The Secret to a better life- learning to count the days
By Dwight Bain
Too many funerals. That’s what I said to my friend a few weeks ago after learning of another sudden death of someone much too young. I was struggling to make peace with the grief when God’s Spirit took me to Psalms 90, written as a prayer of Moses. Listen to these incredible words that are over 3,000 years old, but just as relevant today as when they were written.
Psalm 90
“ 1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth an d the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
3 You turn man to destruction, And say, “Return, O children of men.”
4 For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the night.
5 You carry them away like a flood. They are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up:
6 In the morning it flourishes and grows up; In the evening it is cut down and withers.
7 For we have been consumed by Your anger, And by Your wrath we are terrified.
8 You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
9 For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh.
10 The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O LORD! How long? And have compassion on Your servants.
14 Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
15 Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, The years in which we have seen evil.
16 Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children.
17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.”
So after reading this scripture I sat down with some friends and literally took a calculator to number out the days of a life time to make every one count. Here’s what we came up with.
Numbering days to make a difference for God's Kingdom
Average life span is 85 years, or 31,025 days of life granted to make a difference
50 years = 18,250 days lived, and 12,775 days remaining to make a difference
55 years = 20,075 days lived, and 10,950 days remaining to make a difference
60 years = 21,900 days lived, and 9,125 days remaining to make a difference
65 years = 23,725 days lived, and 7,300 days remaining to make a difference
70 years = 25,550 days lived, and 5,475 days remaining to make a difference
75 years = 27,375 days lived, and 3,650 days remaining to make a difference
80 years = 29,200 days lived, and 1,825 days remaining to make a difference
85 years = 31,025 days lived. Now it's time to meet your Maker, begin Eternity and find out if your efforts made a difference for the Kingdom of God or will just make for a big bon-fire! I challenge you to make every day count!
So, you and I have a choice today. A choice to count problems and waste time complaining about what isn’t working; or a choice to count blessings and invest time into making a positive difference. Which one will you choose? Better decide now because the clock is ticking down the days.
Reprint Permission- If this article helped you, you are invited to share it with your own list at work or church, forward it to friends and family or post it on your own site or blog. Just leave it intact and do not alter it in any way. Any links must remain in the article. Please include the following paragraph in your reprint."Reprinted with permission from the LifeWorks Group weekly eNews, (Copyright, 2004-2009), To subscribe to this valuable weekly resource visit www.LifeWorksGroup.org or call 407-647-7005"
About the author- Dwight Bain is dedicated to helping people achieve greater results. He is a Nationally Certified Counselor, Certified Life Coach and Certified Family Law Mediator in practice since 1984 with a primary focus on solving crisis events and managing major change.
Too many funerals. That’s what I said to my friend a few weeks ago after learning of another sudden death of someone much too young. I was struggling to make peace with the grief when God’s Spirit took me to Psalms 90, written as a prayer of Moses. Listen to these incredible words that are over 3,000 years old, but just as relevant today as when they were written.
Psalm 90
“ 1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth an d the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
3 You turn man to destruction, And say, “Return, O children of men.”
4 For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the night.
5 You carry them away like a flood. They are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up:
6 In the morning it flourishes and grows up; In the evening it is cut down and withers.
7 For we have been consumed by Your anger, And by Your wrath we are terrified.
8 You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
9 For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh.
10 The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O LORD! How long? And have compassion on Your servants.
14 Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
15 Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, The years in which we have seen evil.
16 Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children.
17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.”
So after reading this scripture I sat down with some friends and literally took a calculator to number out the days of a life time to make every one count. Here’s what we came up with.
Numbering days to make a difference for God's Kingdom
Average life span is 85 years, or 31,025 days of life granted to make a difference
50 years = 18,250 days lived, and 12,775 days remaining to make a difference
55 years = 20,075 days lived, and 10,950 days remaining to make a difference
60 years = 21,900 days lived, and 9,125 days remaining to make a difference
65 years = 23,725 days lived, and 7,300 days remaining to make a difference
70 years = 25,550 days lived, and 5,475 days remaining to make a difference
75 years = 27,375 days lived, and 3,650 days remaining to make a difference
80 years = 29,200 days lived, and 1,825 days remaining to make a difference
85 years = 31,025 days lived. Now it's time to meet your Maker, begin Eternity and find out if your efforts made a difference for the Kingdom of God or will just make for a big bon-fire! I challenge you to make every day count!
So, you and I have a choice today. A choice to count problems and waste time complaining about what isn’t working; or a choice to count blessings and invest time into making a positive difference. Which one will you choose? Better decide now because the clock is ticking down the days.
Reprint Permission- If this article helped you, you are invited to share it with your own list at work or church, forward it to friends and family or post it on your own site or blog. Just leave it intact and do not alter it in any way. Any links must remain in the article. Please include the following paragraph in your reprint."Reprinted with permission from the LifeWorks Group weekly eNews, (Copyright, 2004-2009), To subscribe to this valuable weekly resource visit www.LifeWorksGroup.org or call 407-647-7005"
About the author- Dwight Bain is dedicated to helping people achieve greater results. He is a Nationally Certified Counselor, Certified Life Coach and Certified Family Law Mediator in practice since 1984 with a primary focus on solving crisis events and managing major change.
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