A FAITHFUL SOWER

“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

~ James 4:14

James, the half-brother of Jesus, tells us that we are but a mist that appears for a little while, and then we vanish. No one knows the day or hour when their time on this earth will end, and the more significant majority do not even know how their death will occur. More often than not, we go about our days never contemplating the frailty of life, and it seems the younger we are, the more we see ourselves as invincible. The truth is, our time on this earth can end in the blink of an eye. It can come without warning at any time or age.

So, you may be wondering why this is the subject of today’s devotion. A few years back, on Memorial Day weekend, I witnessed a fatal motorcycle accident. The accident also involved a pickup truck in which the man driving the motorcycle lost his life. I doubt he woke up that morning thinking to himself, “This will be the day I die.” No, I am sure he had plans for the holiday weekend, plans with family and friends to celebrate the end of summer and welcome the days of fall.

As I continued to reflect and ponder on the accident, it reminded me of people who responded to hearing the gospel by saying, “I have time, or I’ll think about it.” Yet, none of them know what might occur tomorrow or within the next hour or minute. It could be a heart attack, a stroke, or an accident that ushers someone from this life into the next. In this life, God gives people hundreds of opportunities to enter into a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. However, after our physical death, there are no second chances. Our choice of whether to accept or reject Jesus in this life seals our destination in the afterlife.

Therefore, as faithful followers of the risen Lord, Jesus Christ, we must be encouraged and motivated daily to continue seeking out the lost and sharing the gospel. Let us pray to our heavenly Father and ask Him to place us in the path of someone who needs to hear His message of hope, His message of spiritual salvation. We need to remember that we may be the only Bible that someone will ever read, the only minister they will ever meet, and perhaps their last opportunity to hear the gospel and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord.

That mindset aligns with the words of Timothy, who tells us to “preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2)

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^{Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.}

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