant for others-a simple text or instant message to someone you love; giving a seat to an old lady aboard a bus; greeting the security guard; congratulating your secretary for a job well done; caring for our families well; and being of service to our community are some ways.
Spend life wellMost of all, for us to spend our life well, we should understand our very reason for being:
“After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for.” (Eccles. 12:13 Today’s English Version)
Above all our everyday endeavors is what God wants us to do. If we are able to obey Him, like what the Lord Jesus did, we could also say to the Father: “I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to” (John 17:4 Living Bible).
Because of this, let us hasten to do what God bids us and do not let the life He gave us be spent in sluggishness. According to the Lord Jesus:
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matt. 6:33 NLT)
Hence, a life well spent is doing all that we can to surrender ourselves to the will of God-not only by living righteously, but first of all by seeking the kingdom in which man will have redemption and forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ (Col. 1:12-14 New King James Version). That kingdom is the Church Of Christ:
“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” (Acts 20:28 Lamsa Translation)
If we consider that there will never be enough time for us to do all that we can do and be all that we can be, we will always live life to its fullest, with our spiritual well-being as the top priority. It is because of this that we advise you to join the Church Of Christ-now that there is still time.
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