13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. ~ James 4:13-16
Elvis Presley was labeled the inventor and king of Rock ‘N’ Roll, yet he died on the toilet at the age of 42. Whitney Houston was dubbed the Queen of Pop, yet she was found deceased in her bathtub at age 48. We can have the whole world, but it still comes to an end.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. Each and every breath we take is a gift from God above. Therefore, be careful what you do with your gift. What do you do with the breath in your lungs? How do you spend your time? Our time on this earth feels like a long time. It’s difficult for us to truly grasp the length of eternity, so we struggle to crucify our flesh here on this earth, as well as fight the desire to satisfy instant gratification.
We can spend our entire lives building an entire empire on this earth. We can be rich and wealthy without want for anything, but in an instant, our lives can be taken from us, and we will be sent to one of two places: one a place of comfort and love, the other a place of pain and suffering. Where Elvis and Whitney are today, I can honestly say I don’t know. I have my opinions, but what I will say is, I don’t believe either of them started out their day knowing it would be their last.
How terrifying of a thought unless you know in whom you have believed, and He, in turn, knows you. As Christians, we have a hope that no one else has. This hope isn’t obtained through works, self-righteousness, or anything we could ever offer. This hope is only obtained through acceptance of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for our sins. It is given to us by grace through faith in His death and resurrection.
Don’t allow anything on this earth to separate you from that hope. Use each day to grow closer to God, build His Kingdom, and He will cause all other things to fall into place for you. Put your faith and trust in Him as you follow the path He has for your life, and He will be faithful to you as He leads you into the call He has for your life.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Use Each Breath.