“Could we live even beyond the Age of the first race of men, which reaches to near a thousand years; yet even then we should be wretched, since still it must pass away; and how short does it appear when it is gone? But above all, how insignificantly short in the sight of God!”
--Walter Shirley (1725-1786) English clergyman and hymn-writer
Psalm 90:12 (NIV) Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
I have not had the pleasure of meeting many people who enjoy perusing Genesis Chapter 5. In fact, it is quite possibly one of the leading causes of modern day Christians to avoid reading the King James Version of the Bible. (Ex: he lived # of years, he begat, then lived # years, etc.) Genesis Chapter 5 is the genealogical line from Adam to Noah. However it also reveals the age range of the first race of men. A condensed summary looks like this: Adam 930, Seth 912, Enosh 905, Kenan 910, Mahalalel 895, Jared 962, Enoch 365 (cf. Genesis 5:24), Methuselah 969, Lamech 777, and Noah 950. And hence the reference to “near a thousand years” in the Walter Shirley quote noted above. Yet even this, as Shirley states, is “insignificantly short in the sight of God!”
God is the Creator of time as humans know and understand time. God created the system of stars and planets both rotating and revolving that would generate the time increments of hours, days, months, years—those time measurements so valued in human minds. Yet the LORD God Almighty is not confined to operate within the limits of human time measurements. God is eternal—he always was, he is, and he always will be—past, present, and future all together as one eternity.
At this point, several thoughts occur to me. The act of numbering our days—recognizing that time for us is short—opens our hearts to wisdom found in God’s Word. Here are just a few thoughts for you to ponder as you have time (pun intended).
· God does not operate on the time measurements and calendars of man but on his own timing (cf. Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8).
· Time as it relates to man is fleeting and temporary, but time as it relates to God is infinite. Therefore we begin to understand how things we see (e.g., plants, animals, family, friends, earthly possessions) are temporary, but things we cannot see are eternal (e.g., God the Father, God the Son-Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit, faith in God, God’s amazing grace, abundant love, unexplainable peace, blessed hope) (cf. II Corinthians 4:15-18; Colossians 3:1-2).
· Understanding the shortness of our lifespan does not allow time for dwelling in the past (cf. Ecclesiastes 6:10, 14; Philippians 3:13-14).
· Understanding the shortness of our lifespan provides motivation to use every minute wisely (cf. Colossians 3:23-24; Colossians 4:5; Ephesians 5:15-17; James 1:22; James 4:17).
Gracious Heavenly Father,
We get so wrapped up in our own lives that we often fail to see the values found in your eternal plan. Forgive our haste. Teach us that in your plan, every moment you have provided us is to be used wisely for your honor and glory.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.
The devotional Measurements of Time appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com
email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
Shirley, Walter. Twelve Sermons Preached Upon Several Occasions. Sermon #3: “On the Great Importance of Time.” HardPress.net, Miami, 2017. (Kindle)
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