Some Reflections On Seventy-Two Years

As I observed another birthday a little over a month ago, the following are some reflections on the seventy-two years that God has graciously granted me on this terrestrial planet called earth (Acts 17:24-26; cf. Isaiah 42:5).
In the above time span, I’ve learned the following:

• To stay out of other people’s business (1 Thessalonians 4:11).
• To pay creditors in a timely fashion (Romans 13:8).
• That life is many times not fair.
• That a man’s word should be his bond.
• Not to lie to people or God (Acts 5:1-11), remembering there won’t be any liars in heaven (Revelation 21:27).
• That the Bible contains the solution to every problem that we will ever face on earth (2 Peter 1:2-3). 
• That human beings do just about what they “want” to do — no more and no less (Genesis 11:1-6).
• That godly parents should  teach moral values to their children at a very early age (Ecclesiastes 12:1; Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 3:14-15; cf. Luke 2:52).
• That people don’t care how much we know, until they know how much we truly care.
• That we really don’t know what kind of an individual we’re dealing with until we get into his pocketbook.
• That work is a blessing from God (Genesis 2:15).
• That you can’t judge a book by its cover.
• That no matter how much money we have, it’s never enough (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
• That our influence, either for good or evil, is far-reaching (1 Thessalonians 1; Acts 1:15-19).
• That God is “testing” us here on earth to see whether or not we are the “genuine article” (1 Peter 1:3-7; cf. Genesis 22:1-12; Deuteronomy 8:1-3; James 5:10-11).
• To live every day as if it were our last (Ecclesiastes 9:10; Luke 12:16-21).

And last (but certainly not least), is that our time on earth is short, therefore let us be about our Father's business! (Luke 2:49).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets