A PUFF OF SMOKE

“For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). One translation reads that it is “like a puff of smoke visible for a little while and then dissolving into thin air.” We could give various other translations, but the meaning is clear. Life here on earth is brief. It passes quickly. The psalmist writes, “The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). Even a life of great length is short and uncertain. Life is indeed a puff of smoke that is seen for a little while and then disappears.

As we consider the world in which God has placed us, it is obvious that He intended for us to be joyful. Certainly there are distresses, but these are the exception. Life is to be enjoyed. This is God’s design. His servants are to be the most joyful people in the world. It is also certain that the Lord has a purpose for mankind. We do not exist merely for the sake of existence. Ecclesiastes 12:13 states, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.” Life does have a purpose and that purpose is set forth in God’s Word. Man was made to be a glory to his Maker. We succeed or fail in life depending on our fulfillment of that purpose.

As we remember that life is brief, that it is a puff of smoke that is only seen for a little while, we should also recognize that it is a time of preparation. While we do enjoy life and use it to glorify God, this earthly life is not an end in itself. We must use the time we have on this earth to get ready for something better. Someone has correctly stated, “Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.” When we are looking forward to a trip, when we anticipate enjoying that trip (not so much the trip as the destination), we make preparation. Why would our trip into eternity be any different? If heaven is something we anticipate with joy, we will make preparation to go. It is certain that heaven would not be suit­able for those who make no preparation for it. The truth is that the doors of heaven will be closed to those who will not use their time here in getting ready to go there.

In Luke 12, Jesus tells of a man whose life was obviously a failure. He said: Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.17 “And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’18 “So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.19 ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’20 “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” By worldly standards this man was very successful. He had more than enough material goods. But he made a failure of his life. He forgot that it was just a puff of smoke that would soon vanish. God said He was a fool.

When your brief journey is over; when your soul is required; what will God have to say of you? Will you be called a fool or a wise one? Do not measure your success by the world’s standards. Aim for a life that joyfully fulfills its God-given purpose by preparing for the life that follows.
--Lamar