Your Life Is Running Away—Where Will It End?

When the Passing Seasons Remind Us That Our Days Are Numbered, Death Is Certain, and Only Jesus Christ Can Give Us Everlasting Life

Scripture References — Psalm 90:12 • John 11:25-26

“So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’”   

Introduction — The Seasons Are Changing, and So Are We

Here we are in October, 2026.  Always my favorite month of the year.  My wife loves to get out of the house and head up all through the Sierras and view the magnificent change of seasons throughout the different forest ranges.

There is something remarkably beautiful about autumn. The summer heat begins to fade, the mornings become cooler, and the leaves turn brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red. Before long, those same leaves begin falling to the ground. The days grow shorter, the nights become longer, and another year moves toward its conclusion.

Yet behind all this beauty lies a sobering reminder: Everything in this fallen world is passing away, including us.

The leaves that were green only weeks ago are now scattered across the ground. The flowers that bloomed in spring have withered. The long days of summer have disappeared. And just as surely as the seasons change, the years of our lives continue slipping away.

We cannot stop the clock. We cannot recover yesterday. We cannot purchase another hour of life, regardless of how much money we possess.

Every sunrise brings us another day of God's mercy, but every sunset reminds us that another day of our earthly lives is gone forever.  As I age, I am more and more aware of each passing day, and at the same time thankful for each new one.

Perhaps you remember being a young man or woman, filled with strength, ambition, and dreams about the future. You thought you had all the time in the world. But suddenly the years have passed. Your hair has turned gray, your body has weakened, and people you once knew are no longer living.

Where did all those years go?

And more importantly, where will you go when your remaining years are finished?

The Christian does not have to approach that question with hopelessness. The same God who numbers our days has provided eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.

But before we can appreciate the glorious promise of eternal life, we must understand what Scripture teaches about the brevity of our earthly existence.

The Biblical Backdrop — Moses, Mortality, and the Promise of Resurrection

Psalm 90 is one of the most remarkable chapters in the entire book of Psalms. Its superscription identifies Moses, the man of God, as its author, making it the only psalm specifically attributed to him.

Moses had witnessed the power, holiness, mercy, and judgment of Almighty God. He had seen the plagues of Egypt, the miraculous deliverance through the Red Sea, and the provision of God throughout Israel's wilderness wanderings.

But Moses had also witnessed something terribly sobering: an entire generation dying in the wilderness because of unbelief and rebellion.

According to Numbers 14, the Israelites who refused to trust God's promise concerning the land of Canaan were sentenced to wander in the wilderness until that unbelieving generation had died.

For nearly forty years, Moses watched death claim one person after another.

He understood better than most that human life is brief and that sin has consequences.

In Psalm 90:3, Moses declares:

“You turn man to destruction, And say, ‘Return, O children of men.’”

Then, in verses 5–6, he compares human life to grass that flourishes in the morning but withers by evening.

Moses was not simply reflecting on the natural process of aging. He was acknowledging that humanity lives under the consequences of Adam's fall and God's righteous judgment against sin.

Genesis 3:19 declares:

“For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

Yet Psalm 90 is not intended merely to frighten us with the certainty of death. It teaches us to live wisely in the presence of the eternal God.

That is why Moses prays:

“So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Now consider our second passage, John 11. (Commit that verse to memory.)

Jesus had arrived near Bethany following the death of His beloved friend Lazarus. Martha, Lazarus's sister, was grieving deeply. Her brother had been dead for four days, and from every human perspective, the situation was hopeless.

But Jesus spoke words that changed everything:

“I am the resurrection and the life.”

Notice that Jesus did not merely promise to provide resurrection someday. He declared that resurrection and life are found in His own person.

The One who stood before Martha possessed authority over the grave itself.

Shortly afterward, Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb, demonstrating His divine power over death.

Yet Lazarus would eventually die again. His restoration to earthly life pointed forward to something far greater: the final resurrection secured by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

These two passages bring us face-to-face with two tremendous truths:

Our earthly lives are quickly passing away, but eternal life is found in Jesus Christ alone.     

Main Point #1 — Your Life Is Brief, Whether You Realize It or Not

James 4:14 asks a question that every person should seriously consider:

“For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

A vapor appears briefly in the cool morning air, and then it disappears.

That is how James describes our earthly existence.

We may live seventy, eighty, or even ninety years, but measured against eternity, our lives are incredibly short.

Job 14:1 reminds us:

“Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble.”

Consider how quickly the different stages of life disappear. Childhood gives way to adolescence. Adolescence becomes adulthood. Before long, the responsibilities of middle age arrive, followed by the weakening that accompanies advancing years.  You wake up one morning, and say ‘O Lord, how can I be this old, and in this condition.”  Life really does go by that fast.

And no matter how desperately we try, we cannot reverse the process.  There are no do-overs, fountains of youth, or time machines.

Robert Frost, in his poem “West-Running Brook,” contemplated the relentless movement of life toward death. Watching a flowing stream, he reflected upon existence as something continually running away.  I only know this because I recently read his comments in a book of poems.

That picture is remarkably appropriate.

Imagine standing beside a river. The water passing before your eyes will never pass that exact spot again. It continues moving downstream, carrying everything toward its destination. I’ve reflected on that thought more than once, watching the amazing Yosemite falls, and wondering where all that water will end up.  We see it once and never again.

Our lives are much the same.

Yesterday is gone. Today is passing. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

But Scripture teaches something even more significant: Our days are not governed by blind chance.

Psalm 139:16 declares that our days were written in God's book before any of them existed.

God knows the precise length of every human life.

We do not determine how many days we receive, but we are responsible for how we use the days God gives us.

Charles Spurgeon frequently urged his hearers to consider eternity rather than live as though earthly life would never end.

That remains an important warning.

A man can spend decades preparing for retirement, accumulating possessions, and planning his future while giving almost no serious consideration to the eternal inheritance awaiting him.

Jesus described such a man in Luke 12:16–21.

The wealthy farmer planned to build larger barns and enjoy many years of prosperity.

But God said to him:

“Fool! This night your soul will be required of you.”

His tragedy was not that he possessed wealth. His tragedy was that he had prepared for everything except eternity.

The question is not whether your life is passing away. The question is whether you are prepared for where it is taking you. 

Main Point #2 — Death Is Certain, but It Is Not the End of Our Existence

Hebrews 9:27 declares:

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”

Death is the great appointment that no human being can cancel.

The wealthy and the poor, the educated and the uneducated, the powerful and the powerless must eventually face it.

Death does not respect position, possessions, reputation, or personal accomplishments.

Yet one of the greatest mistakes people make is assuming that death means the complete extinction of human existence.  That’s what guys like Richard Dawkins and other famous atheists would have you believe.   That’s the natural man who is looking through glasses that are “spiritually discerned.” (l Cor. 2:14)

Scripture teaches otherwise.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 states:

“Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.”

Our physical bodies return to dust, but death does not terminate our accountability before God.

Every human being will stand before the righteous Judge.

This is why the Christian tradition has long emphasized the Latin expression “memento mori,” meaning “remember that you must die.”

 Also read that in a book.

The purpose is not to encourage morbid thinking or constant despair. Rather, remembering death helps us recognize what truly matters.

It reminds us that earthly accomplishments cannot save our souls, that sinful pleasures offer no lasting satisfaction, and that the opportunity to repent should never be taken for granted. None of us know what tomorrow will bring.

The fourth-century theologian Athanasius addressed the problem of death in his famous work On the Incarnation.

He explained that humanity's corruption and mortality were consequences of sin, but that God, in His extraordinary mercy, provided salvation through the incarnation of His eternal Son.

Jesus Christ took upon Himself a genuine human body, capable of suffering and dying, so that He might accomplish redemption through His sacrificial death.

This was no accident or desperate response to an unexpected problem.

The salvation of sinners through Jesus Christ was part of God's eternal redemptive purpose.

Romans 6:23 declares:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Death is the wages our sins deserve.

Eternal life is the gift that God provides through His Son.

But this gift is not received through religious activity, moral improvement, or simply acknowledging that God exists.

It is received through genuine repentance and saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Death will eventually separate us from everything we possess on earth, but it cannot separate the redeemed believer from the love of God in Christ Jesus.    

Main Point #3 — Jesus Christ Entered Our Dying World to Conquer Death

Here we arrive at the glorious heart of the gospel.

The eternal Son of God entered a world filled with sin, suffering, corruption, and death.

John 1:14 declares:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

Jesus Christ did not merely appear to be human. He became truly man while remaining truly God.

He experienced hunger, weariness, sorrow, rejection, and physical suffering.

Yet unlike every other human being descended from Adam, Jesus was completely without sin.  (2 Cor. 4:21)

He lived the perfect life of obedience that we have failed to live.

Then, in fulfillment of God's redemptive purpose, He willingly offered Himself upon the cross.

Isaiah 53:5 declares:

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.”  Just one of the more than 300 predictive prophecies concerning Christ in the Old Testament.

Christ did not die because He deserved judgment.

He died as the sinless substitute for His people, bearing the penalty of their sins and satisfying divine justice.

Athanasius (c. AD 296–373) was a prominent fourth-century Christian theologian and bishop of Alexandria, Egypt. He was one of the early church's most courageous defenders of the deity of Jesus Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity.

This brilliant man emphasized this wonderful truth in On the Incarnation:

“The Son assumed a mortal body so that, through His death, He might overcome the corruption and death that held humanity captive.”

But the story does not end at Calvary.

On the third day, Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave.

The resurrection was God's triumphant declaration that the sacrifice of His Son had been accepted and that death had been conquered.

First Corinthians 15:55 proclaims:

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

For the believer, physical death remains a painful reality, but it no longer carries the condemnation that sin deserves.

Christ has removed that condemnation through His finished work.

And one day, every believer will experience the resurrection of the body.

The Christian hope is not merely that our souls will survive death. It is that Christ will raise His redeemed people to everlasting, glorified life.  This is what we have to look forward to.

First Corinthians 15:52 promises:

“For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

Consider what that means.

Bodies weakened by age, disease, injury, and suffering will be raised in glory.

Pain will be gone. Death will be no more. Sin will never again corrupt the redeemed creation.

Revelation 21:4 promises that God will wipe away every tear and that death, sorrow, crying, and pain will pass away.

The same Savior who conquered the grave has promised that everyone who truly belongs to Him will share in His resurrection victory.

That is why Christians can face death with hope rather than hopelessness.        

Main Point #4 — Number Your Days and Live for What Will Last Forever

Knowing that life is brief should profoundly change how we live.

Moses did not pray, “Lord, teach us how to live longer.”

Rather, he prayed:

“So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

There is an enormous difference between merely counting our days and learning to number them.

Counting our days concerns how long we live.

Numbering our days is not merely about recognizing how short life is, but about living each day wisely and faithfully before Almighty God.

A person may live ninety years and accomplish very little of eternal significance.

Yet another, like the remarkable missionary to the Native Americans, David Brainerd, may live only twenty-nine years and leave behind an extraordinary testimony of faith, sacrifice, and devotion to Jesus Christ.

 Although his earthly life was brief, his passionate pursuit of God and tireless labor for the salvation of souls left a spiritual legacy that has inspired generations of believers and missionaries.

The true measure of a life is not found in the number of years we live, but in how faithfully those years are spent for the glory of God.

So dear friends, the issue is not simply the length of our earthly lives, but whether those lives are surrendered to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:15–16 instructs believers to walk carefully, wisely, and redeem the time because the days are evil. Was there ever a truer statement?

We redeem the time by using the opportunities God places before us for His glory.

That includes prayer, obedience, repentance, studying Scripture, encouraging fellow believers, sharing the gospel, and demonstrating Christlike love toward others.

Jonathan Edwards, the eighteenth-century theologian, understood the importance of eternity. In his youthful resolutions, he determined to live with the seriousness appropriate to someone who would eventually face death and stand before God.

That is an attitude every Christian should cultivate.

Ask yourself: What am I doing today that will matter when my earthly life is over?  Remember, missionary C.T. Studds famous line in his poem, Only One Life, where he said, – “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”  Oh, how true.  That poem is especially near and dear to my heart and encourages me to stay busy, doing the work of the Lord, and striving to cross the finish line, where I might hear those glorious words, “well done thy good and faithful servant.

Here is as personal as it gets for me.  When our Savior comes, I’d like to be busy at returning a letter to a prisoner, working on the next devotional discipleship material, on the phone with a prisoner, or visiting a prisoner in person at a local prison.  

What should we be asking ourselves?

Am I growing in holiness?

Am I forgiving those who have wronged me?

Am I using my opportunities to encourage others?

Am I becoming more like Jesus Christ?

Am I faithfully serving the Lord wherever His providence has placed me?

These are questions of eternal significance.

Jesus declared in Matthew 6:20:

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”

The possessions of this world eventually disappear, but what is done in genuine faith and obedience to Christ is never forgotten by God.

First Corinthians 15:58 reminds believers that their labor in the Lord is not in vain.

You cannot prevent your earthly life from passing away, but by God's grace, you can spend your remaining days pursuing what has eternal value.      

Prison Application — Your Years Are Passing, but Your Life Is Not Without Purpose

For those living behind prison walls, the passing of time can be especially painful.

Days become weeks. Weeks become months. Months become years.

Some men have watched ten, twenty, thirty, or even forty years pass while confined within the same prison system.  For years I’ve been writing to three amazing brothers in the Lord, all who have been in prison between 55-60 years.  I lost one of them two weeks ago to cancer at age 84.

Others are serving life sentences with little or no expectation of ever returning to society.  My database reflects that we are reaching out and ministering to around 85 men and a handful of women who are doing life without parole.

Birthdays come and go. Family members grow older. Children become adults. Loved ones pass away.

And sometimes a man looks back and wonders where his entire life has gone.

Perhaps you have asked yourself, “Have I wasted my life? Is there anything meaningful left for me?”

The answer depends upon your relationship with Jesus Christ.

If you are outside of Christ, the most urgent matter is not how many years remain on your sentence. It is your need to be reconciled to God through repentance and faith.

But if you belong to Jesus Christ, understand this wonderful truth:

Your prison sentence does not determine the eternal value of your life.

The apostle Paul spent significant portions of his ministry under arrest and confinement, yet God used him to write inspired letters that continue strengthening believers throughout the world.

Paul could be physically restrained, but the Word of God was not bound (2 Timothy 2:9).

Your circumstances may limit where you can go, but they cannot prevent you from praying, studying Scripture, growing in holiness, encouraging another prisoner, or bearing witness to the transforming power of Jesus Christ.  There is someone in the prison yard today who needs an  encouraging word.  Why can’t that be you?

A man serving life without parole can possess greater spiritual freedom than someone outside prison who remains enslaved to sin.

And a man who has spent decades behind bars can still finish his earthly race faithfully.

Do not waste your remaining years dwelling endlessly upon opportunities that are gone.   Don’t live in the past, as you will never get it back.  Live for your Savior today and let him use you in ways you never imagined.

Repent of past sins, learn from past failures, and devote the days that remain to the glory of God.

Your past cannot be changed, but by God's grace, your present can be lived faithfully.

And if you belong to Christ, your future is secured by His resurrection.

Whether your remaining earthly life consists of thirty years, three years, or three months, every day provides another opportunity to honor your Savior.      

Final Thought — Life Is Running Away, but Where Is It Taking You?

Autumn is here, It will come and go. Winter will follow. Another year will end, and another will begin.

The river of time will continue flowing.

Eventually, every one of us will reach the end of our earthly journey.

The great question is not whether that day will come, but whether we will be prepared to meet the Lord.  Don’t put off till tomorrow what you know you can do today.  

You may never preach a sermon, be a church elder, or even sing in the choir, but you can reach out and drop an encouraging word to someone who is struggling.  You can dare to be a Barnabas!

For those who die without Christ, death leads to judgment.

But for those who have been redeemed through His blood, death becomes the doorway into His glorious presence while they await the resurrection of the body.

Jesus said in Revelation 1:18:

“I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”

What a magnificent declaration!

The One who holds the keys of death is the very Savior who laid down His life for His sheep.

So when the leaves begin falling, when the seasons change, and when the years seem to disappear more quickly than ever, remember this:

Your earthly life is running away, but for the believer in Jesus Christ, it is not running toward oblivion. It is moving toward the fulfillment of God's eternal promises.

May we number our days wisely, walk faithfully before our God, and finish our race with our eyes fixed upon Jesus Christ.

For those who belong to Him, the end of earthly life is not the end of life itself.

It is the beginning of an eternity in the presence of our glorious Redeemer.       

Reflection Questions

1. When I consider how quickly the years of my life have passed, what does that teach me about the importance of eternity?  

2. What does Moses mean when he asks God to teach us to number our days?  

3. Why is death not the end of human existence, according to Scripture?  

4. How does the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ change the believer's understanding of death?  

5. Am I genuinely trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation, or am I depending upon religious activities and personal goodness?  

6. What opportunities has God given me, even in difficult circumstances, to use my remaining days for His glory?  

7. If the Lord called me into eternity today, would I be prepared to stand before Him?         

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Teach us to number our days and to recognize how brief our earthly lives truly are. Forgive us for the time we have wasted pursuing things that have no eternal value.

Help us to live wisely, walk in holiness, and faithfully serve You with whatever days remain.

Thank You for sending Your beloved Son to conquer sin and death through His sacrifice and glorious resurrection.

Strengthen our faith, deepen our love for Christ, and prepare our hearts for the day when we shall see Him face-to-face.

May we finish our earthly race faithfully, bringing glory and honor to Your holy name.

In the precious name of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Savior, we pray. Amen.

From: Fight the Good Fight of Faith / Life Journal: by Gregg Harris