I brought you glory on earth by completing this work you gave me to do.
The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet their strength . . . is soon cut off, and we fly away. – Ps 90:10
Life expectancy for men in the United States for the year 1900, was 47.9 years. By 1997, it had reached 73.6, and in 2009, 78.7 years. With the increase in medical knowledge and expertise, life expectancy continues to increase. Where will it end, or when will it reach its zenith?
It is of interest to note that researchers from MIT have found an enzyme that extends the life span of yeast. When activated, this enzyme causes age-related chromosomes to be silenced, causing an extension in the life of yeast. Didn’t know yeast had life? Neither did I. This research carries broad implications for the human aging process, since this same enzyme has been discovered in humans.
News Flash: The Fountain of Youth is not in Florida. It lurks in a test tube!?
However spectacular these things may appear, they are in the learned hands of science. Scripture teaches that the days we spend here on earth are numbered by God. Some note that this is why Stonewall Jackson, of Civil War fame, was so brave. He was impervious to the mini-balls, cannon balls and grapeshot that flew about him, because he believed he could not die until God said it was ok. Regardless of general Jackson’s bravery, or something less than that, there is divine rationale, there is reason and purpose behind our days on earth, however long or short they may be.
Jesus lived 33 or perhaps 34 years. He died a young man, his life truncated by execution. Yet in the time he had on this earth, he brought glory and honor to God. More than any human who has ever lived, his life had meaning. From the manger in Bethlehem, to Golgotha, the life and death of Jesus resonated with the purpose of God. He completed the work his Father had given him to do. Today, his life has impacted almost 2 billion people now alive, not to speak of those who have gone before.
Like Jesus, and no less than he, each of us has a task, a purpose, a reason, or perhaps several reasons that compel our existence on earth. The Psalmist gives us threescore years and ten (more or less) to get this thing done. As the video below shows us, many do not realize their life on earth has such rationale. Some even think that’s cool. It is not. In such cases, the purpose of one’s life may never be appreciated or enjoyed.
Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out. -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., U.S. Supreme Court Judge
The Meaning of Life
Don’t spend your life getting ready to live. The rationale behind your life can be broken down to smaller pieces; into days, hours and minutes.
"Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the
future, and live in the only moment of time over which you
have any control: NOW." -- Denis Waitleyhttp:
Each instant has as much rationale as the whole. In fact, the whole cannot happen if the instant did not exist. Don’t waste your time, don’t waste your life with non-redemptive stuff. Even moments of relaxation and fun can have purpose. Perhaps especially so. Find out why you are alive and then pursue it with every breath, with every beat of your heart. Every thought. Every dream. Nothing can be more liberating. More satisfying.
Stonewall, Kyle and Jason, you guys are . . . well, centered. You rock! And the game ain’t over, Mr. Engineer. Not now. Not ever!
Sign up for announcements of new posts to this blog.
THE CARPENTER TRILOGY, by Paul Morris
No comments:
Post a Comment