Life Is But A Vapor
We do not know what tomorrow will bring. We don’t even know if we will live to see tomorrow. Therefore, live for Christ as if this is your last day.
James 4:14
Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away.
We often think more of ourselves than we should. Sometimes, we act as if we will live forever, but we won’t.
THE FLEETING NATURE OF LIFE
For most of us, even our names will vanish after a little while. Only a few names are remembered for centuries and millennia to come. And as George Whitefield said, “Never mind me, let my name die everywhere, let even my friends forget me, if by that means the cause of the blessed Jesus may be promoted... [May someone determine] to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.1”
THE UNCERTAINTY OF TOMORROW
Life is uncertain. We can die at any moment. God can call us to account at a moment’s notice (Luke 12:20). Are we prepared to be judged by Him if He calls us this very day?
It is an absolute blessing not to know what will happen tomorrow. Not knowing what tomorrow will bring keeps us humble and focused on today. Jesus tells us to “not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
As Matthew Henry wrote, “We are cautioned against a presumptuous confidence of the continuance of our lives, and against forming projects thereupon with assurance of success (Matthew 6:34).2”
DEVOTION TO GOD IN THIS LIFE
The only thing we do here that truly matters in this life is our devotion to God.
Are we following Christ? Are we obedient to Christ? Are we getting ready to spend eternity in His kingdom? How are we spending the short time we are given on this earth?
Having a life that is but a vapor helps us focus on eternity rather than merely focusing on this life.
CONCLUSION
What you do here on this earth will echo through eternity. Your faith in Christ, or lack thereof, will determine your eternity. May this short time in this life be spent in preparation for the life to come, which we will spend in His kingdom or hell.
This life may be a vapor, but the life to come won’t be. The life to come will last forever. Focus on today, and live your life for God today, so you won’t have to worry about what will happen tomorrow.
George Whitefield, The Works of the Reverend George Whitefield, Vol. II, (Edward and Charles Dilly, 1771), pp. 150-151
Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Volume VI-III, (Devoted Publishing, 2018), p. 136