Text: James 4: 14 “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that
appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away.”
Ask anyone you meet to give you a definition of LIFE, and no two people
will give you the same answer. Even in this congregation, the answers
would be as varied as the flowers of the field. We each have our own
interpretation of life, but the non-believer thinks of life as an
accident, while the believer acknowledges life as a sacred trust from God.
If you had listened to the Hippie generation in the sixties, you would
have heard a song with lyrics that described life as “what you do
while you’re waiting to die”. An early Eighteenth Century
philosopher penned it this way…… “Life is an unpleasant
interlude of nothingness”. Most of us would at least agree that
these two quotes are sad comments on life, and we might even counter them
with our own rebuttal that would go something like this:
“Life is like a mountain railroad, With an engineer that’s
brave; We must make the run successful, From the cradle to the grave;
Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels; Never falter, never quail, Keep
your hand upon the throttle and your eye upon the rail.”
In our biblical text, James does not give a definition of life, but
rather, he expresses its brevity as that of a vapor that appears and then,
just as quickly, vanishes! How true! Even those of us who live to a ripe
old age are here only a short time in comparison to the time we will spend
in eternity. According to James, a human life of one hundred years is
nothing more than a vapor when you compare it to the limitless expanse of
time we will spend in the Celestials, or elsewhere.
It stands, therefore, that its length cannot determine the value of human
life. And if not its length, then what? The meaning of the precious gift
of life is predicated, not on quantity, but on quality. This gift of life,
however brief, should be spent living in such a way that the very One who
created us will not look upon His investment as a waste of time and
effort.
When we measure the QUALITY of our lives, let’s use some very common
punctuation marks. In the English language we have Periods, Commas,
Colons, Semi-colons, Question Marks, Apostrophes, etc. The use of any of
these marks often adds vivid description to the written word. For example,
a question mark signifies the need for additional information. There is
something missing that prohibits one from drawing a conclusion. But a
period at the end of a sentence signifies a “closed case”; a
completed task with an accomplished mission.
As we reflect on the variety of punctuation marks, I wonder what mark you
would use to measure the quality of your Christian life today. Let’s
look at five different categories of punctuation for the Christian life:
1) the QUESTION MARK Christian, 2) the PERIOD Christian, 3) the HYPHENATED
Christian, 4) the COMMA Christian and 5) the EXCLAMATION POINT Christian.
It’s time for a little personal reflection.
We’ll start with the Question Mark Christian. When you look in the
mirror, what do you see? Does your lack of commitment leave a lot of
unanswered questions about your Christianity? Does your attitude toward
Church worship services and programs cause people to wonder if you are
really converted? Does your irregular attendance signify to the other
believers that you really don’t like being in the company of other
believers? Are your club buddies receiving the best of your service, while
the Saints of God beg for volunteers? Is your lack of faith in God’s
ability to bless you demonstrated in your Tithe? Does the language you use
“blow your cover” and reveal the truth about who you serve?
Now these unanswered questions are serious matters, but only for the
Question Mark Christian who must honestly answer YES, YES, YES! Too many
members of God’s church are Question Mark Christians. We all want to
believe they are sincere and genuine born again believers, but when they
fail to obey so many of God’s ordinances and rules, it leaves a big
Question Mark.
It’s time for the Question Mark Christian to recognize church
membership as a spiritual marriage, a commitment to Christ in sickness and
in health, in prosperity and in poverty. It is pledging our allegiance to
Jesus Christ and to Him only. It is pledging to honor and obey Him as long
as we live. Yes, this is a marriage relationship. Christ won’t shack
with us; He won’t indulge in Light Housekeeping; He won’t
participate in sleep-in arrangements just so we can slip out when
we’re bored. Yes, your relationship to the church is a spiritual
marriage, and when the partners fail to honor their vows, we wonder if
they ever got married in the first place, or were they just living
together?
Are you a Question Mark Christian? When you are called into judgment, will
your life leave a big question mark? Maybe you’re saying NO, NO, NO;
that’s not me! Then let’s take another look in your mirror.
Let’s take a look at the Christian who rests on past achievements,
PERIOD. A Period Christian is one who already knows all there is to know
about the Lord. Their minds are closed to new ideas, new ministries and
new methods. You might as well place a period after their name, because as
far as their concerned, they’ve gone as far as they are willing to
go in this life. It doesn’t matter how many training courses or
institutes or workshops you sponsor, they won’t come, PERIOD.
Now the real tragedy with Period Christians is that they’re not old
or disabled. Old age does have a way of putting a period at the end of
your name, when your body can no longer keep up with religious zeal.
Senior Christians who have honored the Lord with their substance for many
years can place a period at the end of their name with honor. You
don’t have to apologize for slowing down and stopping when you know
that you did your very best when you had your health and strength.
But, wait a minute! My spirit was just shocked at the increase of seniors
in our congregation. Members who would otherwise be insulted by a title
applied too early in their lives, just seconds ago put a mental PERIOD at
the end of their Christian service.
Members who have training and know-how, and have been blessed beyond
measure with abundant resources, just placed a PERIOD after their names.
So we’ll give them a title more fitting for their age…..The
LIVING DEAD.
On one occasion, I recall Jesus saying, “Let the dead bury the
dead”. In other words, there are enough spiritually dead people to
take care of the final arrangements for the physically dead. What a sad
commentary! Spiritually dead people abound, young and not so young!
When I look at our church membership role, and compare it to our
attendance, it’s clear to me that many members have already placed a
period after their names. Oh, they’re still in the land of the
living. But when it comes to spiritual growth, they’re OUT of the
RACE. They may have vim and vitality, and even be in the prime of their
life, but they’ve counted themselves OUT, PERIOD.
If that’s not you in the mirror this morning, let’s move on.
The HYPHENATED Christian is the member who suffers from Spiritual
Schizophrenia. They have a SPLIT PERSONALITY. You have to hyphenate their
two separate lives, kind of like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. Sunday is Dr.
Jekyl’s day, but Monday, Mr. Hyde returns. No single definition
describes their personality. They’re subject to acts of Sainthood as
well as acts of SIN. They shout on Sunday and Pout on Monday. On Sunday
they’ll hug you, and on Monday they’ll mug you. In church
their angels; at home their devils. On Sunday they sing Hallelujah; during
the week they try to “Sock it to Ya”. No simple definition can
describe their erratic and unpredictable behavior. They are Saint-Sinners,
Sincere-Hypocrites, and Witness-Gossipers.
Now, the QUESTION MARK, PERIOD and HYPHENATED Christians are on the
negative side. But they’re not in your mirror reflection, thank God!
So let’s move on to COMMA CHRISTIANS.
A comma is a small punctuation mark, which separates words, phrases or
clauses. A comma is NEVER used at the end of a sentence. Whenever you see
a comma, you know that there is more to come. That’s what a comma
does; it warns you that after a short pause, more will follow.
Pastors across the nation and the world thank God daily for COMMA
Christians. Comma Christians, who just worked on a major project,
don’t consider their service record complete. Comma Christians will
belong to one organization, but support the program of another. They pitch
in at a moments notice, and without complaint. And when the Pastor calls
for more help from the congregation, they’re first in line to
volunteer, despite their already busy schedule. Yes, nothing they do earns
them a period, just a COMMA, until they serve once again.
A COMMA Christian has a long list of activities on their schedules. No
time for question marks, periods or hyphenated lifestyles! It’s
Sunday School COMMA, Morning Worship COMMA, Afternoon Service COMMA,
Monday Night Meeting COMMA, Wednesday Prayer Meeting COMMA, Saturday
Afternoon Choir Rehearsal COMMA, and Saturday evening phone calls to
members who’ve slacked off in attendance, saying “ I hope to
see you tomorrow” COMMA; then Sunday starts the cycle all over
again.
If we’re truly Saints of God, our lives should be a series of
COMMAS. We ought to go from one good deed of kindness to another. Put a
comma after Sunday and Jesus will open up doors of opportunity on Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday……every day is sweeter than the day before!
Are you a COMMA Christian?
Last of all there’s the EXCLAMATION POINT Christian! Sure,
it’s an honor to be called a COMMA Christian, but there is nothing
greater than being called an EXCLAMATION POINT Christian!
The Exclamation point is a vertical line underscored by a dot. It
signifies some dynamic, powerful and enthusiastic interjection.
Exclamation Points are reserved for life’s strong points and
profound accomplishments that excite the spirit and set our hearts on
fire.
Now that’s how Christians ought to be! There ought to be some
excitement in our service. No ordinary life gets an exclamation point. No
sad-sack Christian. No complaining Christian, no crybaby Christian, no
“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen” Christian.
The Exclamation Point Christian has something to shout about. They make a
joyful noise to our God who made this world and everything in it.
They’re spirits are overflowing with Hallelujah’s for the
Savior who died on Calvary to save them from eternal death. Jesus deserves
an EXCLAMATION POINT response. No other punctuation mark will do. No time
for Question Marks, Periods, or Hyphenated lifestyles.
They have a life to live… EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have work to be done….. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a victory to achieve…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a devil to defeat…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a storm to face…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a prayer to pray…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a promise to claim… EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a hunger to be satisfied…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a thirst to be quenched…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
A cross to be carried,
A Book to be studied,
A habit to conquer,
A temptation to overcome,
An enemy to love,
A burden to lift,
A command to obey,
A friend to help,
A job to be accomplished,
A course to be completed
A fight to be fought,
A race to be won, EXCLAMATION POINT!
