Vapors
Vapors
Categories: WEEKLY DEVOTIONALS
Tim Clinton, Ed.D. and Max Davis
According to a recent study, the most read sections of the average newspaper are the Local news (65%) and the Sports (59%). Guess which is the least read section? You got it. The Obituaries. One of the reasons for that statistic is reading Obituaries reminds people of the reality that they too are going to die. They don’t want to think about it. Instead of facing reality, many men simply suppress the negative thoughts about death and go about their lives as if it’s never going to happen. Yet, pondering one’s own death is not negative. It is both wise and biblical. King David wrote in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Wisdom comes as we consider our mortality, ponder the time we have remaining and ask God to show us how to make our days count.
James 4:14 says, “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.” Even though you may not want to think about it, from an eternal perspective, a man’s life is like a vanishing vapor. Here for a moment, then “puff” it’s gone. But God has a purpose for our slight vapor of time. He has a plan and a time frame for its execution. The enemy knows this. That’s why he tries to keep us distracted and out of the fight. If he can keep us busy doing urgent things rather than important things, things that waste time, rather than maximizing our days, he’s got us. Before we know it, “Puff” we’ll be gone and God’s purpose for us unfulfilled. Ecclesiastes 9:12 gives us a firm warning. “For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them.”
What have you been giving your heart to lately? Time is fleeting. Be alert and ready. Keep your guard up and your feet planted. Don’t be caught in the enemy’s snare. Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
This devotional is an excerpt from Ignite Your Faith by Dr. Tim Clinton & Max Davis available at https://www.aacc.net/product/ignite-your-faith/.