Living to please Him every day

This past Saturday a Russian plane filled with 224 passengers disintegrated in the skies over the middle east.  In the news reports that followed reporters included this picture of a 10 month old toddler.  The picture was taken by the child's mother as they waited to leave Russia for a family vacation in Egypt.  Days later this child and her parents perished along with a plane full of others.  Each of them had families and plans and dreams.

This picture somehow adds an extra layer of sadness to what is already a tragic story. Yet it's a story that repeats itself every day all around the world.  Lives come to an end, often suddenly and unexpected.

Sorry to be a downer on a beautiful fall day, but this story, and particularly this picture, have me thinking today about how tenuous life is. When I was a teenager I was invincible. The end of life seemed so far away I hardly gave it a thought. Four or five decades later the end seems a lot closer, and I'm more prone to consider just what that means, but the reality is that even as a teenager all it would take was a driver who wasn't paying attention.  It happens every day. Life is not just short, but it's uncertain.  

The Bible talks about this.  James 4:14 says "How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone."

So how do we respond to this?  Do we live in fear and become a recluse?  Do we focus all of our energy and resources on anything that promises to add a few hours to our lives?  Do we devote ourselves to lives of adventure and fun so whenever the end comes we can proclaim that we "lived every minute" and did everything on our bucket list?  These options all lack understanding of some basic truths God has made clear to us in his Word.

• For the Christian the end of this life is the beginning of something far better.  Life is not to be grasped and death is not to be feared.
• While we are here our role is to serve God faithfully in whatever way He leads and calls.

Jesus told several parables to help us understand that we need to invest our lives every day as good servants, always ready for the end, whether that's through death or meeting Him in the air.

What winners we are as Christians!  We can live lives full of purpose and fulfillment, and we can do it without fear for the future because we are destined for eternity in God's glory.  It truly can't get any better than that.

The challenge for us is this.  Given the uncertainly of life on Earth, are we living as if it could all wrap up today?  Or tomorrow?  The words of Jesus below refer to us being ready when He comes again.  Whether we live to that time or pass away as all others have before us, the challenge is the same.  Let's live every day we have to please Him.

“The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning."  (Mark 13:34-36)