Time is rapidly passing away, and every second counts. Like David who wrote about the brevity of life, I pray: “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is” (Psalm 39:4).
In Noah’s days, the world was full of evil, and the sin of the people grieved God. Noah, however, pleased God, although he was far from perfect. Our sin grieves God, too. But we can follow Noah’s example and find grace in the eyes of the Lord despite the sin that surrounds us.
God showed His great patience toward the people of Noah’s day. It took Noah 120 years to build the ark, and during that time, Noah faithfully warned the people that the flood was coming. They had the opportunity to get their lives right with God. Likewise, God gives us time to quit living our way and to begin living His way. His Word tells us how to live our lives. It is interesting that the length of Noah’s obedience was greater than the life span of people today.
One hundred and twenty years seems like a long time, but eventually time ran out. As promised, the floodwaters swept across the earth, and those who had rebelled against God were swept away, too. Have you ever considered that your time may be running out? How long will the clock tick for you? We cannot see God’s stopwatch of patience. He has His own timetable.
In prison, time is a commodity that many of us take for granted. The days, often slow moving, seem so long. Realizing the brevity of life has helped me to use the little time I have left on this earth more wisely.
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NIV).
Take time to number your days. Ask yourself, what do I want to see happen with my life before I die? What small steps can I take toward that purpose today? What will people say of me when I am only a memory? Was I a display of love to others? Was I Jesus to the least of these? Am I living like Christ lived? Does everything I say and do point others to God?
Life is short, no matter how long we live. We must make every second count, whether we are in prison or in the free world. If we have something important we want to do, we must not put it off for a better day.
If you knew you had only six months left to live, what would you do or say? How about six weeks? Would you tell someone that you love them? Would you ask for forgiveness or perhaps extend forgiveness to another? Would you deal with an undisciplined area of your life? Would you be bolder in your faith?
We should not neglect what is truly important. Life is too short. We are not guaranteed tomorrow.
The clock is ticking. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to waste any more time. Let’s determine to make every second count for God in every season of our life. As we do, we will prove the realness of God to a doubting world.
Written by Roy A. Borges
Photo by Seth Macey
