"Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 'Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, 'I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’”” 2 Kings 20:4-6
God sent Isaiah to inform King Hezekiah to set his house in order because his life was being required of him. In response, he turned his face to the wall, wept bitterly and asked the Lord to remember his faithfulness to Him. In short, he begged for more time.
Beloved, if we found ourselves in a similar situation and God found favor with our request, what would we do with the additional time? As it is, much can be known about a person by how they spend their resources and their time. It is time for us to examine ourselves. Is Christianity just lip service? Is it something that we just do on Sunday mornings and perhaps Wednesday nights? Is it just a label we wear or a heavenly expectation that we have?
If we were in Hezekiah's position and we were granted more time, would we do things differently than we are doing them now? Or shall we be like the man who rested in the comfort of his possessions, planning to tear down barns to build greater ones to store more stuff? "But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’" Luke 12:20.
If we would do things differently, why are we not doing things differently now? None of us knows when our souls will be required of us. Should we not all live every day like it is our last? Should we not all be busying ourselves in the harvest of the Lord where the workers are but few? Jesus said, "I must work the works of Him that sent me while it is day: the night comes when no man can work" John 9:4.
The only time that we can take for granted is the moment we are in. The very next one is un-promised and unsure. If you had more time, what would you do?
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Lee
Showing posts with label Time. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Time. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Gift of Time-11/28/2011
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Pet 3:9
Contextually, Peter is addressing the taunts of those who question, at worst, the existence of God and at best, the prophesied return of the Lord. He reminds his audience that God is not on man’s timetable. Before we ever existed, He created all that there is and that there was never a time that He did not exist. Citing that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day,” he establishes that God is above and beyond time. This said, Peter further relates that God is doing us a tremendous favor by delaying the end of the age.
Beloved, there are some that are anxious for the return of the Lord. Looking as we do at the prevailing condition of this world and the people who occupy it, some are hungry for righteousness and justice to prevail and things to be set right by He who is the Master of the Universe. Others are not so anxious for the day to come due to the root cause of a lack of readiness. Regardless of one’s position, all should rejoice in the wisdom and love of the Lord. For those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, know that the delay is due to God’s fervent desire that none are lost. What could be more righteous? For those who are “not ready” you are the object of His longsuffering. His coming, however, is as certain as the fact that the past has already occurred. In that when the time comes it will take place in an instant and that we do not know when that time will come, we only have this moment to be ready. The next moment is not promised. We therefore must not delay as He has done on our behalf. Surely whatever motives anyone has for doing so are nonsensical. The time He is giving is a gift and that gift has an unknown expiration date. Better use it. Now.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Contextually, Peter is addressing the taunts of those who question, at worst, the existence of God and at best, the prophesied return of the Lord. He reminds his audience that God is not on man’s timetable. Before we ever existed, He created all that there is and that there was never a time that He did not exist. Citing that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day,” he establishes that God is above and beyond time. This said, Peter further relates that God is doing us a tremendous favor by delaying the end of the age.
Beloved, there are some that are anxious for the return of the Lord. Looking as we do at the prevailing condition of this world and the people who occupy it, some are hungry for righteousness and justice to prevail and things to be set right by He who is the Master of the Universe. Others are not so anxious for the day to come due to the root cause of a lack of readiness. Regardless of one’s position, all should rejoice in the wisdom and love of the Lord. For those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, know that the delay is due to God’s fervent desire that none are lost. What could be more righteous? For those who are “not ready” you are the object of His longsuffering. His coming, however, is as certain as the fact that the past has already occurred. In that when the time comes it will take place in an instant and that we do not know when that time will come, we only have this moment to be ready. The next moment is not promised. We therefore must not delay as He has done on our behalf. Surely whatever motives anyone has for doing so are nonsensical. The time He is giving is a gift and that gift has an unknown expiration date. Better use it. Now.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Faith Worth Fighting For-DD 3/9/11
"I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints." Jude 3
As children of God, we are heirs to a legacy. It is a legacy of truth, of true reality and of love. True reality is mentioned because the temporary lives we lead are the slightest prologue to eternity. This eternity of truth, reality and love are a gift, but it is one that must be chosen. It is not received simply by being born. Though available to all, it takes a conscious decision to obey the gospel and become children of God.
Beloved, for this matter we must exert intense effort to attain and maintain the faith. As the context of the passage shows, their are many who not only do not believe, but actively oppose righteousness and its author the Almighty. They are described in very specific fashion and their characteristics can be seen all around us. Make no mistake, the intense effort is necessary because the opposition is strong.
God has given us not only the reason to strive for righteousness, but the tools to do it. Remember the brevity of life for the child of God. Time is limited to make the right decision and to live the right life.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
As children of God, we are heirs to a legacy. It is a legacy of truth, of true reality and of love. True reality is mentioned because the temporary lives we lead are the slightest prologue to eternity. This eternity of truth, reality and love are a gift, but it is one that must be chosen. It is not received simply by being born. Though available to all, it takes a conscious decision to obey the gospel and become children of God.
Beloved, for this matter we must exert intense effort to attain and maintain the faith. As the context of the passage shows, their are many who not only do not believe, but actively oppose righteousness and its author the Almighty. They are described in very specific fashion and their characteristics can be seen all around us. Make no mistake, the intense effort is necessary because the opposition is strong.
God has given us not only the reason to strive for righteousness, but the tools to do it. Remember the brevity of life for the child of God. Time is limited to make the right decision and to live the right life.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Decision Time-DD 2/17/2011
"And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land." 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from." Josh 2:3-4
More often than not, people focus on the fact that Rahab committed a fabrication in lying to protect the men of God. This misses the point entirely. It is true that lying is a sin and God detests all sin but at the time, Rahab was not a child of God and therefore not subject to His commands. God did not bless the lie, He blessed the faith.
The point, beloved, is that there are times when it is necessary to go against conventional wisdom, popular opinion and even loyalty to friends and neighbors in order to do the right thing. Rahab, like many had heard the stories of God and His people. She had enough belief to be willing to conceal His spies in order that she and her family might be preserved. There are many alternative actions she could have taken but ultimately, she chose God's part.
Despite her occupation as a harlot and her identity as a member of a people opposed to God, she made the right decision at the right time. This decision not only saved her but placed her in the lineage of Christ. We are all but a well timed decision away from salvation.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
More often than not, people focus on the fact that Rahab committed a fabrication in lying to protect the men of God. This misses the point entirely. It is true that lying is a sin and God detests all sin but at the time, Rahab was not a child of God and therefore not subject to His commands. God did not bless the lie, He blessed the faith.
The point, beloved, is that there are times when it is necessary to go against conventional wisdom, popular opinion and even loyalty to friends and neighbors in order to do the right thing. Rahab, like many had heard the stories of God and His people. She had enough belief to be willing to conceal His spies in order that she and her family might be preserved. There are many alternative actions she could have taken but ultimately, she chose God's part.
Despite her occupation as a harlot and her identity as a member of a people opposed to God, she made the right decision at the right time. This decision not only saved her but placed her in the lineage of Christ. We are all but a well timed decision away from salvation.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Friday, February 11, 2011
A Matter of Time-DD 2/11/2011
"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9
Time is an amazing concept. It is not tangible and is wholly theoretical. Though it exist as an indefinite and continuous duration regarded as that in which events succeed one another, we rely upon it to regulate our very lives. It exists to relate sequences to each other in order to consider them past, present or future. We measure our lives in relation to both our birth and anticipated death; our beginning and our end. Eternity is a difficult concept to grasp because it represents either the absence of time or infinite time.
In this passage, time is highlighted for two reasons. First, Peter is addressing the mockery of non-believers who, question the faith due to the as yet unseen second coming of the Lord. We are reminded that God is not constrained by time and that He operates on a different scale than we do. You will recall that, "with the Lord, a thousand years is like one day and one day like a thousand years." Second and more important, God is not negligent in His promises. He said that the Lord will return and he will. Any delay, real or perceived, is designed to give us time to come to full repentance thereby developing and maintaining a healthy relationship with our Creator.
Beloved, be assured that God will do what He said He would do. It is just a matter of time. The sad tragedy is that when that moment comes, it will be as a thief in the night, which is to say, by the time we realize what has happened, it will have been too late. And if we find ourselves on the outside looking in after this great moment has occurred, the one thing we will wish we had is just a little more time.
We have time now. We have this very moment. Nothing else is promised. Nothing else is assured.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Time is an amazing concept. It is not tangible and is wholly theoretical. Though it exist as an indefinite and continuous duration regarded as that in which events succeed one another, we rely upon it to regulate our very lives. It exists to relate sequences to each other in order to consider them past, present or future. We measure our lives in relation to both our birth and anticipated death; our beginning and our end. Eternity is a difficult concept to grasp because it represents either the absence of time or infinite time.
In this passage, time is highlighted for two reasons. First, Peter is addressing the mockery of non-believers who, question the faith due to the as yet unseen second coming of the Lord. We are reminded that God is not constrained by time and that He operates on a different scale than we do. You will recall that, "with the Lord, a thousand years is like one day and one day like a thousand years." Second and more important, God is not negligent in His promises. He said that the Lord will return and he will. Any delay, real or perceived, is designed to give us time to come to full repentance thereby developing and maintaining a healthy relationship with our Creator.
Beloved, be assured that God will do what He said He would do. It is just a matter of time. The sad tragedy is that when that moment comes, it will be as a thief in the night, which is to say, by the time we realize what has happened, it will have been too late. And if we find ourselves on the outside looking in after this great moment has occurred, the one thing we will wish we had is just a little more time.
We have time now. We have this very moment. Nothing else is promised. Nothing else is assured.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
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