The other day I was trying to encourage someone who had recently lost their spouse and I mentioned to her how we need to put into perspective the brevity of this life. The Bible compares it to a vapor that is here only for a moment, and then it’s gone. Indeed if one compares the brevity of this life with the “forever” of the next life it near exceeds our capacity to comprehend. Soon this person will be reunited with their spouse and this time it will be forever and as Eric Clapton so elegantly sang, “there will be no tears in heaven”.
How we will fare during the infinity of time that will follow this life will be determined by the small window of opportunity that is provided for us to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and follow Him. She has openly professed her faith in her God and His Son Jesus Christ and follows Him daily and therefore she can be assured of spending eternity in heaven with Jesus and her loved ones that have gone on before her. It is a blessed assurance!
There was a time when I didn’t think much of such things, but the Bible tells us to think of it often. Yes, a wise man thinks much of death, while the fool thinks only of having a good time now. Eccl. 7:4
That description fit me very well. I was a fool obsessed with trying to have a good time doing some of the worst things one could imagine. I was headed for hell and would be there right now had I not changed course.
I did not consider that like a vapor, in an instant our brief lives will disappear and then for those who love the Lord and obey His commands a grand celebration and reunion will occur and the joy of it will last forever. And for those who rejected Him in this life and refused to follow Jesus, preferring to lust after the things of the world, the Bible says that they will enter into an eternal abyss of torment called hell where there will be “weeping and gnashing of the teeth” that will last forever.
According to the Bible which is the unerring word of our God who cannot lie, heaven and hell are forever and this brief life is our one and only chance to choose which location that we will spend eternity in.
At one time I was a fool heading straight for hell. I did what I wanted with no regard for the consequences of my actions. I did not fear God or man and could have shot someone right between the eyes and not flinched. I literally shudder sometimes when I think about going to the very brink of spending the rest of eternity alone, isolated and completely separated from God, in a place of non-stop punishment that the Bible describes as perpetual torment in utter darkness.
I cannot begin to accurately describe how glad and grateful that I am that God brought me to my knees before Him, before it was too late.
As I see it, the problem in this world is that too many people do not look at the brevity of this life as being similar to a vapor. The Bible uses the word vapor for a specific reason; God wants us to consider the flicker of life on this earth as compared to eternity in those stark terms.
Nearly every morning I see an eerie looking mist hovering over drop dead gorgeous Honey Lake. The sun peeks over the horizon and the vapors of mist eerily begin to dance their way back and forth across the surface of the water and shine back at me as they try to escape its inescapable heat. By the time I get up and go to the kitchen and pour a cup of coffee and return, the dancing mist is gone, having been utterly burned away by the heat of the rising morning sun.
So too will it be with with us as God’s penetrating light burns away the vapor of our lives and eternity is ushered in. There are those who try to lie, steal, and cheat their way through this life with little regard to consequence. God has a stark message for these people, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ Luke 12:20
There is also an ancient Proverb in the Bible that was written by the wisest man the world will ever know, King Solomon. He simply stated: “Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death.”
Thieves, liars, and other scums will reap what they sow and no one ever gets away with anything, even when they escape detection by the police and society. Make no mistake about it, a higher authority, Jesus Christ, Lord of all Lords, and King of all Kings sees everything we do and weighs our heart and motives and will render a judgment that while entirely fair seems harsh beyond measure when one opens the Holy word of God, the Bible, and examines the eternal torment in store for those who reject Him and His commands.
There is an old gospel song that I love. It is entitled, “I am so glad that I found Jesus” Check out the lyrics very carefully…
I could have found some fulfillment in the things of this world for a while.
I might have found gold at the end of the rainbow, living my life in grand style
Or I could have found myself searching for peace in a bottle or pill
But I’m glad I looked for life’s answers on a cross at the top of a hill.
Chorus
I’m so glad I found Jesus when I think of where I could have been.
He knew the troubles awaiting for me just around the bend.
He’s a friend when I’m lonely.
He’s a provider in need.
I’m so glad I found Jesus.
I’m so glad Jesus found me.
So many souls who are searching, they look everywhere to find
The joy and contentment they long for.
In hopes they’ll find some peace of mind.
But I’ve found a cool well of mercy.
It satisfies my thirsty soul.
There’s more than enough to fill every cup.
And for those in need, it overflows.
Chorus
I’m so glad I found Jesus
I’m so glad Jesus found me.
King Solomon the wisest man the world will ever know summed it up nicely for us and got to the very heart of the matter with the following elegant statement:
Eccl. 12:13
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man.