JUNE 2024

Of all the realities in existence, two related ones are the most sobering to me: the brevity of life and the reality of death. We are not getting out of here alive! Throughout the centuries, death has been called the King of Terrors for good reason. The statistics on death are overwhelming—every one out of one person dies. Furthermore, the reality of the passing of time becomes more apparent the longer we live. The days, weeks, months, years, and even decades seem to pass with increasing frequency. Summer 2024 is upon us, although it seems just like yesterday when we were beginning a new year.

Scripture has a lot to say about these two, related realities. Perhaps James 4:14 is the most well-known verse concerning the brevity of life:  You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes. James was not the only biblical writer to note the brevity of life. King David pondered the same reality a thousand years earlier in Psalm 144:4: Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. In Ecclesiastes 9 King Solomon noted that the wicked and the righteous share the same fate: death. Humanity has lived with this realty from the very beginning of Post-Fall existence: You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground,
since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust (Genesis 3:19).”

These two sobering realities have caused a vast multitude throughout time incredible stress, regret, and fear. I do not want to be one of those, and I do not want you to be one of those either. Although there is no escaping the passage of time, God has provided a way for us to have victory over death. From the earliest NT sermons until the present, believers can take comfort in Peter’s powerful Pentecostal proclamation: But God raised [Jesus] from the dead, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power (Acts 2:24NASB). Furthermore, the Apostle Paul told us that death has been abolished through the work of Jesus Christ. In addition, the Apostle Paul noted that Jesus has brought life and immortality to light. Likewise, Jesus, speaking to Martha, gave us all reassurance: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. 26 Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever (John 11:25-26).

So, what does this mean for us as we live the one life we will ever have to live? The first take-away is the reality that we have eternal life now. We’re not growing nearer to the end every morning we wake up; we’re growing one day closer to eternity. The second take-away is the importance of not postponing obedience, joy, or peace. This realm is too short and uncertain to gamble with these three matters. Live the life you know God wants you to live now, because you may not be able to live it next week or next year. Serve, give, and go now how and where you know God wants, because tomorrow in this life is not guaranteed. The third take-away is the value of family. Pour your heart and soul into your family. Make sure they know the hope you have in Jesus. Enjoy as much time with them as you can because one day our family dynamic will change. Finally, continue to learn how our greatest joy truly is found in Christ. Spend your life studying His Word and enjoying His bigness and beauty. I do not know of anything that satisfies my heart more than Jesus.

-Pastor Clint Miller