Larry A. Brookins - Make Life Count: Maximizing Our Time on Earth

MAKE LIFE COUNT

Maximizing Our Time on Earth

Larry A. Brookins

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2018 Larry A. Brookins. All rights reserved.

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Published by AuthorHouse 08/06/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5471-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5470-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018909277

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Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Website

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV). Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my sister, Charlotte M. Brookins-Hudson, who is also my editor. Charlotte is an amazing person who tirelessly gives herself in service to so many: her church, her family, her friends, her neighbors, and her God. Words cannot adequately express how grateful I am to you for your selfless collaboration on this book. You make me a better writer and the world a better place. Indeed Charlotte, you make your life count! Thank you for being who you are and for all you do.

CONTENTS

First of all, none of my accomplishments would be possible without the endowment of Gods grace and inspiration. For this, I am forever humbled. For this, I am incessantly grateful. Secondly, as with previous book projects, I must acknowledge the incredible contributions of my editor and sister Charlotte M. Brookins-Hudson to whom this book is dedicated. Charlotte is my coach who perfects my writing flaws and enhances my message. Thank you Charlotte! I also want to thank my wife Sandra who gives me quiet time to write. Last, but not least, I want to thank my parents, my siblings, my children, and my church family and friends for any and all support provided to my ministry and business endeavors, especially my L.A. Brookins Ministries traveling crew: Renee K. Robinson, Patricia A. Johnson (sister), Charlotte M. Brookins-Hudson (sister), Clarence L. and Ann M. Brookins (brother & sister-in-law), and Sammie and Debra Robinson. God bless each of you! As always: BECAUSE OF CALVARY.

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

Mae West

Tick-tock, tick-tock. Tick-tock, tick-tock. This is the sound that a clock makes as it goes around its cycle of moving time. With each tick, we get older. With each tock, life is shifting us from one phase of life to another. With each new minute of each new day, what was is no more, and as time changes and the number of our years increase, the windows of possibilities dwindle. With this in mind, it is so important that we seize our days and take advantage of every prospect of time and life.

The Bible encourages us to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16), which means that we should make the most of every opportunity (NLT). With this in mind, it is imperative that we do not ignore or neglect any season of our lives, whether it be spring (adolescence), summer (young adulthood), fall (adulthood), or winter (old age). As the climate changes around us, so does the atmosphere within us. Before we know it, black hairs become gray, eyesight grows dim, the pace of our walk decelerates, and our skin wrinkles.

With every tick-tock of time, we get an audible reminder that moments are fleeting. With every ache in our bodies, we are prompted with the notice: get it done, do it now, appropriate the season, make life count. The thought of making life count is the catalyst for this book. The thought of making life count is the reason I am motivated to script the contemplations of my mind. Too many people waste time. Too many people spend too much time doing nothing concrete with their lives.

Why are we here? Are we here to simply occupy space? Why are we here? Are we here merely to gratify ourselves? Does life have meaning? Does life have purpose? Is there any point to human life? Is there any application for human life? Some would say, we have no purpose but to exist. Some would say, we are simply the byproducts of a cosmic collision. The latter are the big bang theorists. They claim that the universe began in an explosion and expanded over billions of years to what we know it to be now through biological evolution. However, this supposition dismisses God as Creator and, thus, Gods purpose for our lives. We discuss the question of purpose and God in Chapter Two.

Let me simply say here, in making life count, we must have purpose. Can we have purpose without God? What meaning is there to life without God? From a Christian perspective, life has no meaning without God and we serve no purpose without God. An atheist may disagree, but an atheist denies or rejects the very idea that there is a God. From an atheistic view, why then are we here? From an atheistic view, what meaning is there to life? Rather than dismiss God, I dismiss the atheistic opinion. I say, emphatically, apart from God, there is no purpose or meaning to life. So then, why are we here? So then, what justifies our existence?

Like King Solomon, each of us should launch a full-scale existential investigation. In examining the Book of Ecclesiastes, in seeking purpose and meaning to life, Solomon begins with the prime observation: All is vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2). In other words, everything is meaningless (NLT) apart from God. The word vanity in the context of Solomons reflection means useless. In Solomons quest for answers he concludes: Fear God and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13). In his conclusion, Solomon, in his wisdom of research and experience, points everything to God and surmises that we should: enjoy life now and make the most of the opportunities that God gives us.

God is Creator. God is in control. Our lives are in His hands. God is the giver of life, the sustainer of life, the restorer of life, the meaning to life. Apart from God, life is monotonous, and wisdom is vain, and wealth is futile, and death is certain. The advice of Solomon: look up, look within, look ahead, and look around. The advice of Solomon: take into consideration time, eternity, death, and suffering. These are four factors that God uses to keep our lives from becoming monotonous and meaningless. In his final deduction and own implementation Solomon gives us four portraits to life and allocates to each portrait a practical admonition: 1) Life is an ADVENTURE, we should live life by faith, 2) Life is a GIFT, we should embrace it and enjoy it, 3) Life is a SCHOOL, we should learn from every lesson, and 4) Life is a STEWARDSHIP, we should reverence God, defer to His will, and use every resource to bring glory to His name.