Half Way to Jesus

My birthday was this week. I turned 36. In my mind, it's a significant birthday. It's not 40, I know, but it's significant.

Psalm 90:10 says "The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away."

I'm pretty good with math. If my calculations are correct, that means I'm at least half way to Jesus! That might seem silly to you as you read this, but to me it's both exciting and sobering.

Exciting? Self explanatory, I hope. Like I said, I'm at least half way to Jesus! What could be better?

Sobering? Yes. In a good way. A couple verses later in Psalm 90:12 it says, "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." A heart of wisdom. When I realize that my life is fleeting (the first half was definitely a vapor) it helps me to stay focused on what's really important.

So how do I want to spend the rest of my vapor? Here are some of the resolutions I'm re-committing to for the remainder of my life.

- To read through the entire Bible at least twice a year.
- To know God’s Word so well as to know nothing else but to live and breathe it in all that I do.
- To devote myself to the disciplines of reading, meditating, and the memorization of the Scriptures more than the watching of television.
- To live a life devoted to God filled with joy, that I might proclaim with Paul, “To live is Christ! To die is gain!” I want God to be glorified not only in my hope in living but in my hope in dying.
- To endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can.
- To live a disciplined life in which my children rise to find me reading, praying, working, living and loving… not sleeping.
- To never have to apologize to my children for cheating on their mom… physically, emotionally or visually.
- To preach the Word! Never to compromise what God teaches so that I will be better liked.

This is not my whole list, but one that I hope encourages you to consider the same. As I contemplate it, I am reminded and thankful that it is not I but Christ living in me!

By the way, here's what I noticed about the picture of the hourglass. It only makes me nervous when I'm not doing what I know I should.

Teach us to number our days, Lord, that we may truly gain a heart of wisdom! I can't wait to see you. The grains of sand in my hourglass will be gone before I know it. May each one fall to the glory of You.