Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

On May 3, 1960 I was born in Columbus, Georgia.  In the intervening years I: Married Pam… Received my B.S., M.Div., and D.Min. degrees… Amy, Trey, and Britton were born… and served as pastor in five churches.

    James 4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock… Many of the things I wanted to do when I was younger are now memories.  One day I’m carrying my children out of the delivery room and today they are all pretty much adults… where did the time go?

In the big scheme… we are just a speck of lint on a speck of lint floating in the universe.  We are but 1 of 6 billion people on this planet.  One person tried to determine the total number of people to have lived since creation.  In his paper he references another who suggests the number to be 96,100,000,000.   If he is right, we are just ONE of 96 billion 100 million that have lived!  Of course that is give or take a few million (Snicker, wink).

flash-driveI am Insignificant!  In 20 years as a pastor my preaching and teaching ministry includes about 1,000 Sunday morning messages; 1,000 Sunday night messages; and 1,000 Wednesday Bible studies.  The number of hours spent in prayer, reflection, study, writing, and re-writing is one I don’t want to even think about.  Yet my life’s work as a minister of the Gospel… along with my doctoral project and accompanying research… can be contained on ONE flash drive with PLENTY of room left over!

“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8).  Wow.  Out of 96 billion, 100 million people… a person’s who’s life work can be contained on something as small as a paper clip… a person who is a speck of lint on a speck of lint… a person who’s life is here and gone quickly… a person who is a spiritually bankrupt in God’s sight… was worth dying for!

1 person is important to God!  A “speck of lint” is important to God!  A wisp of mist is important to God!  That 1 person… that “speck of lint…” that wisp of mist… that seemingly insignificant “paper clip” individual was worth God sending His son to redeem and thereby grant salvation!  WOW…

   Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price (Jesus’ blood).  So glorify God in your body.  1 Corinthians 6:19-20

So what does all this mean about how significant you are… in God’s sight?