Is Our Life Really Ours?

by Sarah
from Virtuous Daughters, October 2014~Volume 14, Number 7

“Stop!! There's a car coming!” I cried out impulsively, as we started to accelerate after a stop sign at a highway intersection. A car, fast approaching at highway speeds, was less than 120 feet away and headed straight toward our vehicle. In that millisecond, I knew there was scarcely time for our vehicle to stop before we were completely in the lane of the incoming car, and a t-bone collision was inevitable.
  
As I sensed the oncoming wreck, I knew—without a shadow of a doubt—this would be it. We have had close calls in our travels before, from which God had always so mercifully delivered us—but this time, I felt so keenly it was too close to be a “close call”—it would be “the call” for me to go Home.

All I had time to do was instinctively tense up for the deathly blow. No time for thought or prayer; just a rigid tenseness as I waited for the shattering noise. This was my last breath, right?
  
But wait. Another half of a second went by. Our vehicle had come to an abrupt stop, just in time for the oncoming car to swerve enough to miss the front of our vehicle. I watched it pass, oh, so close—and marveled that it had not hit us!
  
Was this a dream? Was I really still breathing? I heard my strange voice hoarsely whisper, “That was so close.” A painfully hot tingling sensation went up and down my arms and fingers as I tried to relax—my whole body had somehow braced itself for the impact which, in God’s miraculous providence, had not come. I never felt so deeply aware of the fact that I was alive only because of the Lord’s protecting hand of mercy. My soul could hardly contain the thanksgiving I felt to Him, and tears of gratitude overflowed as I told the Lord--Jesus, I am Yours alone—You have redeemed my soul, given me life and breath, and with whatever days I have left, I will serve You.


​Time—a gift each of us has been given by the Lord. How are we, as Christians, to use it as faithful stewards of the life, breath, body, talents, and resources God has given us? Does it really matter how we use our spare moments, how we live our lives, how we fill our minds? Of course it does—because in every sense, this life is not about us. It is about one thing—God. Did we create ourselves, so that we would have the “right” to live as we please? “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (I Corinthians 6:19) God created us, and He sustains us at this very moment. And with this gift of life, we are to fulfill a very important purpose—to serve and glorify Christ as Lord and King (Micah 6:8, Colossians 1:16-22, Revelation 5:12).
  
Therefore, our living is to be very real—living and breathing—sacrifice to our Lord. The apostle Paul beseeches—earnestly, urgently, implores, begs, entreats—us to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). Every single breath is a direct gift from our Creator, and today is the appointed day to offer our bodies and lives as a living sacrifice to Him. It is good to be reminded from time to time, that our Christianity is to be lived out in a real and practical way every single day. We tend to get so caught up in our normal daily routines of life; we need to be reminded why we are here, and what we are supposed to be doing. We need to be reminded that the petty things we get worried about and the silly things we often fill our time with—are not what life is all about. It is about being a living sacrifice for the One Who sacrificed His life for us. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (I Peter 2:24).
  
Let’s read that familiar verse from the book of James, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). Oh, that our Lord would help us to really understand that life is a fleeting blink of the eye. The end could take us completely by surprise—without a second’s notice.
  
As we ponder the importance of using our time on earth wisely, I would like to share just a few thoughts the Lord has been impressing on my heart.
 
~Live as if each day was your last; live poured out for the Lord, with no regrets. How are your “earthly records”? If the Lord called you Home right now, what would you leave behind? Are you working now to store treasures in Heaven, and sowing seeds that will reap eternal fruit even long after you have been called Home? In our youth, we generally think we have decades left to live—and hence plenty of time to do some really great and important things for God—when the right time comes. But what about today? We are not promised tomorrow.
 
~Treat your family as if they are the last family you ever have the privilege of serving. We girls  dream of raising our own families one day, and I daresay that sometimes we think, “Oh, I'll treat my own husband better than I treat my brothers.” But what if you never “get” another family? Would you treat your family members more lovingly and carefully today? “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus...[Who] made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8). I would encourage you to have the mindset of treating your siblings as if they were the last people on earth that you would ever minister to (Matthew 25:45).
 
~Invest in things today that will bring forth bountiful spiritual and eternal fruit. Serve, invest, pour out yourself into the lives of others; make an impact for the Kingdom of God by serving right where God has placed you. Eliminate the time wastes in your life and replace them with serving the Lord in some manner. Our time is not a tool to use for our own pleasure. We don’t get “free time” from the Lord (read Colossians 1:17). Once again, think of this very breath as straight from your Creator—how should you use it for Him.
 
~Seek the Lord with all of your heart—today. Do you really know Him, truly and deeply—do you treasure and cherish Him? He sings over you with love—do you sing to Him in love constantly? “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zeph. 3:17). He delights in you as His child. Do you delight in Him? The depth of your love and commitment to Christ may reflect your knowledge of Him. Does your love wane? Then seek to know Him better! Sisters, we don’t really realize just what a special time we have in life right now, to seek the things of the Lord without distraction (1 Corinthians 7:34). Yes, there are distractions in our lives—but if we think about them, aren’t they silly and petty compared to the gold mine of wealth we need to be pondering and searching out in the Scriptures? One day, if we have our own families to care for, we simply will not be able to spend an undivided hour with the Lord, like we can now, as unmarried daughters. Will we look back and wish we would have done so more often? Or will we choose today to daily build a solid relationship with the Lord, establish a foundation in theology, and a strong prayer life—that will bear forth powerful fruit as wives and mothers? I know it can be easy for me to get in the normal flow of busy daily life, and forget that I need to be choosing to put my mental energy into my relationship with my Beloved. I have been purposing to do more study of particular portions of Scripture, and read some excellent Puritan works on Gospel doctrines, along with my usual Bible reading/devotion routine. What wonderful “food for thought” as I go about my day! “My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD” (Psalm 104:34).
 
Dear reader, the greatest question to ponder in this topic of time and eternity is—Am I ready to meet my Creator right now? If you have not been covered with the blood of Christ, you are not ready to meet Him on your own merits. Run to Christ for mercy and pardon to cleanse you of your transgressions against Him. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The Lord is the only purpose in living, and He is giving you breath right now as yet another chance to come to Him for salvation. Call upon His name, and you shall be saved (Romans 10:13).
           
I am so thankful that the Lord Jesus has given us a gift that we can offer back to Him—our lives and our service. May He teach us to be good and faithful stewards of these moments, hours, days, and years that we have on earth (1 Cor. 4:2)—that He would be glorified in our every breath. Because that is really what our life is about.