2022 Lent Devotional – Day 25
Life is Single (James 4:14)
James 4:14 asks, what is your LIFE? The word “life” is in the singular case. In other words, you only have one life, just ONE!
C.T. Studd was a missionary to China, India, and Africa back in the late 1800s. As a missionary, C. T. is remembered for “his courage in any emergency, his determination never to sound the retreat, his conviction that he was in God’s will, his faith that God would see him through, his contempt of the arm of the flesh, and his willingness to risk all for Christ.” He wrote a famous poem called Only One Life. He writes (1,2,4 and 8th Stanza):
Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its days I must fulfil, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say ’twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
As you think about this poem, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last,” it should remind you that you only have one life. That’s it. You don’t get a second chance at this life. Once the clock strikes zero, it’s over. You can’t reset life’s countdown clock
So, what are you going to do with this one life that you’ve been given? Your life is not like a video game. You don’t get three lives! Most video games allow you to either start over or at least start at a checkpoint after you die.
Some games have unlimited lives! Wouldn’t that be cool? Think about it, you could risk your life doing all kinds of crazy things and if you died, oh well. You just start over again. Well, that’s not the way life works. “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” Don’t wait and do tomorrow what you can do today. You can’t reset life’s countdown clock.
Rev. Ashish Hirday