One of the first things that I remember learning in Sunday school was Methuselah was the oldest man who ever lived. The Bible puts his age at nine hundred and sixty-nine years. I am not going to contradict the Bible, but I have come to believe that Methuselah was not the oldest man. Oh, yes, he was the oldest, so far as days and years go — but days and years are only one way of measuring the length of life. Measured thus, Methuselah’s life was exceedingly long.
Time is a rather uncertain standard for measuring a life. We must have another standard to tell the real length of a man’s life. The best standard I know by which to measure life is by what is accomplished in it. There is a great difference between existence and living. A man may do various things for a year and perhaps live only five days that matter. He has existed three hundred and sixty days and lived five days. In those five days he did something worthwhile — something worth putting in the records. The rest of the year was lived as an animal lives — to no purpose. That man, when his life is summed up, lived but five days that year. At the end of his life, we may find his life was short, after all.
We have reason to believe something of this sort was true of Methuselah. He was born, married, brought up a family and died. There was nothing else in his life worth putting into the record. Forty-six words in Genesis 5 tell the story of his life. When a man’s life can be told in 46 words it does not seem he has lived very long. In terms of accomplishment, as far as the record goes, Methuselah lived a rather short life.
Some men live a long time, in a little while.
Others live a little, in a long time.
The head of John the Baptist was cut off when he was less than thirty-five years old, yet John the Baptist had accomplished more than all the prophets before him. Jesus Christ was crucified when he was not yet thirty-five, but what amazing things he accomplished in those few short years.
The value of life is not reckoned by length, but by accomplishments. There should be a purpose in every day of life — a purpose for the whole life, and a purpose for each day. A life without purpose can never be a full life. It is not living — it is existing.
We should put something of value into every day of our life. If we ourselves do not put something into our lives — they will contain nothing.
I once constructed a cistern so that I might drink the water collected by it. Shortly after I finished, heavy rain fell but there was no water in the cistern. It had capacity, but no contents. Water had fallen on the roof to have filled it full, but there was no water in the cistern.
It is that way with many lives. There are many things that might enrich, beautify and make them worthwhile all around them. Yet, their lives are empty.
The cistern was empty because I built nothing to conduct the water to it. The rain could not go into the cistern without a gutter or other inlet. In the same way, there are many empty lives while opportunities for usefulness fall all around the person.
God never created a single human being to live a useless life. He has given everyone the capacity to accomplish things that really count. He does not expect us to be like a broken cistern that can hold no water or a cistern that has no inlet. We are expected to fill our lives with worthwhile endeavors. You can do whatever God wants you to do. You can be what God wants you to be. Your life can be a worthwhile life in your situation and in your circumstances.
Perhaps you are folding your hands and saying, “I can’t! I can’t!” That is the coward’s plea. That is the voice of the unwilling and evidence of faithlessness and laziness.
Perhaps we won’t be written about in the history books — but God will take note. If we put faithfulness, kindness, hope, and service to God into each day, every day will be worthwhile.
Methuselah lived nearly three times as long as Enoch, but Enoch “walked with God . . . three hundred years.” That is a record of real accomplishment.
If you will walk with God, you need not trouble yourself about doing great things or about getting a great name, for you will be doing the greatest of all things and getting a name more enduring than could come from any other accomplishment.
But live every day in God’s way — and every day will be a day of real life to you and a permanent addition to the record of your life.
Charles Wesley Naylor is considered one of the most prolific and inspiring songwriters of the Church of God. He was bedridden for much of his adult life but wrote eight books, a newspaper column and over 150 songs. Many of his writings are in the public domain.
