Remember the Creator

Welcome to Our Daily Bread. I'm Sheridan Voisey and I've called our reading today, Remember the Creator. I recently read a novel about a woman who refuses to acknowledge she has terminal cancer. When Nicola's exasperated friends force her to face the truth, the reason for her avoidance emerges. I've wasted my life, she tells them. Though born with talents and wealth, I made nothing of my life. I was sloppy.

I never stuck at anything. The prospect of leaving the world now, feeling she'd achieved little, was too painful for Nicola to contemplate. I was reading Ecclesiastes around the same time and found the contrast stark. Its teacher won't let us avoid the reality of the grave, saying in chapter 9, the realm of the dead where you are going. And while this is hard to face, it can lead us to value every moment we have now, intentionally enjoying our food and families, working purposefully, taking adventures and risks, and doing it all before the God we'll one day answer to.

Nicola's friends point out that her faithfulness and generosity to them proves her life hasn't been a waste. But maybe the teacher's advice can save us all from such a crisis at the end of our lives. Remember our Creator, follow His ways, and embrace every opportunity to live and love that today He provides. Today's scripture reading is from Ecclesiastes chapter 9 verses 7 to 10.

For this is your lot in life, and in your toilsome labour under the sun. Let's pray together. Lord, today we remember that our earthly lives are short, so as the teacher of Ecclesiastes tells us, would You help us to value every moment we have, savouring our food and our families, working purposefully, and taking adventures and risks. Thank You for the gifts that today holds. We will enjoy its simple pleasures and embrace its opportunities as an act of worship to You. And we will do it all in Jesus' name, in whom we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening. I'm Sheridan Voisey and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.