Life's Too Short for Half-Hearted Manhood: Rising to God’s Purpose
Life Is Too Short: Seize the Call to Godly Manhood
Here I am, sitting outside, soaking in the glory of this summer day. The sky is a dazzling blue, the trees are full of life, and the flowers? Well, they’re showing off a bit. Bees and hummingbirds are buzzing around like they know something about life that we often forget. The air smells fresh, alive—and it’s whispering a truth I can’t shake: Life is flying by, and it’s too precious to waste.
I’ve been thinking about how quickly time slips through our fingers. It’s like trying to hold water in your hands—no matter how tight you squeeze, it runs out. The Bible doesn't sugarcoat this reality. Moses says it plainly in Psalm 90: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” And let’s face it, we need that wisdom. Some of us are dragging chains of shame, tangled in habits that hold us hostage, desperate to break free and step into the full, God-breathed potential of our manhood. So, what’s it going to be? Will we let our days slip by, or will we embrace the urgency to grow?
Blink, and It's Gone
Think back to those defining moments in your life. Remember that high school road trip? The wedding day when you stood trembling as your bride walked toward you? The first time you held your child? Those moments felt like eternity back then, but now they seem like they happened in the blink of an eye. That’s the crazy thing about life—it zooms past when you’re not paying attention.
Moses knew this feeling all too well. He talks about God being “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:2). While we’re over here obsessing about our daily drama, God’s been around forever. That’s right, He has a front-row seat to the universe’s entire timeline, and here we are, caught up in our little blips of existence. But this isn't meant to make us feel small. It's meant to jolt us awake. Life is short, yes, but it’s packed with potential. The real question is: What are you doing with your brief moment in the spotlight?
The Two-Hour Window
Let’s put this in perspective. If God sees a thousand years as a mere yesterday, then our lives don’t even span two hours of yesterday. Think about that. Two hours. Sounds insignificant, right? But here’s the twist: Some of the most life-altering moments happen in minutes or even seconds. A heartfelt prayer, the decision to forgive, the moment you choose to surrender that secret sin to Christ—those seemingly fleeting minutes can echo for an eternity.
God doesn't measure significance by how long something lasts but by how deeply it’s lived. So, if you’re thinking, "What's the point? My life is just a blip," you’re missing it. It’s not about how long; it’s about how you spend it. Your life—your two-hour window—is an opportunity to live for something greater, to become the man God called you to be.
The Call to Masculine Urgency
Here’s the deal: If you want to grow into the man God designed you to be, you can’t afford to sit around. The world’s got enough passive men chasing shadows and avoiding their calling. Life's brevity is your wake-up call to man up and step into the purpose God has for you. You know the struggle—feeling weighed down by shame, shackled by habits you can’t seem to break. But you don’t have to live there.
The days are short and, yes, they’re evil (Ephesians 5:16). Temptations are always within reach, whispering that it’s easier to numb out than to fight for your freedom. But you’re not called to "easy." You’re called to war—to take up your cross, throw off everything that entangles, and run the race marked out for you. This is what it means to embrace Godly manhood.
You’re here to battle for purity, to love sacrificially, to stand up and lead even when it’s hard. It’s time to see your life not as a series of wasted hours but as a string of opportunities to glorify the One who gave you breath. Life is too short to live in chains. Freedom is found in Christ, and He’s inviting you to step into that freedom every single day.
Letting Go of the Lies
Look, if you’re drowning in shame or weighed down by your past, hear this: You’re not defined by what’s behind you. The cross already settled that. The same Jesus who conquered death offers you new life—a life that’s too precious to waste on the lies that you’re unworthy or too far gone.
Jesus came to break those chains. It’s time to embrace the urgency of the now and start living like you believe that truth. Your past doesn’t get to dictate your future. Your struggles, your victories—they all matter to God. So, don’t waste another second believing you’re anything less than who God says you are: His son, His warrior, His beloved.
Wisdom for the Journey Ahead
Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). This isn’t just a poetic line; it’s a roadmap for living with purpose. A heart of wisdom doesn’t dawdle in self-pity or procrastinate in the face of temptation. It recognizes the weight of each moment, each decision, each battle won or lost. It chooses to honor God with every breath.
For us men chasing Godly manhood, life becomes a battlefield where victories are found in daily surrender. This is where we strip off the "old man"—the baggage, the habits, the pride—and put on the "new man," walking in the righteousness and holiness of God (Ephesians 4:22-24). Our days may be short, but they’re meant to echo into eternity.
Get Moving
So, what’s your next move? Are you going to stay chained to the past, or will you grab hold of the freedom Christ offers? You’ve got a two-hour life to live—will it be a life of impact, of surrendered strength, of Godly manhood?
Life is too short to be wasted, but when lived for Christ, it becomes something far greater than we could ever imagine. It's not about the duration of your days but the depth of how you live them. So, let’s seize every minute, every second, for His glory. Time is fleeting, but the legacy you leave in Christ will last forever.
Reflective Questions:
1. Where are you wasting precious time that could be used to grow closer to God?
2. How does understanding the brevity of life change your perspective on the struggles you face?
3. What step can you take right now to step into the fullness of Godly manhood and live with urgency?
Your clock is ticking. What will you do with it?