Living Life With the End in Mind

It is easy to get focused on the everyday responsibilities of life and forget that our time here on this earth is short and our days are numbered. While this is not a thought we often like to dwell on, understanding this truth is crucial to a life of effective service and productivity.

Our response to life’s brevity should lead us to ponder the things of the Lord and live our lives with intentionality. David reflects on this reality in the 39th psalm. In this psalm, we can learn from his example on how we should live our lives with the end in mind.

Psalm 39:4-5

O LORD, make me know my end

and what is the measure of my days;

let me know how fleeting I am!

Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,

and my lifetime is as nothing before you.

Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah

In Psalm 39, David is praying for the Lord to impress upon him the reality of his days. This reality is that his life is short and fleeting. He desires to know this truth because in knowing this truth he can embrace his purpose—to glorify and serve God.

His desire is to live his life with the end in mind. This is an important question for us, as fathers, to consider as well. How can living with the end in mind change the way that we live now as we seek to also glorify and serve God?

Intentionality

If we truly understand that life is short, we will have a much harder time procrastinating the important pursuits in life. When someone is diagnosed with a terminal illness, they usually ask the question, “How long do I have left?” They ask this question in order to gauge what they can or cannot do in the time they have remaining. Whether they have a few weeks or a few years, they desire to be intentional about the time they have.

The same principle applies for the believer in Christ. We don’t know how much time is left for us; therefore, we should be intentional in how we lead our families. We should be intentional about our relationship with God. We should not put off or coast in whatever cause or purpose God is calling us to be a part of. We should pursue it with a clear and focused intentionality.

Urgency

What is the difference between intentionality and urgency? Intentionality is the reality that you are deliberate and purposeful, while urgency is the manner in which you are deliberate and purposeful. Knowing that we, at best, have 80-90 years to live on this planet should produce an urgency in how we live.

We should be urgent in teaching the Gospel to our children. We should be urgent in cultivating our relationship with our wives. We should be urgent in the vocational assignments that God has entrusted to us. Urgency is not chaotic or out of control. It is a controlled conviction that takes seriously the truth that we have a limited amount of time and God’s purposes matter most.

Wisdom

Living with the end in mind also produces wisdom. This is the exact point Moses is making when he prays in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Knowing our finite and limited reality actually gives us wisdom.

If I know that I am not promised tomorrow, I will take the opportunity to play with my child rather than responding with frustration to them because I want “me” time. If I truly believe that my time is limited, I will prioritize what matters most in eternity rather than living for earthly pleasures.

I once heard a teacher encourage his students to know what they want written on their tombstones so that they would with clarity and wisdom pursue what matters most. We would do well to apply this principle to our own lives.

Preparation

On a very practical note, the brevity of life should also produce preparation in our lives. Husbands and fathers, one of the best things you can do to prepare your family is to understand that you won’t be around forever. Are your wife and kids taken care of? Do you have life insurance in place? Are you investing your income and assets now so that, in the future, your family is provided for?

We often dismiss these practical matters as being “unspiritual,” but the most spiritual thing you can do for your family is to prepare for life beyond you. Psalm 39 teaches us this lesson. And even more important than life insurance and retirement plans, is the daily and consistent preparation of the Gospel that you cultivate in your home.

Is your family prepared for eternity? Have you led your wife and children to pursue the things above rather than things on this earth? Above everything, let your preparation be a Gospel-rooted preparation.

Conclusion

Psalm 39 does not stand out as a joyful psalm. David is wrestling with his own mortality and struggle, but he ends the psalm with a touch of joy. He writes in vv. 12-13, “‘Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers. Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!’”

David embraced the reality that his life was short because he knew that his destination was not this present earth. He was living for an earth to come. If all we had was the knowledge that our life is short, this life would be miserable. But we can embrace the brevity of life with joy, because we know that we are merely sojourners here. If we are in Christ Jesus, our destination is His kingdom for all eternity. Live this “short” life with joy! The trials, struggles, blessings, and victories are all leading us to life with Christ for all eternity.