James 4:13-14 (NKJV)
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
By our measurements, some live a very long life and others “die before their time” though the Word does say that God knows the number of our days (Ps. 139:16). Some smokers and alcoholics live to be 100 while other health conscious individuals may die of a heart attack at 28 years of age. There is no rhyme or reason to this. It is wise to maintain a healthy lifestyle; watching the foods we eat, getting proper sleep, exercising, and the like. But at the end of the day, we leave this life on earth at the ordained time God established for us before we were born. “Surely every man is vapor” (Ps. 39:11, NKJV).
Have you ever observed fans at an outdoor football stadium on a freezing day, or people walking the streets when the weather is frigid? We can see that they are breathing because we see vapors exiting their bodies. We may exclaim, “It’s really cold out here. You can see people’s breath!” But how long can you follow the trail of one exhale of breath from one person? It disappears very, very quickly. So it is with our very lives. In an instant we no longer dwell on earth. Our lives, whether we live to be 28 or 100, last as long as the snap of a finger when compared to the vista of time God Himself will experience.
The beginning of the opening passage from James does not mean that we should not plan. Planning is Biblical (Prov. 6:6-8, Prov. 21:5, Ps. 90:12, Luke 14:28). We should make our plans count for something, bearing in mind that our lifespan is as long as a vapor. How do you use your time? Are you serving the Lord as you should (1 Cor. 15:58)? Are you serving others as you should (Matt. 25:35-40)? Is your family your first ministry (1 Tim. 5:8)? Are you spending time in God’s Word and praying daily (Ps. 119:105, 1 Thess. 5:17)?
Enjoy your life! God would want you to do so. But remember that your life is a vapor. Only God knows the number of your days. Live each day as if it were your last. May God and His Spirit guide your path as you honor Him and others until He calls you home.
Copyright 2025 Michael Callahan Ministries, LLC
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