like a Flower and Withers away

Life is short, it's really short. According to the CDC the average lifespan is 77.7 for anyone living in the US. That sounds like a lot, sure, but the older you get you will see how short life really is. As of today I've lived only about 13519 of my 28391 days, I'm young.. but still life goes by quickly. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 103:15 "As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;". What a great word picture, a field of grass and each day. In Job 14:2 it says "He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure." How true, when we think about our feeble lives, and how frail we will become. Eventually we all die, it's a fact, so what have we done with our lives up to now? What will we do with our lives going forward? How can we live each day with purpose and passion that it's going to be sooner rather than later we will die. If I had one request today, it's that each of my days have more purpose, more vision, and driven to Glorify God with each breath of that day. Will I fail, sure, will I fall into the the dry place, it's all going to happen, but will it happen with ambition and drive to live as if I was the only person left who is responsible for expanding the Kingdom?

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy work be done.

If anything, the last few months have taught me a lot about kingdom focus. When we live in the valley of life, and the grass is green, and the waters are calm, it's really easy to be content with life. When it's comfortable, it's good for us, but is it really good for God's Kingdom? When I'm placing my focus and my inspiration on what's yet to come, I look at this world as being a stale, pale, dead place in comparison to the next kingdom, to God's kingdom. Each day I find myself yearning for Christ's return, each day I'm told to have patience.

What does it mean to let go of this world, to let go of the stuff and place my focus on things yet to come? One major area of focus would be to understand that God has placed four wonderful children under my arms, to protect, to guide to educate, to shepherd into His kingdom. Am I doing this well, poorly, not at all? My focus is usually on the roof, food, and insurance... things that are important, but under God's providential hand, not mine. I work, but am I working to glorify God, or am I working to make money? The dance steps are all the same, its just the motivation of how they are performed.

May I turn my focus away from the 'Shadow Lands' and forward and upward into the kingdom. May this world keep turning pale and dim as I walk forward in the His kingdom. May each day I live as if I'm an Alien in an Alien land, and simply passing through to my real home.

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As a side note to my daily blog, I would like to make a recommendation to one of my favorite books: The Last Battle By C.S. Lewis. It's the last book in the Narnia series, and by far the best book. He describes the "Shadow Lands" and really describes "Kingdom Focus" through this great story.