Closer Than You Think
Well, hello there, friend! Come right on up here on this here ol’ front porch and git yourself settled in real good. I’m real pleased that you decided to stop by here because I was just watchin’ a bewildered little ol’ beaver that kept tryin’ to stack sticks in a puddle like it was buildin’ a big ol’ mansion, and it plum reminded me how short life is and how often we git to spendin’ it on things that don’t really matter. Psalm 90:10 says that our years slip away faster than a rabbit scootin’ under a fence, and before we know it, we fly away. That there truth settles deep when you realize none of us get to circle back for a second try at life because we only have just one life to be lived.
Benjamin Franklin said that death and taxes are the only certainties, but at least with taxes you can file late. Death don’t offer us any extensions. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 tells us, “There is a time to be born and a time to die,” and Hebrews 9:27 reminds us that every person has an appointment with death and then the judgment. James 4:14 adds that our lives are like a mist that appears for a moment and then vanishes. Friend, that there’s Bible talk for “you are not here as long as you think you might be.”
Statisticians say that two people die every second. That there means while you were readin’ this sentence, four folks have already stepped right on into eternity. Death don’t care if you are wealthy or broke, organized or scatterbrained, famous or forgotten. It comes for everyone, steady as a lil’ ol’ rooster crowin’ at sunrise.
But eternity is not a mystery door you stumble through. Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare Jesus as Lord and believe God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Heaven is chosen now, not later. Hell is avoided now, not later. Proverbs 27:1 warns us not to boast about tomorrow because we do not know what a day may bring. Eternity is not decided by accident. It’s plainly decided by surrender.
Father, teach me to number my days with wisdom. Help me live ready, love boldly, and share Jesus with urgency. Let my life point others toward eternity with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Alright now, there we have it, friend, and as the evenin’ settles over this here ol’ porch gentle as a sleepy lil’ ol’ lamb curlin’ up beside its mama, let this truth rest with you. Life is real short, but eternity is mighty long. Your days may be few, but your influence can echo far beyond your years. And the greatest gift you can ever be givin’ to anyone is the message that leads ‘em straight on toward home with Jesus. Live today like eternity really matters because it sho’-‘nuff really does.
With joy,
Gwen
