The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
New International Version (NIV)
In Gary Larson's The Far Side comics, he drew a picture of two cowboys critiquing a buffalo. "That is the orneriest, ugliest critter on God's earth." One buffalo hears and says, "I think I just heard a discouraging word." I know what you are thinking! "Pastor, this is a Monday. I need an encouraging word."
Right in the middle of Psalm 103, the Psalmist points out that God has compassion on us because he knows our lives are temporary and fleeting. The grass in my front yard left me, all at once last year. There was a fungus among us which started making circles of death in my yard. Even the flowers I planted in the flower containers on my back fence have all died. It is time to replant. They were temporary. We need only look in the mirror to realize this is true of us too.
In a British literature course as a Sophomore in college I read Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem about the great king of kings Ozymandias. Someone built a statue to stand the test of time and speak of the greatness of this great man. But the wind and rain and wars caused the statue to crumble and break. Ozymandias was once great, but no more. The word mortal means that we, too, are susceptible to die someday. Would we want to live with our current aches and pains and frailty forever? No. Our bodies are mortal, but by God's grace as we trust in Christ we are immortal. Some things last forever. God's love, for example!
Pray with me:
Father, show us our finitude today. We know instinctively that the successes and failures of our lives here do not stand forever. So today help us to set our hearts on things above. Help us to invest in the things which stand the test of time. Today help us to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness trusting that you will give us everything we need for our life today and for forever. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
I want to invite you to join me in memorizing 52 passages this year from the 2017 set of Fighter Verses. You can find the Fighter Verses App at the App Store on your phones or via this link http://fighterverses.com/the-verses/fighter-verses/. As we study the Bible this year, let's look at each text and learn what it says about God.
Joyfully,
Duane
Copyright 2017. All Rights Reserved.
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