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When someone passes away young, we find that especially sad because they could have enjoyed many more years. Missing out on those years seems truly tragic. But we should remember that a successful life is not measured in length.

Genesis 5 contains a genealogy of Adam’s descendants. At the time, men regularly lived eight or nine hundred years! But a man named Enoch only walked this earth for 365 years. That sounds like a long time, but wasn’t half of what others lived. Yet Enoch is special in the list, not because of his shortened years—in fact, the short years seemed to be a blessing. The Bible says, “Enoch walked with God, and was not, for God took him.” Enoch’s years were few compared to others, but they were good, for they were spent walking with God. Don’t make length of years your goal. Make walking with God your goal. Then, whether you live only a short time or a very long life, you will have lived the best life.

Many Pharisees were determined to oppose Jesus. There were some, however, who were open to learning more about the Lord. In John 7, some of them were angry at Jesus and the crowds who followed Him, but one of them, named Nicodemus, asked, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” That was a good question. But his peers responded, “Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

It might appear the Pharisees were encouraging Nicodemus to learn the truth for himself. After all, they said, “Search and see.” But they weren’t interested in the truth. Before he could search anything, they told him the answer they had already decided on.

Those who love and value the truth don’t just dictate it to others. They encourage others to read, study and understand God’s Word. If we want to know Jesus, and if we want others to know Him, we should genuinely want to “search and see” and learn the Lord’s Word.

When do we experience the most growth? What are the ideal conditions for personal growth? It might surprise us that the best soil for growth is often that of struggle and hardship. In Genesis, God frequently commands His creation to “Be fruitful and multiply.” God promised to make Abraham “exceedingly fruitful.” However, one of the first mentions of fruitfulness comes in Genesis 41:52 when Joseph (the man sold into slavery by his brothers) says, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” It was in Egypt—not the promised homeland of Canaan—that Jacob’s descendants truly began to be fruitful and multiply. What a picture of how life often works!

As Christians, we also should be fruitful and multiply. We should bear spiritual fruit and share the gospel so the kingdom multiplies. But we often seek to do this in comfort and ease. Don’t be afraid of hardship and struggle—some of the greatest growth we can achieve will likely come via God’s grace through trials and challenges.

When you die, will your life be worth remembering? We might think that if, at death, we look back on a long life filled with friends, success, and comfort, then that will be a life we can look back on with satisfaction. But in Luke 16, Jesus tells the parable of a rich man and a poor beggar named Lazarus. The rich man led a comfortable life, but he found himself in torment when he died. When he begged for help, Abraham answered the man, “…remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.”

If we live only for this world, we may find comfort and pleasure. But the memories of earthly comforts won’t alleviate eternal torment. If we live for the Lord, even if our lives are filled with difficulty and hardship, that life will be worth far more than memories, for it will lead us to the Lord’s eternal presence.

How do we know when we are right? How can we know when someone else is speaking truth? Too often, we determine that passion is a hallmark of truth. If I am passionate about some idea or action, then it must be right. Or we are persuaded by others because of their passion for a subject. Other times, confidence seems to be the hallmark of truth. If a thing is stated with enough confidence, it can easily be believed. Other times, folks seem to think that if they insist on something enough, it must be the truth. But passion, confidence, and persistence don’t always equate to truth.

The apostle Paul once cautioned Timothy that some would deviate from the sincere faith and engage in vain discussions “…without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.”[1] We should indeed be passionate about and committed to the truth. However, this passion and commitment should stem from learning the truth of God’s Word, not serve as a substitute for it.

[1] 1 Timothy 1:6-7

Isn’t it interesting how not having something helps us appreciate it all the more? Some common sayings teach this truth. From a negative perspective, people often say, “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” We’ve probably all learned the hard way why we should appreciate someone or something while we can. From a more positive view, we often say, “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” When loved ones are separated for a time, the pain of that separation makes the reunion even sweeter. The same is true spiritually.

Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” When we set our hopes on heaven, there will be days we grow homesick as we long to see God glorified and evil vanquished. This longing is a good thing, as it will help us focus. And just think how sweet it will be when our desire is fulfilled, we once again have the tree of life, and we are with the Lord!

What guides your life? Why do you do what you do? For some, the driving force in their life is survival. They do what they must to get by. For many, the guiding force in life is pleasure. Even work is simply a means to make money to be spent on luxurious things or experiences. Some people are guided by more noble goals such as serving family and friends. But are any of these adequate guides to life? Not really. The only guide for real success is God. The Israelites interestingly illustrate this truth.

When the Israelites traveled from Egypt to Canaan, they moved per God’s commands. Numbers 9:18 says, “At the command of the LORD the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped.” That’s simple, and it’s effective. If we will read God’s Word and obey it, we will find a guide that can see us to the Promised Land of Heaven.

Do you desire God’s grace and blessing? Probably so. Likely, we all do. But why do we long for God’s grace and blessing? Our desires for such things may be self-serving and self-centered. But listen to the opening verses of Psalm 67:

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.

The Psalmist asks God to be gracious, but his genuine desire is that the world can learn about and know God! The request for blessings isn’t self-centered—it’s God-centered! The remaining verses of Psalm 67 call for people to praise God multiple times.

Perhaps we fervently and earnestly desire God’s blessings. But how fervently do we crave God’s glory? How much do we want others to see and praise the goodness of God? Let us seek the shining face of God that others may see it and glorify Him also!