ANGLICAN DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL FOR DECEMBER 20, 2022 ( LIFE WILL END)
TODAY’S TOPIC: LIFE WILL END
TEXT: Isaiah 40: 1-11(NKJV)
1. “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God.
2. “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD’s hand Double for all her sins.”
3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
4. Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth;
5. The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see [it] together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
6. The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh [is] grass, And all its loveliness [is] like the flower of the field.
7. The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people [are] grass.
8. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
9. O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift [it] up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
10. Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong [hand,] And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward [is] with Him, And His work before Him.
11. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry [them] in His bosom, [And] gently lead those who are with young.
MESSAGE
“A voice said, ‘Shout!’ I asked, ‘What shall I shout?’ ‘Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field” (v.6, NLT).
The mortician pulled out the cabinet where the body of my friend had been deposited in the morgue. I looked at the vibrant man, full of energy – a boisterous life – lying lifeless. He had had a car crash on his way to a Christian meeting; sadly, he died. Indeed, all flesh is grass!
Unfortunately, we hardly think about the end of life until we are confronted with a situation where someone’s life had ended. No wonder a ‘shout’ is needed, perhaps to wake us up from our slumber, procrastination and denials.
This life will end someday, then what we did with it will be judged.It may be worth the time if you were to spend time to reflect on what your life is all about: is it a crazy search for wealth and mundane happiness? Is it a search for fame? Is it a search for power?
All those, if found, can only bring temporal happiness or satisfaction. But sooner than we are usually willing to admit, this life will end, either by death or by the return of Christ. What would you have made of it by that time? Are you investing your life for Christ or for self?
PRAYER: Lord, teach me the brevity of life; help me invest in matters of eternal value.
The Anglican Communion is the fourth-largest Christian denomination. Founded in 1867 in London, England, the communion currently has 85 million members within the Church of England and other national and regional churches in full communion.
