Psalm 39 Ephesians 4 Leviticus 21-22
We will all come to the end of our days on earth. It is the
one absolute we all face in this life. The challenge is how we will approach
that end and what will we do with the day between now and that time we take our
last breath.
As a pastor it is a journey that I have walked with many
over the years and including many family members who I loved deeply and that
loved me. One of the most important lessons I have learned during those times
is that when the end-of-life approaches, if we have time to reflect on it, the
many things we have gathered together and stored in the places we have lived,
our bank accounts and other material things we are attached to become less important.
We do reflect on the relationships we have had throughout our life. Fortunately,
many of those memories are wonderful and bring a feeling of having been blessed
with so many wonderful people throughout the course of our life. Sometimes
though, I have to travel the journey of regret for those that often by a simple
word have experienced a broke relationship. Often those breaks come in the heat
of a difficult time or great challenge and we wish we had held our tongue.
This song is a reminder that our days are numbered, and they
will go quickly. At the end all that we have gained in the way of wealth will go
to those we no longer have influence on and be of little value. The
relationships we have with people we will value greatly in those days.
The most important relationship we will hold onto will be
the one with God who holds eternity in his hands. The closing line is to know
that God gazes on us with pleasure before we are not more.
As Christians Paul bluntly reminds us that we should live in
a manner worthy of the one who calls us to faith, Jesus Christ. Ephesians 4 is
that balance between reminding us that we are called to live together in
gentleness and unity but that it must be based on the standards set by God and
not our own desires. It all starts with the renewing of our minds, when we
decide we are going to live an obedient life.
He challenges us not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, who
seals our eternity. What better reason to set aside the bitterness, wrath and
anger so that we can treat people with kindness and a tender heart, starting
with forgiving one another just as Jesus has forgiven us.
Continuing the journey through Leviticus we continue to see
simply that God wants what we offer to Him as a sacrifice to come from the first
and best we have to offer. No detail in how we live is too small to think about
how we are presenting to the Lord. All we have and has been a gift from God.
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