What would you do if you knew you only had a few days, weeks, or months to live?  I have to admit, I’ve never really given much thought to this question until my husband Joe was diagnosed with a terminal illness in 2014.  As the years since his diagnosis has passed, and the disease has gained the upper hand, I find this verse in Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” a challenge I WANT to ponder and Live Up To!  I don’t know about you, but I Want To FINISH this Life Race Well!  And, how we number our days will make all the difference!

None of us is guaranteed tomorrow, and we all know that we are going to die, but rarely do we think about or believe TODAY could be our last.  Our days are like money in the bank.  If we think there is no end to it, or don’t value even small quantities of it, we will not be not wise in the way we spend or invest it!  I firmly Believe than in order to deem something Valuable, we have to understand the Importance of it!

Ephesians 2:10 tells us “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”  When I stop to think that the God of the Universe thinks I am a Masterpiece (Not a Mistake, Not a Screw Up, Not Lacking in anything – Time, Education, Personality, Opportunity, etc.), and that HE created me specifically with a Plan to DO GOOD things – – I can no longer think that what I DO with my life each day is not Important!! Every Word I speak, Every Note I write, Every Call I make, Every Step I take, Every Job I do IS A PART OF HIS PLAN TO BRING HIM GLORY!!  This is so contrary to the world’s view of just doing what “feels right” for my future plans or my comfort! That one change of thought, changes EVERYTHING!!  How would you Live IF you KNEW the God of the Universe has a Plan, and YOU are a Vital part of His plan?

We’ve all been stunned at someone that was Strong, Vibrant, Healthy one minute, and then suddenly dead the next!  Life is Fragile!   We are Not Promised Tomorrow!!  The Bible is clear that our life here on Earth is brief in the light of Eternity!  Psalm 144:4 “Man is like a breath, his days are like a passing shadow”. Why is it that many times, it takes a brush with death before we realize how fragile life really is, and that it’s Important that we  Live on Purpose?!

HOW DO WE LIVE ON PURPOSE?  Jesus is very clear . . . Mark 12:30-31 ” Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^{[b] 31} The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[c] There is no commandment greater than these.”  I read once that you are who you are, and where you are in life because of the books that you read, and the people that you associate with.  When we read God’s Word so that we can understand His Principles, and apply them to our life, and we tune into His Holy Spirit’s Direction to Love on the People HE puts in our path each day . . . .THEN WE WILL GAIN A HEART OF WISDOM AND OUR DAYS WILL BE NUMBERED WELL (Productive, Fruitful, fulfilling His Purpose for us) NO MATTER HOW LONG WE HAVE ON THIS EARTH!!

Father, help me to understand, and apply your Principles and Promises to my life!  Help me to quiet the “noise” of this world around me so that I can Hear your Holy Spirit’s Direction, and Obey it no matter the cost.  Help me to See the People around me that need Your Love displayed by MY Actions, even when it gets Hard!  Help me to Surrender MY Plans, and to submit them to Yours even when I don’t understand them.  I trust You, Father, to KNOW what you created me for, and to give me the wisdom to live each day as if it were my Last!