James 4:13-16 Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.6 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that
Life Like a Vapor
When one considers the time given to experience life, one cannot help but realize that it passes by us like a puff of frigid air. As the vaporized air is fresh and new, it lingers for a moment. But in short order, the “puff” vanishes without warning. Ask any elderly person about aging and they will validate how quickly the years pass them by. They grieve at the time they wasted and the years they burned pursuing fleshly pleasures. Psalms 71:15 mentions that we do not know the number of days we will remain here on earth. But, per James, we do know that our life is comparable to a vapor cloud; how much effort should we put into the building this kingdom?
As vapor is to our time here on earth, “flesh” is to how we spend our time here on earth. We either walk in the flesh or the Spirit. “Flesh,” in Strongs Concordance, is defined as “the body, human nature, or a human being,” all contingent on context. The “spirit,” however, is defined as “a supernatural being or essence.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spirit According to Romans 8, if we do things to build up our fleshly nature and innate selfishness, we will die spiritually. But if we deny our selfish desires and take time to pray and seek God, our spirit-man grows. According to 1 John 2:17, the world and its lusts will pass away, “but he that does the will of God will abide forever.” With these facts in mind, where should we be spending our time?
The Waste of Life
A Pastor once taught me that whatever dog you feed most will be the strongest. If you feed the flesh-dog abundantly, the flesh-dog will reign. But, if you feed the spirit-dog, the spirit-dog will be invincible. Gal 6:8 teaches us that if we “sow to the flesh, we shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Notice the exponential harvest in each; corruption (to perish) and life everlasting. Feeding flesh and spirit has ongoing consequences, therefore, feed the spirit!
As I examine my own life, it seems that much of my time has been consumed with focus on the flesh and how I can enhance my time here. For example, the hours, months, and years of time I have wasted on watching sports, gaming, and carnal pursuits is staggering. Two wasted hours per day amounts to 30 days per year. After10 years of these carnal pursuits, you have wasted 300 days or nearly a year of your life. To what end? What profit did I gain by memorizing football stats, rules, regulations, and strategy? What did I gain exchanging prayer and pursuit of the God’s Word for Counter Strike, Madden, and COD? While I should have been praising and seeking Him more and more, I was playing games, feeding the flesh, and pursuing vanity. What a waste; I’m ashamed.
As I have aged, the pursuit changed from youthful activities to career-related and fleshly kingdom-building pursuits. Working is a requirement given from the Lord: “if man doesn’t work, neither shall he eat.” And if I do not provide for my family, I am worse than an infidel. And growing a flesh-filled kingdom outside of Christ, His provision, and His direction is all vanity. Yes, we need to live somewhere, drive something, and it is ok to have some “stuff.” But extreme focus on building a kingdom on this earth is next to idolatry. Ministers: “ministry” can be fleshly as well. How so? It is quite possible to study for sermons rather than seek God for strength and sustenance. Truly seeking Him for who He is and worshiping him needs to be our primary pursuit. Not building an earthly kingdom.
Life per His Will
How should we spend our time in this realm? Some feel they should throw caution to the wind and others go with the philosophy of salvaging every moment they can. I feel that James said it well with the statement, “if the Lord wills.” In other words, if it is within His plan and desire for my life, I’ll do this or that. Think about it: who knows the duration of your life? Who, in this realm, knows what will happen tomorrow, next year, or next hour? God does. Who knows if I’ll have a job next year or if I’ll have a life-threatening illness this year? God does.
Life vs Cancer
I was 35 and believed I was healthy. I was a little overweight, but I was exercising daily and trying to take care of myself. The only issue I had was shoulder pain. Nagging, non-relenting pain. Advil no longer “did the trick” and I began going to urgent care facilities to find a remedy. Not having much of a need for a doctor, I didn’t have a family doctor, hence, the urgent care. All they did was toss me pain pills. Not being a junky, I declined them.
As the pain persisted, I began having night sweats and day fevers and my energy levels were very low. I managed to find a real doctor who ran a series of blood tests and learned that I was dying from a germ cell tumor. It wasn’t long after that my lung collapsed, and I could not longer catch my breath. In other words, I went to take a deep breath or yawn and I couldn’t catch it; I felt like I was suffocating.
Was I going to die that night? Was cancer going to take my life? Was I concerned with Counter Strike, COD, or Madden? No way. In fact, during my recovery, I had a lot of time to reflect on my life and really began working on my spiritual walk. My son asked me if I wanted to play a game with him and I declined. I told him that I was focused on the Lord and really didn’t want the distraction. Did I make the right decision? Spending time with my son would have been great but when your life is in the balance, you inevitably default to building up your spirit-man. Not invest towards a 300-day deficit.
Encouragement
I want to encourage you to draw close to the Lord. Your time on earth blows-by at blazing speeds. One moment you’re young and vibrant and the next moment you’re struggling to get out of bed. With the brevity of life in mind, take every opportunity to walk with the Lord. Build up your spirit-man by studying the Word, praying to the Lord, and reaching the lost for Jesus. Crucify the flesh with its desires and lusts. Seek Jesus!
