Before You Know It!

 

A couple of weeks ago, I went over to a friend’s church across town. I wanted to meet with him at his church, because I had never seen it before. While I was there, they had a company cutting down some huge trees, clearing the land and preparing for growth in their future.

It was truly a sight! I had never been that close to a tree and “Axe Man” as I was that day. The noise––deafening; the saw dust–exponential; the thuds of the branches hitting the ground–impactful; and the emotion–exhilarating! I thought to myself, “Outside of having to cut down perfectly good trees, I think this would be a fun job!” I was just watching, and I wanted to jump right in and help!

In one of the breaks of the chain saw I asked my pastor friend, “How old are these trees?” He responded, “About 65 years old.” I was absolutely amazed at how big this trees had become in just 65 years. 65 years…I was kidding myself. I am 42 and have no idea what 65 years feels like. But I know you can accomplish a lot!

In 65 years you can be born, go through school to graduate high school and college, get a job, change careers, and about 7 more jobs. You can get married and have a couple of kids. They get married and have your grandkids, and your grandkids can get through college and start a career. You own 2 dozen cars, a boat or two––maybe a motorcycle, then a mid-life crisis ‘sports car.’ Then you trade them in for an RV to start those last years traveling and spending the inheritance that you diligently saved up for your kids and grandkids. LOL!

Then the thought hit me like a chain saw to a tree trunk.

“What took God’s natural process 65 years to grow and develop, man’s action took less than hour to bring to the ground in pieces! One hour! From 0 to 65 to nothing in less than hour! That is crazy!

Pay attention here to the story of the tree and the chain saw. It is just like our lives. We can work so hard to build a great life, and then mess it up with one action that will take less than a fraction of the time it took to build. It is all meaningless in comparison to knowing Jesus!

Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 (NLT) ⁹ Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. ¹⁰ So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.

Remember that our lives are fragile and insecure outside of the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

James 4:14 & 15 ,“¹⁴ Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”

Don’t work so hard at building a life, but work hard at keeping your life Christ-honoring and smack dab in the middle of His will! Because ‘Before You Know It,’ it could be gone!