OUR LIVES ARE LIKE A...

Listen to what the Bible compares our lives to, and as you do, notice that the central theme of each comparison is the idea of the BREVITY of our lives upon this earth:

* First, our lives are compared to A VAPOR (James 4:1) - Think about the vapor from a teapot. It is there one moment and poof!--it’s gone.

* Our lives are compared to GRASS AND FLOWERS THAT WITHER AFTER A SHORT TIME IN THE SUN (Psalm 103:15-16) – Here in Germany in the Spring we see stunningly beautiful wildflowers along the roads and in the fields. But very soon, the highway department or farmers come and mow them down. Their lifespan is only a very short time.

* Our lives are compared to A SHADOW (Job 14:1-2) – Stand stationary in your yard tomorrow in the morning, and you will have a long shadow. But by midday it will be gone.

* Our lives are compared to A STORY (Psalm 90:9 – I remember when my kids were little, before they went to bed, they would beg me for a story. So I would make up elaborate tales of knights and dragons and ladies in distress and courageous acts of daring do—all in a few fleeting moments, until their eyes drooped and they dropped off to sleep.

* Our lives are compared to A WIND THAT PASSES BY (Psalm 78:39)

* Our lives are compared to A WEAVER’S SHUTTLE (Job 7:6) – A weaver's shuttle can make a complete rotation in about one second.

* Our lives are compared to FOAM ON THE WATER (Hosea 10:7) - Go to the ocean and watch a wave come in. As the water recedes, it leaves little foam bubbles. But within seconds, they disappear before another wave rolls in.

Aside from the masterful poetic beauty of these passages, one thing stands out in each of them--our lives are SHORT!