“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant”

We are pretty used to expiration dates on foods, drugs, etc.  I am always a little skeptical on these dates as you have to believe that somewhere, someone has decided that the date we see has to be earlier than when it really is for safety purposes, or even (hate to say it) for marketing and getting us to buy more.  Either way, we all look at these dates and let them influence our decisions in on way or another.  We even use expiration dates in contracts or offers to spur timely decisions.  Employment letters frequently today have an expiration date on them so that certainty can be gained sooner than later.  The futurist, Kevin Kelly, turned me on to creating an expiration clock for our lives (warning…this is not for everyone to do…it can feel quite fatalistic and actually have the opposite effect of being inspiring).  I set mine up.  As I write this, I have by actuarial calculations, 7994 days until I expire. And, just like I am skeptical about the expiration dates created for us, I am also skeptical about my own expiration date.  However, it is a good reminder that between now and whenever, every day is a gift and an opportunity to make the most of the day we have been given.

When we look at the biggest picture (I wrote recently about how in important it is for us to strive to do that) in God’s Kingdom we don’t have an expiration date, only a transition date.  And, only He knows when that date will be.  There are days when we can get stuck in how things have not turned out how we desired, or how hard it is to accomplish what we have to get done, or just how unfair it might be to have to convince or persuade others to recognize our work and worth.  And on these days we might find it easier to let the day slide by and not try to hard to progress forward.  It is understandable, but not how God wants us to live.  The question He brings before us daily, as we go to Him daily as instructed, is not what we can do, but what He wants us to do for Him today?  We will expire.  It’s inevitable.  But, while we are fresh, let’s be excited for bringing glory to Him in our work and our lives.

Reference: Matthew 25:23 (New Living Translation)