Devo 35
1/30/01
Wow! One month down, eleven to go. It doesn't seem like it's already been 30 days in this new year. How are those resolutions keeping up? Weights gathering dust yet? Bible? <--better think about that last one. Well, enough chatter, let's get busy...
"Larger Than Life"
"So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalms 90:12
I read through this Psalm this last week, and to be blunt, it's kind of depressing. In fact, as I was reading it, my mind was constantly thinking of the book of Ecclesiastes which has a similar theme. Look at verse three: "You (God) turn man to destruction, and say, 'Return, O children of men.'" Or how about verse six: "In the morning it flourishes and grows up; In the evening it is cut down and withers." Other portions of the Psalm talk about the brevity of man's life as compared to God's. "The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow..." (v. 10) The same theme runs through Ecclesiastes; constantly it refers to acts of men as 'Meaningless'. A number of the Proverbs attest to the fact that what a man accomplishes in this life means little or nothing to the next generation.
Look at society and see just how much importance mankind places on the future; specifically the future after we have died. Everyone wants to be remembered; through a nice gravestone, through a memorial fund, through a last will and testament. Through whatever means, we want to be remembered, we want a legacy to live on after our lives. Why else do people push themselves towards the top-paying jobs, or push their children so hard? Why else are people so scared of dying an untimely death. We even believe in ghosts--spirits roaming earth because of unfinished business. It's a subject that has plagued philosophers endlessly; why? With only 70 to 80 years on this earth what is the purpose?
I love how the Bible will provide succinct and clear answers to the toughest problems life has. What is the meaning of life? "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." (Ecc. 12:13) The whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. Sounds a bit simplistic doesn't it? What about taxes? What about children? What about a career? Fear God and keep His commandments. What about leaving money for my children? What about financial independence? What about becoming famous? Fear God and keep His commandments. It's an annoying statement because it doesn't give any leeway; no loopholes to crawl through. Fear God and keep His commandments. It's that tiny little voice of conscience that we try so hard to ignore at times. Fear God and keep His commandments. We get angry at the reminder because we think it is preventing us from really enjoying life. It is actually one of the most freeing statements found in the Bible.
Do you know what life would really be like if in everything we feared God and kept His commandments? Look at Psalm 91:14-16. God is speaking here, "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation." The rest of the Psalm before this further confirms that the man who fears God and keeps His commandments literally has nothing to fear. It's incredible! Compare this with the promise for provision in Matthew 6. The one who fears God and keeps His commandments will have none other than the creator of the universe looking out for him.
Still, there's the nagging realization that even for the righteous, not every moment is sunshiny days and lollipops; look at Job. There was no one more righteous in the land, God said as much. This takes us back to Psalm 90. What I think we all forget a lot of times is that God's divine plan for mankind stretches much farther beyond the 70 or 80 years of our life. From the time of the fall and the promise of a redeemer to the time Jesus actually walked the Earth was over 4000 years. That's over 60 lifetimes! While God has promised to protect and provide for those who love Him, we must also realize we are part of something much larger than ourselves; God's plan to bring all of creation back to Himself. Sometimes our specific roles seem pretty lousy and it gets hard to realize that, yes, even now God is receiving glory. We can despair of Christianity at these times, but these are when our devotion to God is most critical. Our lives are short, we know that, but they can be effective if we are willing to let God use it. Fear God and keep His commandments.
It can be frustrating; like only being allowed to read only a page or two out of the middle of a novel and then not be able to finish it. But it is rewarding. We know that one day our eyes will be opened and we'll see just how intricately our lives were woven into the tapestry of the ages. We, as Christians, are part of something much larger than life here; what the ultimate reality of that will be, we may not know until we have been raised anew. We know that God has a plan for our lives, and that somehow it fits into His master plan. We have to believe that whatever we've been given to do on this Earth has a much higher significance that what we can see. If my life is to be lived for His glory, I need to be satisfied that sometimes His glory will mean hardship for myself.
"Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil. Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands." Psalm 90:14-17