"Life Is A Vapor"

“You do not know what will happen tomorrow.For what is your life? It is a vapor that appears for a little time,and then vanishes away.”

-James 4:-14 (NKJV)



“Life is short.” Boy we hear those three words a lot these days don’t we? We hear them in songs, we hear them in commercials, and we hear them in movies. We hear them everywhere. And while the phrase sounds cliché, it’s true. Life is short. My son Matthew and I were in the van the other day, and for some unknown reason, had tuned in the radio to a country western station. There was a song playing that made both of us stop and think. I couldn’t tell you the name of the song or who was singing it, but one thing I do remember is something the artist was repeating over and over. It went something like this:

“I was six years old and one day I took a nap. When I woke up I was thirty-six and it happened… just like that!”

Matthew piped up right away asking the obvious question: “Dad? Why did that guy say he was six years old when he took a nap and when he woke up, he was thirty-six? How’s that possible?”(“Pretty smart for a seven year-old, I thought to myself”) I then replied that it wasn’t really possible.The guy wasn’t really thirty-six after he woke up. It just seemed like it. I continued:
“For instance Matthew, it seems like just yesterday that you were born and now here you are seven years old and asking questions far beyond your years. Man, life is short!”

The whole point of this story is that…life is short. We do not know what will happen tomorrow. We do not know when our lives on this earth will come to an end. I am not trying to sound morbid or depressing or make you fearful in any way. I just want you to stop and think about that for a moment. So many times we find ourselves wishing that we could turn back the clock; that we could say all the things we didn’t say until it was too late. Let’s not live like that. Let’s not wait until tomorrow to tell those special people in our lives that we love them and appreciate them. Let’s lend that helping hand, offer that listening ear, and give that word of encouragement while there’s still time to do so. If we’ll do that, when our life here on earth is over and our mortal bodies may “vanish away” like “a vapor”, our spirits, and the fond memories others have of us never will.

Parents In A Box

"Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." Romans 8:23 (NIV)

I love to receive gifts and who doesn't? And I especially like to receive gifts in a box. Gift bags are okay, but boxes come in all shapes and sizes so they hold so many more possibilities of what could be inside. Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, is the founder of "Samaritan's Purse", a missionary relief organization that supplies aid and gifts to third world countries. One gift giving program his organization is famous for is the "Shoe Box Gifts". Shoe boxes are filled with items like soap, shampoo, flashlights, deodorant, toys, etc. and then sent to other countries all over the world. He likes to tell this story of a little boy in South Africa who received a very special gift in one of these shoe boxes:

"One day we were at a village passing out these shoe boxes to elementary age kids and everyone of them seemed to be thrilled with the gift... except for one little boy. When it came time for him to receive his gift he just sat there, his arms crossed with a sad look on his face. "I don't want a box", he said. The missionaries trying to give it to him both looked at each other and then asked him why he didn't. He replied, "I want my parents and I know that my parents aren't in that box." His parents had both died of Aids several months before. They said to him, "well someone has put some things in here just for you and really wants you to have them. Can we at least look inside it and see what they gave you?" The boy nodded and the missionaries opened the box for him. Inside the box were the usual items: shampoo, a tooth brush, soap, a small toy and so on. At the bottom was a photo of a young couple and a letter. The letter said that the couple couldn't have children and so they were kind of adopting him by sending this gift to him. Enclosed in the letter was an address so that he could write to them. He did and they wrote back. The correspondance went on for about 8 months. The one day the couple actually showed up at this little boy's village. When they left, the boy left with them. The couple had adopted him... legally! The parents, his parents... were in the box!"

New Year, New Website, New Devotions!!

Happy New Year Everyone! Along with a new year comes my brand new website, this site, that I will be posting devotions on, hopefully on a pretty regular basis. I have always enjoyed writing so I consider it an honor that the Lord uses me in this way to plant devotions in my heart to uplift, encourage, and teach others. I must give ALL the credit to the Lord though, HE is the one who lays these devotions on my heart and gives me the words to speak, for if it were not for Him, these devotions would definitely NOT make sense! (especially since I have ADHD and my brain has a tendancy to be all over the place anyways!)! I hope you enjoy reading these devotions as much as I enjoy writing them. Be sure to come back by often to see any new changes to my website and to read my latest devotions. God Bless You In This New Year!