The essential theme is that our lives are but temporal, and our time on earth is indeed a short one. So how then should we live?

1. Learning to Prioritize Effectively

The first thing to be aware of is what we place our priorities on. We must be able to separate the urgent from the important. Sometimes we get so caught up in doing the urgent things that require our immediate attention that they crowd out what is most important in our lives, or at least, ought to be the most important.

No one on his death bed will regret not earning enough money, not climbing high enough in his career, not owning a car or house, and things like that. People on the deathbed usually regret not spending enough time with their loved ones. Likewise, no one on the deathbed would wish for the company of bosses, clients, colleagues, and etc – everyone would want to be in the company of their loved ones, those dearest to them, be it parents, children or spouse, and maybe really close friends. How ironic then, that sometimes we spend the least time on our family.

Verses 13 and 14 warn us what we ought not to be overly concerned about. Essentially, the main point seems to rest on ‘carry on business and make money’. Just as in the sermon of the Mount, where Jesus warns us not to end up serving the wrong master, which is money, James seems to be warning us likewise. We should not be concerned just about amassing wealth and doing business, because our time on earth is short. How apt that we are but mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

If you have but a year left to live, how would you spend your time? What if you have only a month? How about a week? How about a day? Thinking along this line would certainly help us to have a bigger and clearer picture on what our priorities should be. We need to learn how to do the more important things.

2. Living a Purposeful Existence

So how do we judge what are the more important things? As Solomon puts it, everything is meaningless. Our toil is meaningless, and generations come and go. The crucial question would then be ‘what is it that will last?’

God and His word will certainly stand through eternity. Also, the souls of men will remain forever – the only issue is whether those souls will be in heaven or hell. If that is so, then a purposeful existence must certainly be one which builds a lasting legacy – saving the souls of men. Truly, if I had but a day to live, and knowing that as a Christian, I would be in heaven thereafter, my most important and most urgent, pressing task would be to ensure that the people I love the most would be joining me in heaven someday when they pass away as well. If that is so, then we ought to prioritize evangelism to those we care about the most. The next most pressing task would be to save as many as I possibly can, since my time would be limited.

Therefore, according to verse 15, it is vital that we seek out God’s Will in our lives, so that our existences can be purposeful and fruitful. Sharing the gospel with others is a definite commandment that is for everyone, but there are other purposes that each of us carry, and we have to find that out for ourselves, so that our short time here on earth can bear the fruit and forge the legacy that we are supposed to. If we can devote our brief lives to living out God’s divine purpose for each of us, as well as to carry out God’s divine purpose of redemption for all, then the length of our lives would not matter as much as what we achieve with that time. We all ought to do the good we know we ought to do, and not withhold our time from God in fulfilling His purposes, just as verse 16 warns.

Further Reflections