In a Matter of Seconds

It is truly amazing how quickly things can happen in life. Just this afternoon I was driving down the road and a car in front of the car in front of me came to an immediate stop for no apparent reason. The car in front of me crossed it up in the middle of the road and I locked my brakes up trying to stop. There was a 3500 series truck behind me who was traveling too close and was forced to swerve into the next lane. The cars in his lane were forced to find new road (or grass in this case) to avoid hitting him. The true miracle in this incident was that not one car hit another. It was absolutely amazing.

Needless to say, my heart was racing and I felt feelings of both anger and concern. I was angry at the fact that someone stopped in the middle of the road for no apparent reason. I became concerned as to why this may have happened. Did someone suffer a heart attack? What happened to cause this?

As I tried to gather my emotions I was reminded that life is but a vapor. James 4:13-17 says the following:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, 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. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. [The New King James Version. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Jas 4:13-17.]

It is very easy to get caught up in the "look at me" attitude and present the confident plans of what will happen next year. But the Bible tells us to blast the boasting and spend your time living for the eternal. Life could have been taken in an instant this afternoon and all of it would have been out of my control. This leads me to ask a couple of questions.

1. Have you prepared for eternity? Eternity will be spent in one of two places. It will be spent in either Heaven or in Hell. Spending eternity in Heaven is not granted because you have been a good person or you have done more good than bad. Eternity in heaven is the result of a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is the result of being born again by the Holy Spirit through your faith in Jesus Christ. Without this, eternity will result in a place called hell.
2. How are you living life? Are you living life like today could be your last. It has been said that Paul only had two dates in mind; today and "that day" (the day he would stand before Christ). Therefore, he would live every day in light of "that day".

I challenge you to live every day like it is your last. Make sure your relationships are in good condition. Make sure your family knows that you love them. Make sure that you have prepared for eternity. Make sure that you are living in the Will of God for the Glory of God. For you may never know what may change your circumstances in a matter of seconds.

In Christ,
Doug Johnson
http://www.dougjohnson.net/