“Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.” – Psalm 144:4
How many times did you breathe in the last minute?
How much thought did you put into each of those breaths?
At times our lives can seem like they last forever. When my daughter was born, I was not allowed to stay in the O.R. because apparently, they don’t allow that if they have to use full anesthesia. Instead, I waited in a hallway. Waiting…waiting…waiting. It seemed like forever until I was allowed to see my daughter. Time can seem to stretch sometimes. I’m pretty sure my kids think December lasts 3 or 4 months waiting for Christmas and, of course, 2020 was scientifically proven to have actually lasted 40 years.
Other times, time moves so quickly that life is a blur. Vacations never last long enough. Kids grow up too fast. That last piece of cheesecake disappears in seconds…though that one may have been a legitimate measure of time.
Life is short…sort Of
We only have about 80-100 years and we aren’t even guaranteed that. Some lives are much shorter. However, even the longest of lives is only breath compared to eternity.
In Psalm 144, David is marveling at the fact that the eternal God is mindful of us creatures who only live for a moment. Not only is He mindful of us, but He loves us so much He was willing to send His Son to die for us. How amazing!
With the salvation He has won for us, Christ also gives us eternal life. Our earthly lives in these mortal, sinful bodies are still just a breath, but we will be raised again for all eternity.
How will you use those breaths?
It can be easy to become enamored with the things around us, but we need to remember that those things, too, are but a breath. They are here today and gone tomorrow. This is why Jesus urged us to build up treasures in heaven rather than on earth where rust and moths destroy it.
So, let’s use our breaths to glorify God. Let’s use them to speak life into the hearts of the lost. Let’s use them to build one another up in Christ.
Tomorrow, let’s gather together and lift up our voices, using those breaths to praise the name of the Lord, the one who gave us breath in the first place.
Amen!
Heavenly Father,
Who is man that You are mindful of him? Yet, You are. You care for the least of us and gave everything to save us. Thank You for this life. Thank You for the eternal life You have given me. Help me to use every breath to glorify You and proclaim Your salvation.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16
Have you ever been in the middle of enduring something difficult, yet felt stronger?
The church is an interesting thing. It’s filled with people who the world despises and often considers weak and foolish. They say our faith is just a “crutch” for the weak or the opiate of the masses.
Suffering Often Marks the Church The church has suffered much over the millennia. Sometimes Christians have suffered by choice, like when Christians chose to stay and care for the sick during the Black Plague or when they give generously to those in need leaving little for themselves. Other times, the church has suffered at the hands of others, especially cruel governments.
There are many times since the start of the church where Christ-followers have been outwardly wasting away, as is described in 2 Corinthians 4. Yet, God does not leave us alone in our suffering. In fact, He not only stays with us but strengthens us in a way that is foreign to the world.
The Opposite of What They Expect Many governments over the centuries have tried to stomp out the church. Persecution still happens today in places like China, Iran, and many others. Yet, something strange often happens to the church in these times and places. The church flourishes.
Right now, it is estimated that Iran has the fastest growth in the Christian church of any nation. China is expected to have the largest population of Christians in less than 10 years. These are both places where churches get shut down and Christians are arrested and abused or even killed for the faith.
On the contrary, places like Europe and the United States, where Christians have had been free or even favored now see the slowest growth or even a decline.
True Life There’s life and then there’s life. Jesus promised abundant life. So, how have so many Christians suffered? The abundant life Jesus brings is one of the Spirit. Life from God, alone, that wells eternal. This life does not require money, status, earthly comfort, or earthly freedom.
So, the person with abundant life from Jesus may be wasting away on the outside, but thriving inwardly in Christ. This is how in Acts Christians considered it a joy to be beaten for their faith. This is the strength that raises us up on eagles’ wings. We have true life and that life is fed constantly through the Spirit as a branch attached to a vine or a tree planted by a stream.
So, we need not fear wasting away.
We don’t need to cling to our wealth. We don’t need to be afraid of caring for the sick. We don’t need to despair a despotic government. This is not because God promises to give us great wealth, health, or a favorable ruler, but because Christ’s abundant life is greater than any suffering of these earthly things.
We need only to abide in Christ.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.“ – Isaiah 40:27-31
Heaven Father,
Help me not to cling to the things of this world, but be willing to live boldly for You, willing to sacrifice all. I know You promise to never leave me nor forsake me. For I know you promise to uphold me with Your right hand and strengthen me in my weakness.
“[Jesus said,] ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.’” – John 15:5,8
What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?
I was listening to a podcast, today, that was all about spiritual discipline. The question they were addressing is what spiritual discipline is and whether it’s a Biblical concept. In the podcast, they quoted Donald Whitley, the author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, who said,
“The only road to Christian maturity and Godliness passes through the practice of the Spiritual Disciplines. “
Is that really true?
A lot has been written on spiritual discipline and many Christians spend a lot of time and effort trying to achieve spiritual maturity through spiritual discipline. You can find hundreds of books written on the subject. They give dozens, even hundreds, of things you can do which they say will cause you to become more godly and mature.
Some you may recognize, such as prayer, reading the Bible, and worship, and others which are less common, such as almsgiving, journaling, watching, silence, simplicity, and more.
Rather than making people more mature in the faith, however, it leads many to become frustrated and less sure of their salvation and others to become prideful about how “godly” they are. Simply put, rather than resting in the grace of God, we look to ourselves and our works for maturity and salvation.
So, what do we do?
Our passage for today keeps it really simple,
“Remain in [Jesus].”
This is one of my favorite descriptions of our life of faith. We are branches. As such, we can only live if we remain in the vine. We can only produce fruit if we remain in the vine. A branch doesn’t will itself to produce fruit. It does so naturally because it is part of the vine.
So, what do we do? We remain in Christ. Don’t cut yourself off from Him. He will give the spiritual water and nutrients we need to live and grow. He does this through His Word and Sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper). By these means of grace, God strengthens our faith, forgives our sins, and draws us to Him.
It’s all the work of God.
So, we can rest in the grace of Jesus Christ. We can take His yoke upon ourselves for his burden is light.
It’s not that discipline is bad or we shouldn’t do things like reading the Bible and praying. Rather, it’s the difference between thinking we need to do these things to become godly verses thinking we do these things because we get to, we love to, and we know God has given these things to us as a gift, all the while rejoicing in the fact that we have been saved and made holy by God’s work.
Then reading the Bible or praying become a joy rather than a burden and you can rest.
Dear Jesus,
You have grafted me into Yourself, the vine. Keep me firmly attached to You. Feed me with Your supper. Strengthen me by Your Word. Produce Your fruit in my life by the power of Your Spirit and help me to rest in Your grace rather than place myself under the yoke of my own works.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” – Philippians 1:21
How fearful are you of death?
We are living in the midst of a pandemic. It’s can be a scary time, but the truth is that illness, injury, and death are all around us all the time. This isn’t new. It’s been like this since man’s fall into sin in the Garden of Eden.
There is a level of awareness of danger that can lead to reasonable caution. We look before we cross the street. We go to the doctor when we feel sick and so on. However, if we aren’t careful, that awareness of danger can take us past caution into fear.
Facing Death In our passage for today, Paul writes an astounding statement.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.“
Paul was in prison because of the Gospel and he was awaiting sentencing. That sentencing could very well have been death and there were no more appeals. Instead of descending into fear, he found joy and hope. Why?
It’s All About Jesus For Paul, it was all about Jesus and the Gospel. If he died, he knew Jesus had overcome death and he (Paul) would be with Christ in Heaven. That’s why Paul describes it as “gain.” If he lived, then he was going to live for Jesus, his Lord and Savior because of what Jesus had done for Him.
This is just as true for us today as it was for Paul 2000 years ago because the Gospel is just as true today as it was 2000 years ago. We can live in the midst of danger, even in the middle of a pandemic, and not fear illness. injury, or death. Jesus is greater. As the Psalmist puts it…
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” – Psalm 23:4
It’s Not About Death Fear starts to invade our minds when we focus on death, on the danger, rather than on Jesus. So, without Jesus, we only have danger to focus on rather than the answer to the danger, Jesus.
When we focus on Jesus, the one who overcame death, who protected Daniel in lions’ den and Shadrack in the fiery furnace, and who healed the paralytic, we know that whatever we face, Jesus is greater.
Until Jesus returns, we will all face death. It may be today. It may be in 100 years. Whenever it is, it will be a great day of gain for us. Death has no sting. It has no power. So, we need not fear. If you start to feel that fear, rebuke it. Cast it away. Remind yourself that Jesus is greater and He will never leave you nor forsake you, even in the valley of the shadow of death.
How have you been dealing with a lot of fear lately?
How does knowing Jesus is greater than COVID-19, death, and any other danger change how you look at your situation?
Heavenly Father,
You are greater than any danger I may face. Whether you remove me from the danger or walk me through it, remind that You are with me, You are greater, and I have nothing to fear.