proper view redux

The below is a recycling of thoughts I've posted before but since it comes up repeatedly in my life, I'm reposting it. Specifically, this is a letter (edited) I just sent to a friend of mine in the role of senior pastor (he's a church planter). We were talking about the activities that consume us in the organization we call church and the seemly endless arguing within and between churches ...

Regarding aging and wisdom ... while somewhat out of context, I think these play well ...

Psa 90.10 - The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty ...
Psa 90.12 - So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

On my birthday this year, I will have lived 16,801 days - almost half of that with Our Lord's forgiveness and under His leadership. If I live until 70, I have only 8,763 days left. If I make it to 80, I have 12,419 left. Who knows, I may not make it until tomorrow. Only God knows.

Psa 111.10 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding .

I love James 4.13ff because it combines these two principles from Psalms.

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

The difference between the evil man and us is a proper understanding of God and a proper understanding of life ( i.e., it is a vapor).

Knowing how little I have left and knowing the awesome reality of God in my life, how do I want to spend my remaining days? Bickering over doctrine? Making money for P&G? Building a fine organization with a great community center?

NO!

Is doctrine good? Absolutely.
Is working for P&G good? For me so far yes.
Is building up your "church" with a great community center good? I suspect yes.

But are these things the goal? Should they ever consume us? Should the become our passion? Should they be points of dissension? Never let it be so!

Ecc 12.13 - The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

And of course the greatest commands are to love God and to love people.