Food for Thought
'Food for Thought' is the free monthly, Bible-based meal for individual digestion or group feasting, and is a work of the Holy Spirit.
May 2025 - A PUFF OF SMOKE
"You don't even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and then disappears" (James 4:14 GNB/TEV).
Do you remember the movie, The Sound of Music? We were children when this movie premiered, and we have enjoyed watching it many times over the years. Recently, we looked at a YouTube video showing the cast "Then and Now". Many of the actors and actresses had died. Even the youngest child star was now old. It was a stark reminder that life is short -- shorter for some than others. As someone put it, time slips through our fingers like greasy string; we can't hold onto it, or slow it down; it runs out before we know it.
Jesus told a parable about a rich man whose time ran out. The rich man's land produced such a good crop that he planned to replace his barns with bigger ones. He thought that he would have plenty for his future, but God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" (Luke 12:20 NIV). God gives each of us a certain amount of time on this earth. David wrote, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16b NIV).
So what should we do with the time that God gives us? King Solomon "wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives" (Ecclesiastes 2:3b NIV). Read about all the things he tried in Ecclesiastes 2:4-10. What did he conclude? "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 2:11 NIV). We can fill our lives with meaningless pursuits and pastimes, and forget that God created us for a purpose.
"God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10 GNB/TEV).
"You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ and when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory!" (Colossians 3:1-4 GNB/TEV).
"So be careful how you live. Don't live like ignorant people, but like wise people. Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days. Don't be fools, then, but try to find out what the Lord wants you to do" (Ephesians 5:15-17 GNB/TEV).
When we follow Jesus and fulfill God's purpose for our lives, we will be able to say at the end, "Father...I have shown your glory on earth; I have finished the work you gave me to do" (John 17:4 GNB/TEV). And won't it be wonderful to hear the Lord say: "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:21a NIV).
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"You don't even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and then disappears" (James 4:14 GNB/TEV).
Do you remember the movie, The Sound of Music? We were children when this movie premiered, and we have enjoyed watching it many times over the years. Recently, we looked at a YouTube video showing the cast "Then and Now". Many of the actors and actresses had died. Even the youngest child star was now old. It was a stark reminder that life is short -- shorter for some than others. As someone put it, time slips through our fingers like greasy string; we can't hold onto it, or slow it down; it runs out before we know it.
Jesus told a parable about a rich man whose time ran out. The rich man's land produced such a good crop that he planned to replace his barns with bigger ones. He thought that he would have plenty for his future, but God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" (Luke 12:20 NIV). God gives each of us a certain amount of time on this earth. David wrote, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16b NIV).
So what should we do with the time that God gives us? King Solomon "wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives" (Ecclesiastes 2:3b NIV). Read about all the things he tried in Ecclesiastes 2:4-10. What did he conclude? "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 2:11 NIV). We can fill our lives with meaningless pursuits and pastimes, and forget that God created us for a purpose.
"God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10 GNB/TEV).
"You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ and when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory!" (Colossians 3:1-4 GNB/TEV).
"So be careful how you live. Don't live like ignorant people, but like wise people. Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days. Don't be fools, then, but try to find out what the Lord wants you to do" (Ephesians 5:15-17 GNB/TEV).
When we follow Jesus and fulfill God's purpose for our lives, we will be able to say at the end, "Father...I have shown your glory on earth; I have finished the work you gave me to do" (John 17:4 GNB/TEV). And won't it be wonderful to hear the Lord say: "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:21a NIV).
To Subscribe
Please click the SUBSCRIBE button below, enter your email address in the box provided, and click the SUBSCRIBE button a second time. Thank you.