Life Abundant

Does anybody really care...... about time?  American rock band Chicago might not care about it at all, however, Tom Hanks in Cast Away claims to live and die by the clock. The artist, Dali, chose to express his feelings about time in the above painting...... 

Most, if not all of us, don't have enough of it, while jailed criminals have nothing but time. Some find that they have time on their side, while others find time relentlessly against them. People claim that time heals all wounds, yet some people talk about either "killing" or having “time” to kill. In the Bible, King Solomon, speaks of time's relative availability (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8), Peter speaks of time's elasticity (2 Peter 3:8), James speaks of time's uncertainty (James 4:13-15), and the unknown author of the Hebrews reminds us of our Triune God's reliable unchanging constancy throughout the entire extent of it (Hebrews 13:8). All that being said, the band Day of Fire sings a song asking you to consider your time, and Jonathan Edwards preached about "The Preciousness of Time" in one of his sermons. 

Charles Naylor (1874-1950), Christian minister and songwriter, after two tragic accidents left bedridden for over forty years, once shared the below thought:

“Some men live a long time, in a little while. Others live only 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 its length, but by its accomplishments. There should be a purpose in every day of life—a purpose for the whole life, and a purpose for each day of the life. A life without a purpose, can never be a full life. It is not living—it is merely existing. The person without a definite purpose in life, is like a ship without a rudder. Such living is mere drifting—not accomplishing anything worthwhile. Such a person is the plaything of circumstances. The ship drifts in whichever direction the wind is blowing. So a life without a purpose—drifts, drifts. 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.”

For more on intentional living: “How Old was Methuselah?”

John 10:7-10 (ESV):

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Considering that Jesus selflessly laid down His very life in order for each of us to truly thrive, and not just merely survive, let’s not dishonor His sacrifice by failing to live in a manner that experiences the abundant life, because we find ourselves eagerly, all too willing to settle for much less.

What are your thoughts? Let's discuss. Thank you for your comments!

Do you have the time? Really. Do you?

The opening tagline of long-running daytime American soap opera Days of Our Lives, solemnly spoken by Macdonald Carey, who played the wise mentor and paterfamilias Dr. Horton, every afternoon on weekdays for decades goes as follows, “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.” The poetic line beckons us to consider how our lives inexorably flows swiftly away, just as the sand grains in an hourglass did in pre-modern days.

1 John 2:18-19 (ESV) Warning Concerning Antichrists
Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

John, informs us that humanity is in its last hour, and currently the good people of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, not known for any theological disposition, tends to not only agree, but further zero in on their timeline projection of being only two minutes away from “midnight” - the anticipated apocalypse.  If you’re curious, please read more of their latest statement.

 

In Ephesians 5:15-16, Apostle Paul encourages us to wisely be intentional on how we live life, in 

order to make the most off every opportunity because the days are evil. Jesus, during his incarnate earthly ministry, being the epitome of both wisdom and intentionality, speaking to a number of Jewish leaders said, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40)

We need to be intentional about knowing THE WORD, who was not only with God in the beginning, but is God – John 1:1, and not simply to be content to remain lost in His words, to simply increasing our knowledge, accountability, and degree of offense, guilt, and subsequent punishment by learning more about Him, yet failing to be able to live it out because we foolishly forge ahead in our own power doing our own works. Let us take care to not scorn and refuse the blessing and benefits of His Spirit to empower, enable, and assist us to identify, engage, and complete the good works, that the Lord has prepared in advance for us to do in order to glorify God and realize the full potential of our joy!

Many, if not all of us, tend to easily get distracted, tempted, and fall victim to valuing and prioritizing the loud pressing immediate demands of cheap and worthless temporal concerns over the patiently whispering call of priceless and inestimably valuable concerns of the eternal. We all too easily put off what’s best for numerous items and reasons that are much less so.  Christian rock band, Day of Fire, warns us of this insidiously deceptive danger in their song, Time. It is reminiscent of the jovially truthful quip: “Many of those who arrogantly plan for a midnight conversion tend to find themselves dying sometime during the eleventh hour!”

We need to be intentional about not only attending, but actually being the CHURCH to purposely encounter & worship THE LIVING GOD, immediately repenting of the faithless and anti-biblical ideas of not needing CHURCH or to go to simply enjoy caroling with fellow believers while being entertained by a good sermon.

Therefore let us live lives that inspire, invite, and help others choose to come to the Father through Jesus His Son, before six strong men are asked to carry us into one of His church services.

    

For a good sermon on this topic:  

To the Preacher – The Idolatry of Intelligence, by Leonard Ravenhill”

John9:4(ESV) We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.

Therefore, we should hearken to heed Jesus’ instruction to each of us, even more diligently, with the time that God has graciously given us, and for which one day, sooner than we may like, will be responsible to provide Our Holy Father  an accounting.

What are your thoughts? Let's discuss. Thank you for your comments!!