Life Is A Great Gift
(by: Pastor James Scarborough, Donalsonville Assembly of God)

"Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life" (Psalm 39:4, NIV). Wow! What a powerful request made to the Lord by David!! I wonder how our lives would change if God really told us when the end of our lives would come. For some, it would be much sooner than we would ever expect; for others, death might seem so far away that there would be no need to be concerned about it right now. Regardless of whether our remaining days on earth are many or few, should it really affect how we use them? I am convinced that we should live every day, indeed every moment, as though it was the very last--not in fear and dread, but in gratitude unto God that is expressed in words and deeds.

As the psalmist continued to express his struggle before God, he came to grips with more truth about life: "You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath" (verse 5).

I believe I can understand the uncertainty of health and life today better than at any other time in my life. It has been two years since I was diagnosed with cancer. Like many people, I was totally taken by surprise. I was otherwise a healthy 46- year-old, so having my life interrupted and inconvenienced by such a dreaded disease was nowhere on my list of plans. Let me quickly say that I am thankful to God that after surgery to remove the tumor, I have continued to enjoy strength and health with no recurrence of the disease. But I must also say that it was an event that served to make me more aware of the preciousness of life and has given me a greater degree of thankfulness for each day.

In a recent writing, H.B. London Jr submitted the following three simple--yet completely accurate truths about each day: every day is a gift, every day passes quickly, and every day is an opportunity.

Surely we are all aware that every day passes quickly, but we probably give less thought to London's two other points. It might be that our concern about the swift nature of each day comes out of selfishness-- we often bemoan the inadequate time that we have because we want more time to bestow upon self and our material desires. If, with God's help, we would come to see each day as a gift from God and as an opportunity to serve Him, time would still pass quickly, but we would achieve more in the eternal realm and be less consumed by temporary things.

Life is precious, and each day should be given to God through service and devotion. Neither you nor I know how many days we have left in life, but all of them can be worthwhile if we will use them as God intended us to. As David said in Psalm 39:5, "Each man's life is but a breath." That breath is a gift from God to be used for Him. Yes, life is a great gift!