Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”—Eccl. 12:1

Moses was right. Life is so fleeting that we need divine wisdom to navigate through  it for full impact and God’s glory (Ps. 90:12). It’s the wise mind that takes advantage of the opportunities the times and seasons present in life. Since life is a relational adventure, it has power in community living. The relationships we build create a powerful synergy that strengthens our capacities and enables us to realize our full potentials as God intended them in Christ Jesus. Without Him, life has no meaning. It gets so empty and disappointing at the peak of every successful campaign. Unfortunately, many forget that time waits for no one. Aging and death are the inevitable constants we all must confront.

 When we grow out of childhood, we feel a sense of liberty – a desire to explore our dreams and possibilities. Teenage fantasies and feelings of invincibility capture our imagination. We dream big in college and step into young adulthood with confidence. We a job, get married, get out of the family house, and take on the world.

Adulthood opens to us with its hard work of maintaining a family and saving for the future. We realize then that life is not as easy as we fantasized. But, we have accomplished much, made money, acquired wealth, and tasted power. We can command anything at whim, so who needs Christ?

But then comes the golden years when life begins to ebb away, and the body begins to wobble and feel less competent. Aches and pain begin to consume us, and the doctor’s office becomes our most treasured space. Regrets of past mistakes and unattained goals assail our minds relentlessly. We realize our inability to change the past, despite our accomplishments. Rather, death becomes a reality and the obituary page of the local newspaper replaces the business page for us, and we begin to count the numbers of our dead compatriots at their funerals. That’s when the chilly feeling dawns on us that we may be next.

What happened to us? Where did our strength go? How come we can’t do the things we did before? Why so helpless that others must attend to our needs? Did you catch their whispers of insults and cursing under their breath as they care for us? How could our own children be so selfish and cruel? If ever it were possible for us to take our wealth with us in death, we would have done so rather than leave it to them. But that’s another regrettable reality to confront us. “We brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:7).

So, why didn’t we take time to make friends? Why didn’t we love more, fellowship more, smile more, help others more, give away more, and care more? Why didn’t we seek God more, spend more time with Him, meditate more on His word, obey Him more, set our hearts and minds more on eternal things, spend more time in His service, give more to His work, and work more to keep the body of Christ together in peace? Why were we so selfish and so self-centered?

The good thing is, it’s not too late for you, my friend. Because you’re reading this message, you have time to make it right with God today (Jn. 1:13-14; Rm. 10:9-10, 13). It’s possible to “gain Christ and be found in Him,” if you’ll forsake everything for Him (Phil. 3:8). It’s possible to live your life to the full in Christ, before you say, “I find no pleasure in them” (Jn. 10:19; Eccl. 12:1).

Shalom.