Live Today!

Some able-bodied people don’t get out much, have many friends or any ministry to others. Frankly, they don’t have much of a life.

The older I get, the more I realize life is to be lived now. We invest in others now. We enjoy life now. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, so whatever we do today matters.

Yes, there are stages—single, married, small children, children in school (homeschooling or taking them), working, middle age, grandparenting, and old age. Sometimes these stages are mixed up—single moms, working moms, and grandparents who care for their grandchildren, etc. Our lives are complicated, and we need to look for ways to impact our world positively.

I’m talking about legacy.

To many, Ecclesiastes is perhaps one of the most puzzling books of the Bible. Its theme, the vanity of life (under the sun), is so front and center that sometimes we miss the rest of its teaching. Let’s read some of the verses:

• I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13).
• A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth (Ecclesiastes 7:1).
• Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10).
• In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment Ecclesiastes 11:6-7, 9).
• Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

What kind of a legacy are we building with our words and actions—the building blocks of our lives? What will we be remembered for after we’re gone?

Are we:

• joyous?
• happy as we work?
• pure?
• faithful and joyful in our marriage?
• diligent workers?
• planting “seeds” towards future harvests?
• enjoying the sunshine?
• conscious that God is watching?
• respecting God?
• obeying the Lord’s commandments?
• mindful that our works will be judged?

Let’s not become so bogged down with the vanity of life—the drudgery of repeated tasks and routines—that we forget to enjoy the sunshine. Let’s leave a legacy of joyful obedience to the will of God. Let’s be conscious that the Lord is watching and that we’ll give account. But, that knowledge should be joyful, too, as He is the one who actually gives us the ability to do His will. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

Enjoy your life today!

Live it with eternity in mind.

Leave a legacy of godliness and truth.