Not About How Long You Live

Recently I attended a funeral and was struck not only by how young the person was who’d died but more so by the impact she’d had in her short time on earth. Old and young came and shared about how much she’d touched their lives. Colleagues, family and friends all talked about how much she’d lived for God. Even street children came and cried when it was time to lower the body into the grave.

On the journey home, a thought struck me. It doesn’t matter how long you live, but who you live your life for. The scripture for today mentions how David served God’s purposes in his own generation – not in another generation – and after that he died and his body decayed. His time on earth came to an end but he’d fulfilled his destiny: God’s purpose for his life.

When our time comes we’ll die and there’ll be no more chance for us to fulfil our destiny. We only have one life to live, and the choice is ours whether we’ll throw it away, or make it count by living for the One who died for us (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

One of the people next to me at the burial said, “She worked so hard it was as if she knew she only had a short time”. God reminded me of the scripture in Psalm 90:12: ‘Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom’. This isn’t only for those who die young, but for all of us. It’s a reminder that our lives are short, and so we have to make every day count for God. When this is the desire of our heart, we can ask Him for help, and be assured that He’ll strengthen us to fulfil our mandate on this side of heaven.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of life. Thank You for reminding me that You have a purpose for my life, no matter how short it might be. My desire is to fulfil my destiny. Help me to live each day for You and serve Your purposes in my own generation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.