We often hear people say that we are living on borrowed time. This is so true, since God is the lender of our time. Therefore, let us make good use of it. The apostle Paul encouraged believers to maximize their time when he said, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15–16). Indeed, the Lord can demand our lives at any time because our time is in His hands. Even King David acknowledged this, saying, “My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me” (Psalm 31:15).
Knowing that we live on borrowed time, we should set our priorities straight. We can either spend our time in pleasure or spend it with the Lord. Some say that since we only live once, we might as well just enjoy our lives the way we want—in pleasure. However, this might not be the best choice. Moses had a different take on life: “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Heb. 11:24–25). Moses recognized the brevity of human life and realized it should not be wasted on worldly pleasure. Instead, it should be spent preparing for eternity. Even the apostle Paul struggled with the issue of whether to let his sinful nature prevail. In the end, he said, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24). Below are the tragedies of life as we know it.
Temporariness. Life is indeed fleeting. We are here today and gone tomorrow. The apostle James said it rightly, “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:13-14). Even King David acknowledged this saying, “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath” (Psalm 39:4-5).
Illusiveness: While we have been given time to live here on earth, life is complex and full of surprises. King Solomon even called it a “chasing after the wind.” He wrote, “For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days they pass through like a shadow? Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?” (Eccl. 6:12). Though the Lord may bless us with a longer life than others, it is often still devoid of full enjoyment. Life indeed is illusive. Moses observed, “The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10).
Mundaneness: Life can be boring, monotonous, and repetitive. It can get to the point where there is no longer any challenge, nor does it create further enthusiasm. This is the reason why many engage in all kinds of worldly activities to break the monotony. In the meantime, they sin against the Lord as they drift further away from Him. King Solomon wrote, “All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:8–9). He further stated, “There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. ‘For whom am I toiling,’ he asked, ‘and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?’ This too is meaningless—a miserable business!” (Eccl. 4:8).
Emptiness. Life can be empty and meaningless. King Solomon said, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?” (Eccl. 1:2–3). This is true for those who do not have Jesus in their hearts. Only Jesus can give true meaning and purpose to life. While we are completely lost in this world without Him, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). It is only in Christ Jesus that we can find true joy and satisfaction, even in this short life. No matter how much we try to achieve here on earth, it will always fall short of our expectations. King Solomon rightly observed, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. 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” (Eccl. 2:10–11). Amen.
