Teach Us To Number Our Days

Psalm 90.1-12

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. (Deuteronomy 33.1)

This Psalm contrasts the striking difference between Eternal Almighty God with human life.

Colossians 1.15-20

The dialogue between Gandalf and Frodo in The Lord of the Rings is what the essence of this morning's message is all about.
Frodo: I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide: All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.

God- Everlasting to Everlasting -v.2
Everlasting prior to the creation of the world.
Everlasting into eternity - forever and ever.   Timeless

Human Beings- us. Finite time here on earth/ Infinite (time) in eternity. God breathed into man's nostrils and he became a living soul. God has placed eternity in the heats of human beings.

Psalm 102.25-27 In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your Hands. They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will change them and they will be discarded. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.

1. Our Days Are Numbered By the LORD.
Psalm 39.4 Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days, let me know how fleeting is my life.
We are all terminal.
Psalm 31.15 My times are in Your Hands.

The LORD knows the span of our life. He has purpose in His Grand Plan for each of us. When we find Him at the center of our lives, when He is LORD of our will and our heart we begin to live like we never have before and discover why we are here. He has prepared things in advance for us to do. He has created us to be a part of His Mosaic. The word coincidence is no longer a part of our vocabulary because as we grow in our knowledge of Him we see His Hand upon us and realize that He knows all things and He is working in all things for our good and His glory.

Therefore...

2. We Need to Learn How to Number Them.
That is what Moses is praying here in Psalm 90.12.

Teach= observe, recognize
Learning to number our days begins with just that- realizing our days are numbered.
Step one- we are not here on this earth forever
Step two- there is an "urgency" in this

What does it mean to "number' them?
To weigh out, allot, ration

*Weigh them out- chart your course as you would if you live the full span.
Realize what's gone and what's left.
Maximize what is left while leaving the past in God's Hands (literally)

*Ration them- Spend them with being alert and aware that once a day is spent you can never get it back. Stretch out those days so they can be filled with God's goodness.
Dannielle, my swimming instructor, "Stretch out those arms! Reach forward."
Paul Limmer, my coach, "Full stride" We cover more ground by working less.
Dannielle, "Relax." Coach, "Nice and easy."

The recognition of life's brevity and God's Eternity is part of learning to number our days.


3. We Need Wisdom In our Time Usage/Spending.

Time is the great equalizer. Money and talent vary from person to person but we all have time in the same measure. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.

Colossians 2.2-3
Don't waste time. Invest it! Make changes.
The Morning Watch- Oswald Smith
Do things that are eternal. They will outlast you! For example: pray.

If here on earth we number our days aright, we'll be so thankful in eternity. On the other side.