Sermon Central
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The Good Life
Contributed by Daniel Wheat on May 29, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: The average lifespan of a man is 70 years. For a woman it is 75. With all of the medical advances there are those who have lived to 100 and even as old as 115 years of age. To imagine all of the life experiences in that much time. What technological advan
The Good Life
Psalms 90:1-17 (ESV)
Intro: The average lifespan of a man is 70 years. For a woman it is 75. With all of the medical advances there are those who have lived to 100 and even as old as 115 years of age. To imagine all of the life experiences in that much time. What technological advances that have been made in that time. Even in my own life I have seen the eight track tape, the tape, Beta tapes, VHS, CD’s, DVD’s, Blue ray, and internet happen. But in the time that we are on this earth can we say that we have lived it to the fullest? Can we honestly say that we have squeezed every second of “life” out of our existence?
Here are some facts for you-
We spend XXXXX hours in our lifetime watching T.V.
We spend XXXXX hours sleeping.
We spend XXXXX on the phone.
And, we spend XXXXX going to church.
This psalm was written by a man who knew the value of a day. In fact he knew the value of life and a well lived one at that. Moses who had been the liberator and leader of the Israelites in the exodus knew what a day meant. He spent 40 years of his life traveling the desert with the Isrealites as they journeyed to the promised land.
“Teach us to number our days aright, so that we may gain a heart of understanding.”
TEACH:
Teaching is a tricky word for many. As I sat at my desk in grade school I remember thinking during math class what could I possibly use this for. How was I going to use percentages, ratios, and formulas to solve silly word problems. Trying to instruct someone who is not ready to listen is like trying to lead a horse to the watering hole and making him drink. Teaching has to do with the willingness of the teacher to convey learning points and the receptiveness of the pupil. If one or the other is out of balance then teaching will be futile.
1. God is committed to teaching us the value of our days. Are we just as committed to hearing from Him.
NUMBER OUR DAYS:
To number our days we need to have the understanding that God has about them. God thinks in the past, present and future tense all the time. Yesterday is as memorable for him as tomorrow. Yet they all are just as important have the same purpose. For His glory and worship. For us to number our days isn’t to mark the calendar as we are marking deployment days left until reunion. Or even as much as we have to tough this out now so that we can reach glory land. It is much more than that. Our purpose is to number them by their significance to God. At the beginning of the day can you pray that, “However you bring me this day I will glorify your name Lord.” And, at the end of it can you say that you have worshipped the Lord with every breathe you gave that day. Every day of their journey the Israelites would see God’s presence with them. During the day he went before them as a pillar of clouds and at night as a pillar of fire. And everywhere they stopped they set up the tabernacle and worshipped God for being part of their day.
2. Did you dedicate every second of your day to worshipping God.
GAIN A HEART OF UNDERSTANDING:
To gain something means that you have searched for it and found it. Sometimes we don’t learn anything from our day because we haven’t searched out God to find wisdom in it. We often will chalk it up to a bad day or sometimes a terrible day. But have you taken the time to search for the meaning of it. Can you say that “The Lord helped me learn this from my circumstance”. The Israelites asked Moses why has the Lord brought us out into the desert to die. Why has he made us endure this desert when he has abandoned us to live as vagabonds. They lost sight that the Lord traveled with them all the time. They also lost sight of their own blessings of protection, provisions and mercy. They didn’t stop to see that they didn’t have the heart to understand His plan. Their hearts were hardened by their own desires.
3. Did you tender your heart to understand His plan.
CONCLUSION: In Numbers 17 it describes how the Israelites that grumbled against God about their days in the desert we not afforded the opportunity to cross into the promised land. Have we grumbled about our day being uneventful, unproductive, and unsatisfying? Know that the Lord has been in your presence as with the Israelites. He has given you opportunities to learn and gain a heart of wisdom from His teaching. But our lives will never feel like a fulfilled life unless each day is dedicated to His service in worship.
