Every year at this time the days grow shorter, the leaves change color and fall, and the nights grow cooler. Many enjoy fall as their favorite time of the year. There is relief from the summer's heat. The country side becomes a flower garden of gold, red, orange and yellow. Vacations are over, children are back in school and our lives settle into a more organized pattern.

Yet, to the serious minded, each fall is a reminder that the seasons of nature truly parallel the "Times of our lives. " We are reminded that every living thing (plants, animals, and humans) have their natural cycles. Job wrote, "Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down."

Later in a Psalm attributed to Moses it is written: "As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, of it due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away" (Psa. 90:10, NASV).

Whether you are in the spring, summer, fall or winter of your life, you need to be realistic enough to plan for the future. In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus tells a parable in which he describes a successful farmer who worked, hard and made preparations for a long retirement of "Many Years." Now, there is no condemnation for hard work or for making provisions for the future. Even the squirrels and other creatures do as much. Rather, the rich farmer's mistake was in making all his plans and provisions for this world and this life. God said the man was a fool because, on the brink of retirement, he had laid up treasures for himself in this world but he was "not rich toward God."

In Colossians 3:2, Paul encourages one and all to set their affection "on things above, not on things on the earth'." And in 1 John 2:17, John explains, "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."

As surely as winter will follow the fall, so death and judgment will follow this life. Every person will appear before Jesus to answer for the deeds done in the body (2 Cot. 5:10).

As we use the mild days of fall to prepare for the winter that will follow, we urge you to use the days of your life now to prepare for judgment to come!

Guardian of Truth XXVII: 20, p. 616
October 20, 1983