“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:4)
We all have an expiration date. (Psalm 90:1-12) Each and every one of us are walking around with an “expiration date”, and the Bible is quite clear as to what you need to do about it whether you are saved or lost. Solomon said “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2)
Psalm 90 was written by Moses. It is by far the oldest Psalm in the Bible and, some would say, one of the oldest examples of Hebrew poetry in the history of the world. It was written during a very bleak time in Hebrew history. Moses was commissioned by God to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. After the miraculous escape through the Red Sea, Moses leads them toward the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 14).
It was at a place called Kadesh Barnea, a beautiful oasis, that Moses sent twelve spies into the land to check out the people. Ten of the spies came back shaking in their boots. They reported that the people were too big and too strong for the Israelites to try to attack. But two of them, Joshua, and Caleb, encouraged the people. They knew God had promised them this land and they told the people to trust God and do what He had said to do (Numbers 13).
God said, “Go!” and the people said “No!” The consequence for this disobedience was the death of an entire generation. The Hebrews wandered in the desert for thirty-eight years. Over those years, over one million people died. If you do the math, that comes to about eight-seven funerals a day. Moses was surrounded by death and despair. This man of God then took out his journal and began to pour out his prayer to the Lord.
Moses affirms that God is eternal, faithful, and completely holy. He then contrasts the eternal God with fragile mankind. Moses rightly describes the human race as finite, fickle, and unfaithful. If it is true that everyone of us has an expiration date, and equally true that we do not know when that date is, how should we approach the remaining time God has given us?
1 Chronicles 17:11 says “When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.” One thing this verse reveals to us is our days have an expiration date. On earth, we have shelf life. Our time is limited. Even Scripture says, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14).
Expired seems to underscore the finality of our time on earth. Psalm 90:12 reads “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Are we making our time on earth count? It’s so easy to live as if there’s no tomorrow, as if we have no limits. We can lose sight of living with intentionality when we’re caught up in day to day living. But we do have a limit. Moreover, none of us really know what our final day will be.
Ephesians 5:15 says “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.” It’s not that we are to become fearful of when the final day will arrive, nor be morbid about it. It’s just some of us need to wake from our slumber in which we are procrastinating life on so many levels. It’s not merely scratching off some proverbial “to-do” list. That being said, how many go to their grave regretting they left things undone.
There are things God has for us to do, plus, there is who He desires us to become. He desires Christ to be formed in us. However, He leaves it up to us as to whether we fulfill His desires. None of have to do anything while on earth. We don’t have to love Him, nor serve Him. In short, we can do our own thing. Nonetheless, if people want to do their own thing, they will not be fulfilled in the way they may think. Their own thing is flesh driven. Guess what, flesh has a shelf life, and will not go into eternity. Ultimately, it leads to misery.
2 Corinthians 5:10 reads “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” This point will not be belabored, nor is the intent to cause anyone to live in dread. If you study the Bible, it makes it very clear that we will be held accountable for our time on earth. We will be rewarded accordingly.
A fulfilled life is not filled with procrastination. At the same time, we rest in the Lord while fulfilling our purposes on earth. Find your purpose and fulfill it with Him. It’s meant to be a joint venture! Mindful, intentional living is the order of the day, and that includes, submitting to the will of God. Don’t get lost in the things of the world, and miss what God has for you.
When the apostle Paul tells Timothy that he “fought a good fight”, he was talking about fighting against the things that would seek to prevent him from living a life spent in service to God. That’s the biblical fight against the world, the flesh, and the Devil that we who are saved are all called to engage in.
By the way, if you’re not sure of your purpose, ask God. He will reveal it to you.
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