Life is Fleeting

fleet·ing
/ˈflēdiNG/

adjective

• lasting for a very short time (Oxford dictionary)
• passing swiftly : transitory (Merriam-Webster dictionary)
• rapid and transient (Collins dictionary)

This is our fourth time with Sam at the blog Word-Centered Living. He explains the meaning of that name:

…Word-centered living is, then, nothing more than living in personal relationship with the living Word, based on the written Word, and lived out in the spoken Word. There are many “words” out there in the world. Every one of them promises some kind of benefit—better health, better income, better self, better things, better afterlife, better relationships, and better entertainment. These voices all cry out for our attention, but I believe that only one voice has proven itself to be timeless and effective. You don’t need people to tell you these things. Read and experience it for yourself and see if it’s not true. I have made the Word the center of my life and I have not been disappointed. I invite you to transform your life’s journey by living a Word-centered living.

To read today’s thoughts where they first appeared, click the title which follows.

Life Is Short: Your Glory in Life Even Shorter

“In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king over at Tirzah, and reigned two years…” (1 Kings 16:8-14, NASB)

Life is short. Even if you had the strength to live up to 100 years old, it is still short when you compare it to eternity in heaven or hell. Further, before we enter eternity, we will be judged for what we did with our lives here on earth, and God will determine where we will go for the rest of our lives. Therefore, we must live our short life on earth fearing the Lord and humbly obeying His will beginning with His gospel of salvation. In today’s reading, we see a man who became a king, but his kingdom didn’t last long as he was murdered by one of his officials. It says,

“In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years. And his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was at Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household at Tirzah. Then Zimri went in and struck him and put him to death, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and became king in his place. And it came about, when he became king, as soon as he sat on this throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave a single male, neither of his relatives nor his friends.”

Life is short. Your glory in life even shorter. Elah became a king in Israel only to be removed in two short years. Verse 8 says that he became king “in the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah,” and in verse 10, he died “in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah.” Do the math. We don’t know how long Elah lived but his glory as the king of Israel lasted only two years.

Now I’m pretty sure that Elah did not plan on reigning for only 1-2 years. He probably planned on doing it for a long time. He may even have plans for projects, ventures, people to see, places to go, and things to do. Yet, while he was enjoying himself with friends and family getting drunk in Tirzah, one of his trusted subjects ended his life. It amazes me how people still plan their lives as if they are going to live for a long, long time.

The Bible says, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (Ja.4:13-14).

Also, remember the parable of Jesus about a man who made plans to build bigger and better barns to store his wealth, but did not know he was going to die that night (Lk.12:13-21).

The psalmist reminds us, “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more” (Ps.103:15-16).

All these words are simply a reminder that our life on earth is short and our 15 minutes of fame even shorter. Don’t make the same mistake as Elah who made plans for this life but did not make plans for his eternal life. How do I know that he didn’t make plans for eternal life? Well, it says in verse 13 that both Elah and his father Baasha provoked God to anger with their sins of idolatry.

Yes, life on earth is short, but life after death is forever. Make sure all your treasures, pleasures, and measures are invested in the right place.

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Second Helping: From the same writer, Would You Preach the Word at the Risk of Your life.