SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1205

“Days Like Grass”

As for man his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. – Psalm 103:15-16

I drive by the empty lot in the picture frequently. There used to be a house there with a car in the driveway. I watched it gradually go into disrepair over the past decade and then it seems as if it happened overnight, the house and car were gone, and vegetation took over.

I see it often – once thriving homes become abandoned, demolished, and left for nature to reclaim the space until someone else buys it, builds a home, raises a family, and the cycle begins again – always to the same end.

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. – Ecclesiastes 1:2

I wonder about the people who lived there – what their life was like – Did they know Jesus as their Lord and Savior – Did they make a lasting impact in this world or were they here and gone – erased – leaving no lasting impression.

Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow; Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! – Psalm 144:4; Psalm 39:5

The Word of God speaks to us – no, exhorts us to seek first His kingdom and righteousness and to live our lives with impactful purpose to the glory and praise of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…; In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 6:33; Matthew 5:16

We are all like grass. We will all be erased. However, a life lived in God’s purpose and plan for us will be an impactful life, even if it impacts only one other person in this world. God’s Word does not fail to accomplish its purpose.

All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever; so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. – 1 Peter 1:24-25; Isaiah 55:11

Because our lives are like a passing shadow, and the fact that all the trappings of this world and the world itself will all burn in that Great Day of the Lord, The Word of God challenges us to consider what sort of lives we should be living now.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! – 2 Peter 3:10-12

Examine your life walk. Are you living a ‘God-Purpose Driven Life’ or are you living in and for the temporal things of this world? Is your life a mere vain existence waiting to be erased?

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil; Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. – Ephesians 5:15-16; Psalm 119:37

May your time in this life on earth leave an impression and impact for the Kingdom of God.

May the Holy Spirit speak clearly to your heart how to live and walk in the purpose and plan that God has ordained for you even before you were born.

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12