The Ticking Clock

The year is coming to a close now. In a couple of days we would enter the “ember” months. Usually in these last four months of the year there is increased activity in all kinds of work – both good and evil. It is at this time that pressure mounts up in the hearts of men as they reflect on their achievements or lack thereof. Based on these appraisals, they increase the tempo of their activities to catch up lost grounds. Those who do not have faith may lose hope and fall into depression.

The "ember" months are usually the most depressing times for singles who are waiting for life partners or married couples trusting God for the fruit of the womb. Seeing the curtains of another year draw to a close without your expectations in your hand can be tough on the heart. I have been there, on both counts, so I understand. The common trend is to be in high spirit, full of expectation at the beginning of the year and be downcast towards the end. It is time to break this cyclical trend. Personal evaluations should not only be done when the year’s curtains are drawing close, but daily. At the end of each day, as we retire from the world, we should reflect and review our work and actions. That way, it would be easy to quickly stop any steps we have taken that are unproductive.

Time passes by so quickly. We are here today and gone the next day. We say, ‘Happy New Year’ today and with the blinking of an eye, we are at the ‘Cross Over Service’ waiting for yet another year. So we must be careful how we spend our days. We must take stock of them and track our use of them because once they are gone we cannot call them back. One of my favorite portions of scripture is Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to realize the brevity of life that we may grow in wisdom” (NLT) Life is short. No matter how long we live, life is short compared to the promise of eternity. Here we are today at different levels of growth and success. How would you evaluate your life? Would you say that you have lived for God or lived for yourself? Take a momentary look at all your achievements. Are they rich towards God’s kingdom or earthly? Sometimes, we think we are doing well, that we are successful, but in the eyes of God we may not be. In the bible, the story is told of a certain rich man whose agricultural business prospered. After taking stock of all his achievements and prosperity, he decided to consolidate his holdings by expanding his storage houses to accommodate his bountiful harvest. Sadly, the same night he decided to expand his holdings, death visited him. He did not live to realize his dreams of expansion. At a glance, this man had all the trappings of success, but he was not a wise man. He kept working and planning, but never considered the brevity of life. He took stock of possessions, but did not take stock of his own life. He was not a blessing to man and neither was he a blessing to God.

I believe this man and so many like him today are not rich towards God because they never consider rapture or the day of their death. The subject of death is taboo in some cultures, something not to be mentioned or talked about. It is the reason many Africans die without preparing wills that would have guided the administration of their estates. However, when we come to understand that death is an inevitable reality of life we will learn to count our days and live ready for God. Our lives belong to God. We are created to worship Him and be used by Him to reach perishing souls. We are not on earth to serve ourselves but to serve Him. It is time we take our attention off what we have achieved or not achieved and focus on what He wants done.

The clock is ticking. The time is short. The days are fast spent and the Lord Jesus is coming soon. How many lives have we saved in His name? How many have we encouraged to keep the fire of our faith burning? This should be our daily pre-occupation. This should be at the center of our self appraisals in this season and beyond. Peace!