"You are a Mist."

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15 ESV)

A mist in the wind. That is what we are: a mist; our lives are finite. We, believers, are a light on the hill in the dark, a beacon of the light of Christ. Only He knows when that light will be switched off in this world.

James is a piece of scripture that we all should take quite seriously. Oh, we try to take care of our bodies and see our doctors. Some medications help extend our lives, so we think. But ultimately God calls us when He wants, and we will go to Him. I remember in 1984 when famous runner and marathoner Jim Fixx died. He was incredibly healthy and dropped dead jogging, not racing, at the age of 52. It made everyone stop and assess the life God gives and takes.

My question is this: what have you done with your life? Are you wasting it? Are you the man or woman in the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12? Are you sitting there saying, "I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods." (Luke 12:18). Are you buying bigger houses so you can store all your stuff? The one who started the old saying, " He who dies with the most is the winner," was a fool.

Let me ask you this in another way. What do you want your life to mean? When it all comes to an end, what do you want to understand about yourself? In our lives, if we do not understand our purpose, we are lost. In Ecclesiastes, the author, believed to be Solomon, wrote, “Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the, swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.”

Why are we here, me writing and you reading? What do you want to happen as a result of our meeting? Is this nexus designed by chance? I do not believe it is. I know why I am here. I am here to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am here in hopes that someone will read a post and God’s grace will open the door to salvation. I am here to plant a seed that others will water, and it will blossom into salvation for a child of God.  Why are you here? Are you seeking Him, or seeking to know Him better?

A mist has a purpose; it provides moisture. You have a purpose; do you want to meet the end and not understand what it was? God knows your purpose; Jeremiah wrote, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (29:11) I do not want to meet the end thinking, “What was I supposed to do, who am I, what does it all mean?" I do not want that for myself, nor do I want that for you.

I want a life that ripples out from me, changing who and what God decides to change in its wake. What do you want your life to mean? Not sure? You must seek Him. I seek Him with every ounce of energy I have. everyday never stopping. I seek to know Him. I seek Him to find myself because he gives my life meaning, and I seek Him that a small dirty pile of rags might be given the grace of God to make a difference. What that difference might be only God knows. Paul wrote, “Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (2 Timothy 1:9). Like John the Baptist our purpose is to pave His way so that His work may be done. We serve an almighty God. It is not our works that make a difference. The difference is made by executing our God-given purpose, our calling, as Paul put it.

You must know God, and commune in prayer, study His word, and worship Him, quieting yourself in the still of the night that in your heart you might hear His word. Do you know Christ as your Savior? If not, urge yourself to seek Him, know Him, and call out to Him in desperation to receive His grace and to be able to change your mind about your sinfulness. Salvation comes through Christ, and a life with purpose and understanding is given to one by Him and Him alone.

Remember, “you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” For one to know God and to have followed His purpose for you is not a wasted life. Do not waste your life. Come to Christ and know the true meaning of life, eternal life through the finished work of the cross.

Grace and Peace.