Each of us has an appointed number of days on this earth but do we ever take the time to think about what that means? Psalm 90:12 says, ‘teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’

 What does it mean to ‘number our days?’ It means to recognized that our earthly life is but a decimal point on the timeline of eternity.  It means that we should live each day like it is our last, seeking the heart of the Lord in all that we do. In 1 Timothy 4:7-8, the Apostle Paul tells us, [if] “we train ourselves for godliness, we will be prepared for whatever this life brings and also for the life to come.”

Not long ago, a daily devotional post by Dr. David Jeremiah resonated with me. Basically, it said, there are 168 hours in a week. If we sleep 8 hours a night and work 8 hours a day, we are left with 56 hours per week to spend on personal care, meals, household chores, and spending time with our family and friends. How in the world do we fit the most important aspect of life into that timeframe? How do we fit the Lord of our eternal life into this earthly existence?

Dr. Jeremiah says, “the answer can be found by walking with Christ throughout every moment of your life.”

I have found that that is really a lot easier than we think. It’s as easy as talking to the Lord throughout the day. When we wake up, we can begin our morning by praying, “Lord, I love you. Thank you for the promise of this day. Thank you for another day filled with opportunities to give You glory.

When we’re at work, we can pray, “Lord, fill me with Your Spirit to guide me so that what I do, what I say, and how I treat others will be pleasing to you.”

In moments of conflict, we can pray, “O Lord, please give me the words and wisdom to bring calm to this situation. Please pour peace, patience and resolution into those of us involved in this disagreement according to Your will and purpose.”

When we are in pain, we can pray, “Father, I am hurting right now. I turn my suffering over to You. Please wipe away my tears with Your comfort, healing and grace. “

We train ourselves for godliness by having a close and continual personal relationship with the Lord. Godliness can be defined as a love of the Lord that leads to our thoughts, words and actions being pleasing to Him.

We are human and surely not every one of our thoughts, words, and actions will always be pleasing to him. But, if we strive daily to be ‘godly,’ when our earthly life comes to a close, we can pray, “Amen.” At that moment we will not be alone, because God will be there with us just as He has been our entire life.

“Invite the King of Glory to share the days [given] to you now, and you will enjoy His presence throughout eternity.” D. Jeremiah