The Brevity of Life

Because the weather changed my plans this weekend, I had a chance to visit a very sick Christian friend in the hospital. It was very sad to see this once robust healthy man thin as a rail,sick as a dog, with tubes and IV going into his body. He has Pancreatic cancer and it does not look good. I stayed a while to encourage him. I then prayed with him and slipped out as he laid back to get some sleep.
As I drove home, I reflected on the brevity of life. The Lord has numbered our days and has determined the times before appointed and the bounds of our habitation. We are only on this earth a short time. There is very little time to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. I am reminded of that saying," only one life will soon be passed, only what is done for Christ will last." My friend Bill seemed healthly a month ago but is now facing cancer and death. Will I be ready when my time comes? I remember going to see Dr. James Montgomery Boice in Lakeland Florida for a Bible conference in October 1999. While I was there, I thought how dynamic,articulate and scholarly he is. He seemed at the pinnacle of his ministry life. It would be only several months later that he was diagnosed with cancer of the liver and died in June of 2000. The Lord has only given us a certain number of days to live on earth. Those of us that are Christians must serve him faithfully with all our hearts so when the time comes for our homecoming we can personally not suffer regrets for wasting the time he gave us. I want to hear his voice say " Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord."