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Articles
Wasted Years
I looked upon a farm one day, that once I used to own;
The barn had fallen to the ground, the fields were overgrown.
The house in which my children grew, where we had lived for years -
I turned to see it broken down, and brushed aside the tears.
I looked upon my soul one day, to find it, too, had grown
With thorns and thistles everywhere - the seeds neglect had sown.
The years had passed while I had cared for things of lesser worth;
The things of heaven I let go while minding things of earth.
To Christ I turned with bitter tears, and cried, “O Lord, forgive!
I haven’t much time left for Thee, not many years to live.”
The wasted years forever gone, the days I can’t recall;
If I could live those days again, I’d make Him Lord of all.
We will always have distractions facing us when it comes to living faithfully for the Lord. The poem above by an unknown author refers to this as “minding things of earth.” John warns us against loving the world or “all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:15-16); but, as we all know, at times we do.
If we truly desire to live pleasing to God, we will look back on such occasions with regret, realizing the time we wasted that could have been spent faithfully in His service. This is why it is so important at every age in life to make whatever worldly sacrifices are necessary to seek God first in our lives. John says, “The world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). The things of the world will pass away, and along with them out spiritual wellbeing, if we put them first in our lives. When we “set (our) mind(s) on things above, not on things on the earth,” we seek that which will abide forever.
So which will it be for you? Will you live your life in pursuit of the things of this world, only to look back upon your life in regret, or will you seek the Lord and look back with confidence in what lies ahead (2 Tim 4:6-7)? Another year is quickly coming to a close. How will you use the one to come?
