Vapor

"Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.'"--James 4:14-15.  James building on his point in chapter 4 that what causes the fights and quarrels among us is what we want as opposed to what ultimately God wants.  There is the old joke/adage that says "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans."  There is a reason for this, life as we know it, as stated here in James is just a vapor.  

Vapor.  Consider the image above. That photo was snapped at just the right moment.  Chances are when that photo was taken, the vapor you see disappeared just as quickly as the picture was snapped.  James tells us so is our lives. 

Vapor.  The year was 2006, I had just taken leadership of the College/Young Adult Ministry at my former congregation in Riverside, California.  Then life as I knew it vaporized.  

Vapor.  My dad had a seizure and this was the beginning of the series of health problems that would culminate in his death in December 2010.  Life as all of us knew it was vaporized. 

Vapor. Life can change in an instant.  This is why we must keep God's will in mind. Most recently, countless people believed the world was going to end this last May 21st. While they were obviously wrong for several reasons, the premise they were promoting had some validity. 

Vapor.  What I mean is that they were of the mindset that the end of the world was coming therefore we needed to be ready.  In their minds, life on earth would be vaporized. 

Vapor.  When we make plans, we must consider the possibility of change. We have to be flexible and have a backup plan if said change occurs.  We have our plans but God has His plans.  Fact is God knows best.  Fact is life is a vapor. We must consider God's will.

Vapor.  God's will is ultimately that everyone should go on to eternal life. However, that is dependent on us pursuing His will.  

Vapor.  Re-consider the image above.  Realize that life is a vapor and because it is we must pursue God's will for our lives. We must be ready and preparation begins by being baptized into Christ. Click the link to see what this means.  Have you done this? If not, what are you waiting for?  Life can change in an instant. Life can end in an instant. Life is a vapor.

Vapor.  So my encouragement to you is this, there are a couple of songs out there. One is called "Vapor" by Little Big Town and the other "If I Die Young" By the Band Perry. These songs speak to the shortness of life. Check them out.  But also, think of what is going on in the world today.  Floods and tornadoes in the south. The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  Here we see vividly the fact that people's lives are changing in an instant.  Here we see vividly that life is indeed a vapor. 

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!