[Victor Kubik] What I want to talk to you about this afternoon involves an experience that I had a month ago. Last month I went to my 50th High School reunion. The class of 1965. And this left a deep impression on me, far, far deeper than I really thought it would. Because for the past 50 years, that's a long time, I've had very little, almost no contact with my fellow classmates. I just had a few close friends, but they weren't even there at the reunion and others were distant memories. After graduation I went on to college at University of Minnesota and then to Pasadena, and then to Bricket Wood Ambassador College. And I found, as many of my classmates did, once best friends the relationships faded. All of us went in our separate directions with new associations and new careers, new lives. But then came the invitation for the 50th reunion. I've only gone to the 10th so it's been 40 years since I've seen anybody. The invitation spawned many questions. I said, should I go? Who's going to be there? Would I know anyone and would they know me? What would be the point of reconnecting with people that I haven't seen mostly for 50 years? And where I live a life that is so different from all of them. Then the reunion day came and I'm sure everybody was conscious of how they looked. One nice feature of the evening was that you didn't have to guess what anybody's age was. We were all 67. As I walked into the country club where we held the affair I quickly recognized faces and personalities. Right away. I mean people I hadn't seen for 50 years and the names popped back to me a whole lot better than right now. You remember things from the past and sometimes forget things that are near. And I was very glad I came. I was very happy to see them and they seemed genuinely interested in talking and being wonderfully responsive as we talked to one another.

We did share a very common history. With some of them I go back to 5th grade and I remember being at a bus stop with actually the organizer of this event. And I stood at a bus stop with her every day. I was very annoying to her and I was actually concerned about her even not wanting to see me. But she was very happy to see me. I don't think she likes me anymore but at least she was very nice to me.

Old forgotten relationships came back and we shared many, many stories of how we were affected back then. It's amazing how much discussion just kind of came out of nowhere.

I was actually involved my last two years of high school very differently than many of them because I became more involved with events or involved with matters of faith. I didn't go to church. I didn't even realize there was a Sabbath keeping church, which there was, the last two years of my high school but I was totally unaware of it. But I dropped out of things like debate, speech and science fairs and had somewhat isolated myself from some of my class. It wasn't that I was a crusading person of great faith, I was just alone, studying, and saw that certain things should be done differently but I wasn't sure how to do them since I had no contact with any ministry. This was a traumatic period in my life.

Of our 1965 class, 365 graduated, 130 came to the reunion, but we were sobered that 40 were deceased. That was 12% of the class. I thought that's a whole classroom. That's a whole classroom of my class that is dead. Their names were read off and their pictures were put out on the table for everybody to see. Some died in Vietnam. Some died of diseases over time. Some died in accidents. And it was just very sobering because when you go to school you just don't think of these things and now it's 12% of the class is dead. The absence of old friends made us think.

We recounted so much in our discussion about the times in which we lived. This was before Woodstock. This was before flower children. This was before Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. I mean this was ancient times. This was before Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated. We were talking about all the parties that we used to go to. Run by our parents usually. And they recounted, oh I remember your mom and dad making a bonfire. We kind of lived a little bit out from the city where we had a little bit of land and could build a bonfire. And they remembered these things but we would never have a party. If you had a party in the basement you would never be without chaperons. Chaperons were absolutely necessary in the time when we were in high school.

We talked about the standards actually with the people that I talked to at the table, the standards that we lived with, the standards that we had. Actually we talked about how there was a deep dive in standards of morality, pretty much after our high school year, 1965. Then when we came to the disruptions of 1968, then the hippie movement, then Woodstock, that's free love and that type of thing, things really went downhill fast. We talked about the monumental changes that had taken place.

We talked about the fact that we would talk about certain lifestyles such as homosexuals and are now things that are paraded very, very proudly. And actually I had my meeting, or this event was just the weekend before the Supreme Court decision was made.

With the time warp to be with people that you had grown up with, went to school, like I said some of them going back to 5th grade. And then talking about their lives, and talking about things that they had gone through. One person said that he had one wife who died, and another wife who died, several had divorces that they spoke of, but one thing they talked about as we were discussing things through the evening, you know something, they were recounting their 25th reunion, which I didn't go to, where most were age 42 or so. And they said, you know when we came to the 25th anniversary we were comparing with one another. You know, what are you doing? What am I doing? What's your career path? We were comparing. But now we're all sharing life's experiences. Most everybody was retired. And one of the big questions that was asked of me was, Vic are you still at it? Yeah, I'm still at it. I'll be at it probably for awhile. But most of them had been retired and the girl that was at the bus stop with me in 5th grade, I remember how we used to compete for how many books we could read, because we had a book reading contest in 5th and 6th grade, now she's retired after being an English teacher for 40 years. And she's all happy and here she is, retired.

Well, one common comment that struck us too is that, you know something, we've grown up. We have really grown up. Even though the basis was physical, that we've grown up to be adults, we've lived our lives, we're retired, but we're grown up and we have matured, haven't we? I thought to myself, this is such an interesting discussion to be with these people that I'm a part of the same cohort group with them.

Well, this gave me the impetus to start to talk about or give a sermon about the subject of maturing as Christians. As we talked about at this reunion about maturing as people of the same age or the same experiences and going through life with coming to our 20's, getting married and having children, going through hardships and so forth in life, and then learning certain things, some the hard way. I thought to myself, Christianity is very much a very, very similar journey except that we have more to look forward to. Because as we were talking here, none of us talked about our future, except for the 12% of our class that died, and that more will die, and it wasn't too certain as to exactly where this would all lead-certain ones had certain ideas about where they would be after death-but nonetheless it was all based upon this life. But if you take a look at the scriptures and see what the message from God's word is, it's a message of maturing and growing up. And it's actually a very central point of Christian life and Christian behavior.

We haven't been called into the church into a static existence, to say, okay, I've come to see it, I've come to repentance, I am baptized, I received the Holy Spirit, and ahhh. That's only the beginning. It's a life that only starts with that and continues on as you learn, understand and practice. This is expected and demanded and if you read the writings of the apostles Paul, and what Paul writes and what Peter writes and what John writes and what Jesus Christ talks about. That our life is for the purpose of growing, of bearing good fruit, of learning and doing things better later on or after awhile of practice and continually growing.

We see a world around us that is immature. In fact, the reason for any war is immaturity. People simply can't solve an issue or a problem, or can't negotiate land or can't negotiate resources and so they kill for it. They don't like another nationality, they think they're superior. They will kill for it. How immature can you get for people that appear to be very, very rational and very civilized in the last centuries that have gone and killed and destroyed. Any outbreak of war is immature. What we see right now is childish behavior coming out of North Korea. From Russia. From Islam. It's all immature. And a very important aspect of developing as a Christian and developing to the potential that we have is to become God. Part of being born into a family, the family of God, is not just to have the name of God, but is to have His characteristics, is to be like Him. Is to be able to grow to that fullness. To do those things God is doing right now and how He is preparing us for that.

Ephesians 4:15. The apostle Paul points out the greatness of the ministry of Jesus Christ but also about the message that was being preached, the message that he was preaching. But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. Or as the NIV has it: Instead speaking the truth in love we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is Christ. I take upon that, I read from this that is a challenge to the entire church, is to grow up. To think soberly. Not to be children. And there are many passages that point this out. That we start off as children perhaps. That we are sucking the milk of the word at first as we are born as infants. But then we come to the point where we need to have meat. We need to have those things that really produce energy, that produce good outputs.

I just found a book this last week. It was only 99 cents. The title kind of grabbed me. It's called The Christian Atheist. And I thought, well, that's a very interesting book. And what was even more interesting is that it was written by a minister. He spoke about how so many Christians today are Christians in name only, but they act and live their lives as though God doesn't exist. He doesn't see what they're doing, they don't really believe that He's in their life. They feel no responsibility to really grow and to improve and they are, for all practical purposes, atheists. They don't even believe that Jesus Christ or God exists by their actions. And he said that actually the example that I want to write about he says, is just me, he says, myself. Here I am doing this job, I'm going through it and I'm portending to be a Christian minister. And I'm not even following, I'm not even connected to, I'm not even growing. And he had a wake-up call. I didn't read the whole book, I just read the thesis for it which I found to be very interesting. And I asked myself, how many of us, how many of us go through the motions, we read, we hear sermons, we read literature, we talk with one another, but how much of it really translates into growth. Into maturing. Into being different from what we had before. And we go through soberly the Passover every year where we recommit our life to Jesus Christ. We ask God to forgive our sins. We wash each others feet with sobriety. We take the bread and the wine. And then the next day we go on just as we did before. Same thoughts, same reaction to things, same gossip, same putting down, same thoughts. I used to ask the question: How much are we improving from year to year? How much are we growing as a Christian? How much are we, as was mentioned in the sermonette, burning ships behind us to force ourselves to move to new directions and new growth patterns that really produce good output? Not only as individuals but as an entire church where people can see this church is a church of people that really have it together. They are really a mature group. They really stand for things and they really do things, they do wonderful things. And this is something that can become attractive. However if it's a church where there are sparrings, there are disputes, there are put-downs, there are rumors, there is gossip, that type of thing, that's childish. And we should get away from that and we should move on towards maturity.

So, how are we growing individually and how are we growing as a church? And what is spiritual growth? Now people think, I'd like to be more spiritual. You know what spirituality is? It isn't just walking around with a halo on your head. Spirituality is how you do physical things. Spirituality is how you think, and what the values are for making you think and do the things that you do. Again, upon our coming to understanding the truth, and a lot of people understand the truth, a lot of people think this is a great place to be and some come to repentance, but then they come into a static state of mind. But we really aren't going anywhere, and yet we are told to go somewhere. We are told to move forward, we are told to grow.

Let's take a look at 1 Corinthians 3:1. The apostle Paul made numerous references to breaking out of being childish and becoming grown-up, becoming mature. Now granted, the book of Corinthians was written to a church that had its issues that needed to be straightened out. And the apostle Paul did go to Corinth he established that church. It was a church where there was a lot of growth. He had nothing happening in Athens. All he did was argue with philosophers. But he went across the bay, and Corinth was the port city for that area that included Athens. And there was a lot of response there. There was a lot of activity and a lot of people came into the truth. A lot of people became Christians in Corinth. But then, over the next several years, next three or four years, the church developed some bad habits. There was a party spirit, there was some sins that people knew about that weren't repented of, and it had a number of things that really needed to be straightened out, and the apostle Paul knowing these people wrote to them and told them about his disappointment in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people, but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; it's a big disappointment that here we are giving you milk, you're on mother's milk, and here you are four years old, it's time to eat something. It's time to have more solid food but you're still not able to take it, for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal in behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul.” and another, “I am of Apollos.” are you not carnal? Or are you not immature? Grow up! A church should not have these characteristics of envy, strife, and divisions among it. And of course, through much of the book he goes and points out the various details. Thankfully this church repented, had made some changes and grew up. We need to take a look at maturing as not only a process as individual, but also church-wide. And as a church we need to present not only an image but the fact, the reality, of us being a church that is mature. These are people with substance. These are people who are genuine. These people are not Christian Atheists where they just call themselves to be Christian but their god is far from them.

Peter writes similar thoughts. 1 Peter 2:1-2. Therefore laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. Now this is a general epistle that he is writing to the general public so to speak. Or the audience that he was writing to. What he is talking about is we come into understanding the principles of Christianity. That we need to take in the nourishment that we need to be able to grow up from being malicious, deceitful, and hypocritical and having all evil speaking erased from us. How can we, as Christians, years down the road be people who are known for evil speaking? Or divisive talk? Or things that tear others apart? That is not mature. Maturity is getting rid of those things.

Hebrews 5:12. This was another church that had it's challenges with maturity. Hebrews was the church in Jerusalem. It was the very first church established on Pentecost. It was the church where the apostles met. It's where it all began in Christianity. But the church had faded over time and one of the themes of the book of Hebrews is not only the priesthood of Jesus Christ, but beware of decline and beware of the unpardonable sin, so to speak, of walking away from everything. Hebrews 5:12-13. Therefore, for though by this time, and this is when he wrote the book, you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach again the first principles of the oracles of God. So here you have, you've been around since 31, and here we are 30 years later, and he said: you ought to be teachers. You ought to be the example to the world. You ought to be the ones to set the example to the world and to teach the world. But we're finding out that we're having to talk about Christianity 101 again. The very basics. And have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness. It's a word that leads to righteous behavior. To a changed behavior.

The one thing about the Bible which I spoke of at the ABC graduation a year ago, it's a book that can only be understood if you practice it. You can read things, you can understand them, you can have an abstraction of what this all means, but the word of God was made to be applied. And then you really understand it. The word of righteousness. It's not just nice words, it's words that lead to righteousness. For he is a babe. But solid food, Hebrews 5:14, belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. He says this is what this should lead to. Christianity and learning the things that you do from the ministry, from the reading of the word of God should lead to righteousness. Seeing the difference between right and wrong. Choosing right. Then more than anything what God wants from you is this: He wants you to voluntarily make a choice, a decision, to do right without anybody looking. Not being double-minded. Not being sneaky. Not doing one thing but saying another, or saying one thing and doing another. He wants you to make these decisions naturally, voluntarily, because what He is going to do and what He is giving you is a share in the family of God. Great trust is going to be given to you, and what you will rule and how you will manage in life eternal. And one thing God wants to know from is you have learned, applied, and grown up. You are not just a member, you don't just have a bar-code. You don't have a PIN number only and say that you are a member. But you truly have grown up and matured and  put away and done away with and grown in these areas that make you a person of substance. A person who God says I am well-pleased with you, you have done well. Come into My Kingdom. Come into My family.

He continues on in Hebrews 6:1-3, right from the end of chapter 5, verse one: Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, okay, let's get past the starter set of principles. Let us go on to perfection, not laying again, that's not going back to these originals, the foundation of repentance from dead works and faith towards God. That's a given. You should be there. Of the doctrine of baptisms. You should know that. The laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, eternal judgment, which is the understanding of the Kingdom of God, and this we will do if God permits. So he is encouraging the church to move forward. Let's grow up. Let's get past this original, simple aspect of Christianity and be grown up.
1 Corinthians 13, in the chapter about love. 1 Corinthians 13:11. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, and I understood as a child. Now when we take a look at our children, of course we love our grandchildren very much, but it's fun to watch them as they mature and develop. And one of our granddaughters, the oldest, in Michael, my son's family, she's 10 years old and she thinks in certain ways, she does things differently than she did when she was 4 or 3. Not so with the two little boys who are almost 3 now. They want something, oh they just go into a fit. And you know that's the way they are right now. But we don't want them to be that way when they are 15, or 30, or 50. We want them to get beyond that. We want them to learn to control their emotions and to control the way they handle things and the way they manage. But as a child that's okay. That's accepted except that it has to be guided and parents need to help the children grow up.

When I was a child, I understood as a child, but when I became a man I put away childish things. As you take a look at the behavior of children who are selfish, or from my graduating class in 1965 when we had our cliques and we had the way we did things. We had the elite, we had these people, so forth. They say that doesn't matter anymore. We were all talking to one another over lines we had drawn on as classmates. We were different. We said we have matured. We have grown up. Where at one time we compared; now we shared. And when you grow up you start putting away childish things. You will take a look at somebody who is saying untoward things and you say that isn't right. That's not what a Christian should be doing. Or if a person does certain things that really aren't totally correct or are unethical. We just don't do things like that. We, as a church, do things in a proper way. You put away childish, selfish, divisive things.

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. It's a process of growth where we see things in a very dim way right now, but you all have a responsibility of where you're at to move from that to a higher level of conduct, of behavior, also thought. There is one thing that nobody can control. We can control behavior for people by just enforcing rules, but we can't enforce what you think.

Interesting, in the the Soviet Union they thought they could control people, they could control marriages, they could control every aspect of a person's life. And one reason why the USSR just imploded is because the people hated the system so much. They couldn't talk about it because it was illegal. They couldn't openly criticize it because they would have been in trouble for that. But they hated it. Their minds still were theirs.

Now we as Christians, we can pretend one way and have other thoughts. Part of growing up is learning to think in a way that leads to habits of positive behavior. So that when you are talking to somebody, and one person that I love and know so much that she is exactly what she says, is my wife, Bev. She comes from Norwegian stock, a very honest people, not that all Norwegians are, but her family was. I just know that what she says is exactly the truth. She isn't trying to steer me away or trying to deceive me in any way, or say one thing and thinking something else. We should be that way. We should be that way when people talk to us, we're not always guessing—is that what he really means? Sure, he says that, but that's not what he means. That is immaturity. Maturity is being honest and if you have to say certain things that are difficult, then say them. Grow up.

1 Corinthians 14:20. The next chapter. This is a passage that I like. There is another one similar in when Paul writes: Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature. We shouldn't be children to understand things. To really understand something children oftentimes don't want to understand. How come mom, you're making me do this? How come I've got to do this? As a mature person you understand why things have to be done. And why certain rules have to be practiced. Why certain norms have to be respected. So don't be children in that, be mature to understand principles. Understand why God has His laws for us. Why He commands us certain things.

However in malice, or in malicious things, be babes. As Paul writes in another place, I don't have it right here. There are certain things that we don't even need to know about or to talk about. And unfortunately right now some of the most vile things regarding sexuality are spoken openly of in schools and children who are 9, 10 years old are becoming acquainted with transgender. Involved with or having explained to them things that were never, never talked about, of behavior that we don't believe is godly, or proper, or right. In malice be babes. Got to be dumb about things that are perverse, or about dishonest things, or how to hack into computers. It's alright to learn about it, you don't have to know those things. You don't have to know evil. But in understanding be mature.

Ephesians 4. Talking about the works and responsibilities of various leadership positions in the church. Ephesians 4:11. He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. There are various roles that have been given to the church. Some people who were motivating speakers. Others were evangelists who went out there and started churches. Some pastors who cared for those churches and some teachers who are able to teach and be able to explain and to enrich people. Ephesians 4:12-14. Purpose of which is the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry. We have various functions in the church, everything from ABC to ministerial training to a backlog of sermons on the web, to two different programs for ministers in training and so forth. It's all for the edifying, for the equipping of the saints of God in the work of the ministry. For the edifying, the building up, of the Body of Christ. Until we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. Until we all grow up and really have it very, very clearly in mind as to what God's purpose is. What God is doing.

You know one thing that we all ought to be able to understand fully is why we exist. Why we are called. You need to know this about yourself personally. If you've been baptized and you have gone through a path on a journey, you need to look back and see what has God been doing with me? What did I understand or didn't understand at one point. What have I come to understand? What have I applied and what am I going to do next to grow further, to understand things more fully so that I can grow to the fullness and stature of Jesus Christ. That's maturity. Maturity is becoming more like Jesus Christ. You want to know what really you need to be doing in life is what Jesus was; is what you need to be.

That we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine. Now we've had people that I wonder how mature are they when they pick up some book and all of a sudden have a different understanding about the nature of Christ. After being in the church for years. Or somebody who listened to some argument about something else and all of a sudden he's out of sync for a couple days in the days that he worships on. What kind of maturity is that? We should be able to understand fully what we do, why we do it, have faith in the process and functionality of the church.

I just realized that causing disruption and causing unrest is taking away from the energy of the church and it's making us look very immature to the world. The world does not care at all about us. We are so small to the world. And one thing that I really want to see. I want to see is for us to be able to shine as lights where people will be able to see them. It's something about those people. They really know what they believe. They really understand and they're really committed to their cause, and they really get along well with one another. There's something about these people that is different. And they like it, they can't explain it, because they don't understand what's made a mature person is a process of time of understanding and growing and becoming grown-up. That's where I want to see us go.

We want all these functions in the church. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to help us grow to the fullness of Christ, stature and fullness of Christ, that we no longer be children. No longer be children. Not doing what we want and being very reactive. And blown about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. Wow. Paul was pretty clear and explicit about what he says.

Okay, now let's take a look at 1 Corinthians 2:6. Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom. Now when you get to a certain point understanding the truth of God you come to a point of where you become mature and you're able to accept more understanding and knowledge. And wisdom, Godly wisdom. Although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age who are doomed to pass away. We're not talking about wisdom of the world. We're talking about Godly wisdom that needs to continually come into us. We need to practice it. We need to repeat it over and over again as a matter of habit to where we then accomplish and do these things. The apostle Paul wrote in Galatians that the law at one time was like a tutor. It was like a pedagogue. Like a teacher. And that it taught us certain things that we need to do. Because at that point at which you don't need to have that tutor standing by you all the time because you've already grown up. You're mature.

Things that I've learned even with software. I've learned how to use Photo Shop, and In Design and Free Weaver because of watching tutorial videos. I get more out of that than anything else. I've learned new tricks, I've learned new procedures and so forth by watching this tutorial video. But then once I've learned the process or learned the technique or how to do tables or images or whatever else, I don't need the tutorial anymore. I don't run it every time that I open up a new page. Because I know it. I don't need it anymore. Does it mean that it's invalid? No. It's just that I don't need it anymore because it's a part of me. I've grown up in understanding those points. And that's what we want Christians to be where you can't be talked out of things. You can't be compromised. You can't be talked out of your values. You can't be seduced, deceived, or talked away from this body or from your values. That's what maturity is and one reason why we have the trials that we do is God is testing us to see what we will do under various conditions. Will we be faithful to Him or are we going to capitulate? Are we going to sell out for a bowl of pottage? Are we going to do the things that are right and trust Him to walk us through?

Colossians 1:9. This is one of my favorite passages regarding our mission, our work and what it is that we're trying to do as a mission of the church. And so, from the day we heard we have not ceased to pray for you. When I read this passage this morning and I knelt down shortly afterwards and prayed this for the church. I think that we need to as ministers not only do our very best in teaching and promoting and encouraging but also to pray for our people. We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. I pray for our people to really understand, to read things and have them settle into their bones to where it becomes a part of them. So as to walk in a manner worthy to the Lord. So that it produces righteousness that you are doing things that make you worthy before God fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work. Bearing fruit on the job, in your marriage, in your parenting, in your writing, in your speaking. In whatever it is what you do. Bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. That is so powerful about Paul praying that people really grow up so that they can bear good fruit and they can be lights to the world. Paul's passion for prayer here is to pray for a church that will be filled with the knowledge of God's will, spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk in a manner that was worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him.

We have only so much time in this life. It was interesting, again, at my reunion, we didn't talk about spiritual things. We talked about things as we saw each other as kids, as 5th graders from age ten or eleven, now to age 67. I do know some of them, we talked about some of these in a very interesting manner. I just didn't think that we'd ever get into this. We talked about how we had grown up, about certain aspects of life itself. From being kids, to being adults that had their own children and grandchildren, had retired from their jobs and looking now into this phase of twilight years.

I'm talking to you about something much greater. I'm talking about a maturity that develops the character, that develops the bond with God that helps fulfill His purpose in us. Where we go around life saying I'm not going to do my purpose, I'm going to do what is Your purpose, God. What do you want me do do? He will help you. He will help you to grow up and to see those things. He will help you to see all those things that you really need to be doing, and thinking more than anything else, as you grow up before God.

Two passages that I like here, and I used one of them in my blog that I wrote, that some of my classmates commented on. They saw my blog and even one shared our church's blog on their Facebook time line. Psalm 39:4. David saying: Show me Lord, my life's end and the number of my days. Help me to see it, get a big picture of my days. I'm 42. I'm 28. I'm 75. I'm 67. Help me to know the number of my days. Let me know how fleeting my life is. Or, as NIV has it: Lord, make me to know my end and the measure of my days what it is that I may know how frail I am.

And finally, Psalm 90:12. So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.