Are Your Days Numbered?

“Warning: this story is about death. You might want to click away now.” A recent Guardian article titled “Doubting death: how our brains shield us from mortal truth” began with these words. It highlighted a study showing how our brains shield us from existential fear by categorizing death as “an unfortunate event that only befalls other people.”

“The brain does not accept that death is related to us,” Yair Dor-Ziderman, a researcher at Bar Ilan University in Israel, explained. “We have this primal mechanism that means when the brain gets information that links self to death, something tells us it’s not reliable, so we shouldn’t believe it.”

Billions of people have lived and died unaware of where this life-preserving urge came from. Because of that, they usually only use it to try to preserve their own physical lives, ultimately to no avail. Others, wanting to avoid the subject altogether, live as if they would never die.

But Christians should be different. First of all, we know where the inner drive to survive comes from. Ecclesiastes 3:11 states that God “has set the world in [man’s] heart.” Here, “the world” means eternity.

Our Maker designed humans to want to live forever!

But we also know God fated humans to a physical end. Hebrews 9:27 plainly states “it is appointed unto men once to die.”

Why would God build a desire for eternal life in our minds yet promise that all would die? How would He expect Christians to reconcile these two inverse concepts?

God infused in us a longing to become eternal—as He is—in order to help us stay spiritually motivated and qualify for receiving the promise of everlasting life. He wants all of us to be a part of His Family for all eternity. But to do so there are things we must do first.

God explains that “to him that orders his conversation [meaning a course of life or mode of action] aright will I show the salvation of God” (Psa. 50:23).

We must first learn to not be wasteful with what is limited so we can prove ourselves trustworthy of what is limitless. God has given us a finite amount of time to prepare for infinity!

The point of God’s dichotomy is so that, when we think about death, we do not spend our relative few days terrified over losing life nor do we waste them.

Verse 12 of Psalm 90 summarizes what our daily mindset should be: “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

The Bible is precise about how we are to “number” however long we have left. Notice it does not say “teach us to number our years, months or weeks”—but our DAYS.

In the Hebrew, “to number” means “to count, reckon, number, assign, tell, appoint, prepare.” It can also mean “ordain” (Outline of Biblical Usage). It is clearly not about counting each day, but about making each day count! That involves approaching every day with a plan of action. We have heard it stressed often that we should be “redeeming the time [meaning to improve an opportunity], because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16).

Many interests are vying for a chunk of that time so we must learn to sort out what counts toward our eternal life.

We can fulfill Psalm 90:12 by prioritizing what really matters every day.

Hezekiah’s Example

King Hezekiah is a study of Psalm 90:12 in action. Within his first year of reigning over Judah—at age 25—he “opened the doors of the house of the lord and repaired them” (II Chron. 29:3). He demanded the priests and Levites to sanctify themselves and God’s House in no uncertain terms. He told them to “carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place” (vs. 5-6).

What boldness! Try to picture a leader in his 20s today doing anything like that. It is inconceivable.

His leadership turned an entire nation toward God within a few days. Verse 36 closes the chapter with “the thing was done suddenly.”

You may have felt like Hezekiah when God first called you. Your life needed immediate change and you had no time to waste, so you took drastic action! Do you still feel a burning zeal to not delay in following God’s instruction?

Yet Hezekiah fell terminally ill and God told him through Isaiah the prophet, “Set your house in order; for you shall die, and not live” (II Kgs. 20:1).

The king poured out his heart to God in prayer. By verse 6, Isaiah had returned with an update from God telling Hezekiah that He would heal him and give him another 15 years.

What if you were told “you are about to die,” but were moments later healed and told, “Never mind! You will have 15 more years”?

What would that do to your appreciation of time? How much fuller would you strive to live each passing minute from that point knowing precisely when it would be over?

Although we have not been told exactly how much time we have left, we all have something in common with Hezekiah. II Corinthians 4:16 says that “though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

We should live each day like we have been given the proverbial new lease on life. We should think of today as our last day in this life, go to bed as a type of death, and wake up the next day treating it as if we were resurrected!

Treating every day this way will ensure we make the most of it.

Where the ancient king prayed to have more years in this world, we pray that God would expedite His Kingdom. Yet is our spiritual house “in order” for its arrival? While we are still here, it is better to assume there is more “ordering” to do.

Some ways you can order your life is to become better at the things you were called to do: fear God, love others, finish His Work.

These three priorities were illustrated through Hezekiah’s cleansing of the Temple. He did so out of fearing God, then he worked with the Levites and priests so they could properly teach the people out of love for them, and in accomplishing so, he finished his part of what the Work of God was at the time.

How faithfully we concentrate on these areas speaks volumes to God about how we can be trusted with much more in His coming Kingdom (Matt. 25:23)—when time will no longer restrict us.

The following three sections expand on these three areas with scriptures, questions and assignments.

Fear God

Proverbs 23:17 says “be you in the fear of the lord all the day long.” Not some of the day, but all day long.

“Fear” means to reverence. When you properly understand and fear God, you will have a profound appreciation and deep respect for Him that will motivate your actions.

The following action list fits this priority.

• Watch and endeavor to constantly depart from all forms of evil (Prov. 16:6)
• Apply the five tools of growth (prayer, study, meditation, fasting and exercising God’s Spirit)
• Overcome sin

Think of specific ways to apply this list daily. Some questions that you could ask yourself: “Which temptations keep coming back at me that I need to resist and flee from more effectively? How many verses on the fear of the Lord do I know and am I thinking about today? How much time will I spend on my knees in prayer and what exactly will I pray for? What will I meditate on today? When will I fast again? What can I overcome today? Am I diligently watching?”

When we grow in the fear of the Lord, we get closer to being “a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). Think also about how I Peter 1:17 says we are to “pass the time of [our] sojourning here in fear.”

Living by the last two verses means allowing Christ Himself to exercise that fear in and through us. That should elevate your constant self-examining to questions such as: “Would Christ in me carry Himself the way I am acting now? Would He allow Himself to think, say or do what I feel like right now? Would the Comforter in me be grieved (Eph. 4:30) if I post that on my social media page? How does the Father feel about me looking at that?”

How we act based on these candid questions will reflect whether we are in the fear of God all day or “outside of it.”

Follow-up assignment: Listen to the sermon “Fearing God—As You’ve Never Seen It!”

Love Others

I Corinthians 16:14 says, “Let all your things be done with charity [love].” Not some things, but all things. Having outgoing care and concern for others is the second-highest priority of a Christian’s day, after fearing God.

Love of God action list:

• Serve and help others
• Pray for them
• Give to them of your time

These three items are practical applications of laying down one’s life for others (John 15:13).

Applicable questions: “What can I do for others today? Who can I pray for? Who could I visit today or soon?”

“Others” include your immediate family and anyone else you have opportunity to serve without compromising God’s Law, but especially fellow Church brethren (Gal. 6:10).

How to master this priority is found in Matthew 7: “Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them…” (vs. 12).

In the world, people love “their own” (John 15:19). It is easy to love anyone who loves you back.

The Matthew 7:12 standard, however, is that we love others first—regardless of whether they reciprocate. Easier said than done, but when you do it you fulfill the “law and the prophets” as the verse ends. To practice love is the fulfillment—the whole point—of everything written from Genesis through Deuteronomy (the law) and everything God inspired the prophets to write.

That last verse extends to your own physical life too. Taking good care of yourself, such as responsibly managing your health and stress, is also outgoing concern for others. That includes anything from diet and exercise, but also properly managing your resources, appearance and living space. Even working in reasonable time for wholesome recreation and entertainment fits into this.

All these things enable you to feel better about yourself and give you the physical and mental wherewithal to serve others. They help you be more interesting and nicer to people, equipped to tackle greater responsibilities and challenges.

Being busy loving others cannot become a copout to avoid working on yourself. Both go hand in hand. Otherwise we could eventually become an unnecessary burden to others due to unbalance—which is the opposite of love.

That should raise your self-awareness to other questions: “What is my appearance? Am I further developing a winning personality today? Am I thinking about how others might feel right now? Am I being courteous or rude (I Pet. 3:8)? How much exercise am I getting in—am I slacking? Is that food choice right for me (I Cor. 6:12)? Am I complaining or instead casting my cares on God? Where can I improve and set a better example?”

Everything you do on a given day is to reflect some degree of the love of God. Otherwise, it simply profits you nothing (I Cor. 13:3).

Finish God’s Work

Christ stated in John 4:34, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.” Not start, but to finish it—to see it through to the end. That was His daily purpose for living while in the flesh and so should it be ours.

Alongside fearing God and serving others, we should be seeking to accomplish God’s will each day. It is a reflection of the commitment God has made to each of us: “Being confident of this very thing, that He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

Finish God’s Work action list:

• Complete requests from the Church or local ministry
• Participate in Church activities
• Support God’s Work financially

God began a Work before the foundation of the world, and each of us has a role in helping Him finish it. Every day we should endeavor to finish whatever we are able to in our responsibilities within that Work. It is easy to get distracted with the “cares of this world” and leave the most important Work on Earth hanging.

Recall Mr. Armstrong’s 10 daily questions, particularly the last one: “What have I done for God’s Work and for others? Have I spent anything today to please self that might have been saved for God’s cause?”

Besides these questions, you might ask yourself: “Are there any tasks I could do today to help the Church? Are there any socials coming up I can plan to attend? Is there any way I can fundraise today? Have I looked into the fundraising and newsstand distribution program pages on member services to see how I can get more involved? How can I serve more in my congregation? Have I prayed today for His Work?”

Consider Psalm 68:11 as a principle with God’s Work in mind: “The lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.”

Do you see yourself as part of God’s “company” publishing His truths to a world in dire need of it (Mark 13:10)?

Boost your thinking by asking yourself: “Am I being timely in my tithes and/or offerings? Am I considering my blessings in anticipation to the next Holy Day offerings? How am I making sure I don’t come before God ‘empty handed’? Am I working, if able, so I can support the Work?”

Finishing God’s Work encapsulates the previous two priorities. We fear Him when we do it and it is all about loving—showing outgoing concern for—other people by giving them the truth we ourselves have been so privileged to have.

Follow-up assignment: Watch the 2019 Behind the Work video.

Apply Your Heart

Psalm 90:12 ends with what all the three areas above come down to: “that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

The Bible speaks of two kinds of people: the wise and the foolish. The wise are so because they use their time given to train for more wisdom. The foolish make excuses not to do so.

Proverbs 3 says of wisdom that “length of days is in her right hand” (vs. 16). You live longer, but you also get much more out of each day because of it.

Depending on how long you have been in God’s Church, you may have heard it explained that knowledge is knowing what to do. Understanding is knowing how to do it. But wisdom involves doing it!

Having wisdom requires action. Each day we practice the fear of God, love for others and finishing God’s Work, we are actively applying our hearts unto wisdom.

Will you do these things today? If you realize that your days are numbered and time is running out, then you will realize there is no other option!

As a related point, many people who are effective at making the most of each day find it helpful to use a daily planner and a system to keep themselves on task. If you are not used to being that organized, you should consider doing the same.

To not number our days in this dwindling age would be equivalent to believing the first lie Satan ever told mankind: “you shall not surely die!” Anyone who swallows that lie cannot not see the point of fearing God, loving others, or the urgency of finishing His Work.

Unlike Satan would want us to believe, Christians are on a short timeclock. We have little time to use our yearning for eternal life as propulsion to act.

Remember, God considers how we treat every day—our daily choices—as a way to judge how we will treat eternity.

Today—24 hours—is all you have as your training ground, so “walk in wisdom…redeeming the time” (Col. 4:5). There is none to waste.

Be like King Hezekiah! Set your house in order. Allow God to “teach you to number every day,” and be sure to “apply your heart unto wisdom” by focusing on what matters most: fearing God, loving others, and finishing His Work.