BEING AT PEACE & TIME SENSITIVE MATTERS
BEING AT PEACE & TIME SENSITIVE MATTERS
Whether believers or non-believers, there is an assumption that we often fall into in life, and that is the assumption of time available to us. This is referring to any and all aspects of our life, existence, duties, and possibilities.
The older we get we begin to realize how quickly time passes, and along with that, opportunities. We may not have all the time we want to fulfill all our dreams and ambitions, but for certain, we will have all the time we need to fulfill His will for our lives and all that it includes. For certain, nothing is more important. Yet throughout the journey He throws in oases to refresh us, and often it is up to us to make time to benefit from them, and yet not lose focus on our Journey and Destiny ahead.
PART 1 - BEING SECURE IN YOUR FAITH
“We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain. For He says, ‘I have heard you in the time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured/helped you: behold ‘Now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation.’” 2 Corinthians 6:2
AN OVERVIEW OF HE LIFE GOD HAS GIVEN US
God has given each of us life, created every person in His image and likeness with eternal value, placed us where we are for a limited time and a specific purpose, and little doubt, most may never really discover what His full purpose for us actually is; nevertheless, we move ahead doing what we need and find to do hoping that we are making our way as we should. I am not promoting pointless or careless living, but merely attempting to describe the general life we typically live. For sure, when we come to God in Christ Jesus, we not only fulfill the primary purpose for our life - establishing our relationship with God our Heavenly Father in Jesus, but are then living to fulfill His will for our lives on a daily basis by walking in His faith and love.
Each person's life is so different, depending on where we live, the family we are born into, and a multitude of variables that will help define who we are and what type of life we will lead. In Jesus, it should be a godly one, filled with His power, grace, and the loving works that follow in spite of all our folly and foolishness. Again, depending on the time and situation each of us find ourselves in, so much will be encountered, experienced, and provided for along the journey, A wise person will make the most of it knowing that it is all fleeting.
EVERYTHING NEEDED IS THERE
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him Who has called us by His own glory and excellence." 2 Peter 1: 2-3 NAS
The life journey that each individual is given has in some way or another all things needed for that individual to carry out God's will. But some may say, "What about people who are born with some type of physical disability, or into an abusive situation?" In a fallen world where nothing is perfect, and there are also evil and demonic influences, it is impossible to know and understand every situation; however, from the Scriptures and the revelation of the true Character of God and seen in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ we can know some things. We know for certain that the evil and the negligence of man is never the Lord's will, and we cannot blame Him for their actions, or the lack thereof, which we often do, anymore than we can blame Him for our own actions. As for those born with physical problems we can only know that the Lord has a design and provision for them as He does for anyone else. Do you recall what the Lord told Moses, "...Who has made man's mouth? or who makes the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord?" Exodus 4:11. Then Jesus illustrates another dimension of a person so born. In John 9 when His disciples asked who had sinned that this certain blind man was born blind, either him or his parents? Jesus answered, "Neither has this man sinned, nor his parent: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." John 9:3. Furthermore, God's plan for our lives does not necessarily depend on any ability or gifting we may think we have or need to possess, it just depends on being who and what He has made us to be, even with all our faults and shortcomings. Bragging rights are not ours. Imagine that!
Now we know without a doubt that many or even most of the hardships of people are directly the work, or negligence of man, demonic influence, the effects of an imperfect world, and some are a mysterious design of the Lord. We also know that those whom we may categorize as less fortunate are subject to the obedience of those of us who are not in any way incapacitated, we being under the eternal command to love our neighbor as ourselves. As we walk in the love of God we will smooth the way for those who are helpless and thereby creating a greater balance of life. "For I mean not that other men be eased, and you be burdened: but by and equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want, that there may be equality." 2 Corinthians 8:13-14.
This explanation which I put forward may sound presumptuous or even callous, so please forgive me. But searching before the Lord for difficult answers is not always easy to qualify some of our conclusions, even in light of the Scriptures.We do know that the Lord is Just, Merciful, and Wise beyond all comprehension, so we can trust Him implicitly As long as the world is in its fallen state, this will not end and neither will our responsibility to others.
All this being stated, if we look at the original statement that God has provided everything we need to live the life He has given to us, we therefore are without excuse to not fulfill His will for our lives. Some things we are born with, like the ability to love. Some things are given to us, especially through training and discipline, such as good behavior and manners, presumably by our parents. Certain things we happen to discover along the way, like hearing the Gospel for the first time and reading the Bible. And there are some things to which we must apply ourselves in order to attain, like the works of love. Then there are certain things we have to dig for, like gaining knowledge, understanding, and developing abilities. And finally, there are certain things we must contend for, like our faith. With everything in place, each of us can live a full, satisfying, and purposeful life, yet not necessarily without hardship, struggles, and even pain. But what an adventure! Remember, this world is not our home, we are just passing through. The goal is to serve our God and live a life that pleases Him - a life of faith and love in Jesus, and that time is limited.
Furthermore, we should be careful not to assume that you should have a better situation than what you already have. People are born into war torn countries, oppressive environments, or impoverished situations wherein they are forced to struggle for their very existence. They did not chose this, it was not their will any more than did you chose to be born and raised where you are. Each of us must find Christ in the world He has placed us in. Dear friends, there is no justice in much of this, but we must by all means trust God our Heavenly Father Who has the ultimate control. He knows what He is doing. He sees what we do not see, and will do what is right and true in the end. "Has not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which He has promised to them that love Him?" James 2:5
True, this may be easy for me to say having been blessed in an abundant land. I speak with great fear. For I know I am not worthy of the least of His mercies, and I realize that God will expect me to bear fruit where He as placed me, as He will you. He places us all in this world where and when He pleases for the purpose that we may turn to Him, obey Him, and love one another. He has also provided us with everything we need, naturally and spiritually, and it is up to us to walk in it. To assume that we deserve more is pure folly. Again I will stress, this world is not our home, we are just passing trough. Our eternal destiny is beyond this life, and it is in this life where we chose it.
THE NEED FOR BALANCE, AND TIME FOR ALL OUR BUSINESS
With all this in mind, we must be careful to live our life with all deliberation, and yet make the most of every aspect. What I want to emphasize here is to allow our life to flow in a Christ-centered direction, with deliberate intent, yet not driven by fear, uncertainty, or panic, but in the wholesome peace of a fruitful life in Christ. The apostle Paul said it like this, first regarding general living, and then with regards to his direct service to the Lord Jesus;
"And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from the Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts - deciding the settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds... Colossians 3:15 AMP:
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV.
With regards to living a life flowing in the Peace of Christ, Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you: not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither be afraid." John 14:27
He came to set us free from the power of outside influences, insecurities, and fears being driven either by others or even ourselves. Instead, resting in the peace, guidance, and counsel of God our Loving Heavenly Father, we can live our lives enjoying His presence regardless of whatever circumstances we may find ourselves in.
On the other hand, at the same time we live our lives with purpose and direction. We do not merely let life happen. No, we cannot control the world around us nor manipulate our every environment, but we must choose the direction we are going with regards to our eternal destiny and make our day to day decisions accordingly. It is in this which we do not want to squander time or live haphazardly. Therefore it is imperative that we keep God and Eternity in mind at all times in regard to our decisions. Like the apostle Paul pointed out and as one translation put it, "...with purpose in every step." Here is the point of balance that I want to stress, and where we often miss. On one hand it appears that many people just live for the day in whatever happens, either by disregarding our Heavenly call, or by being at a loss as to how to implement our faith in it. On the other hand, there are those who are so focused and pressured that they do not take time to enjoy the little things in life, like the beauty of a sunset, the joy of watching a baby, or watching a ball game with friends or their children.
God, "Who gives us all things richly to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:1) lavishes us with amazing wonders if we take the time to perceive them, and thus enables us to render praise and thanksgiving to Him through all that we witness and appreciate. Tell me, how often do we miss out on them because we consider them insignificant, petty, or are too focused to notice? THERE IS TIME FOR EVERYTHING AND EVERY PURPOSE! Solomon penned it beautifully in this way, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, an a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
GOD'S PROVISION FOR PEACE AND REFRESHING
The duty for mankind can be extremely hard and demanding. For this reason the Lord gave Israel the Sabbath as well as some feasts days in which no work was allowed. During those times God's people were required to take a break. Now that sounds odd because it came with a command and a subsequent consequence (these Sabbaths and feasts were also spiritual ceremonies which had other meanings and symbolic purposes). For instance, Jesus became our Sabbath rest where we no longer work for our salvation because He paid for it for us. Any attempt to add to our salvation by our works is a defiance to God and the sacrifice Jesus has made for us. The Scripture explains it in this way, "But even if we, or an angel from Heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned." NIV. Galatians 1:8 Notice the absolute severity of trying to over-ride Jesus as our Sabbath rest by our works, which is likely why the Lord had such a severe consequent for anyone disregarding the Sabbath. "For we which have believed do enter into rest...For he that is entered into His rest, he has also ceased form his own works, as God did from His." Hebrews 4:3,10
THE SABBATH PRINCIPAL
Concealed in all the religious duties was the Father's true heart, our health and well-being, and His provision for our salvation.
Now, under the New Testament, Jesus clarified the practical purpose of the Sabbath (although God did specify it as well in the Ten Commandments Genesis 20:8, 23:12) that "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" Mark 2:27. This is so critical for us as Christians to grasp hold of especially while addressing topics like this where I intend to discuss the importance of using our time wisely and responsibly in light of the Judgment to come and eternity. Such awareness can put people under huge stress and fear if we do not have a firm grasp on the Gospel and the Grace of God which is lavished on us in Jesus Christ our SAVIOR. So if burdened with the knowledge and understanding of the eternal aspects of our existence we can miss the grace, rest, and peace of our salvation and fall under the weight of trying to save ourselves by attempting to do works that we think are pleasing to God. The Gospels clearly point out that Jesus made sure His disciples had time to get away from the crowds and refresh themselves ("And He said to them, 'Come yourselves apart into a desert place and rest a while.' For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat." Mark 6:31). What is more, we can fall under the hard drive of others whom we may esteem more spiritual and knowledgeable than ourselves and become slaves to them and their ways of requiring works and performance to be accepted.
When we step out of the life of faith in Christ Jesus and abiding in His Holy Spirit, (wherein is righteousness, peace, and joy Romans 14:17), then trying to live for Jesus can become burdensome and unattainable. So how do we live and abide in His peace? We live by the assurance and confidence of Who Jesus is and what He has accomplished for us as declared in the Bible and the teachings therein, and by following the guidance of His Holy Spirit. That is faith made simple. If He is not addressing anything specifically to you, then you are likely on track. So enjoy the life He as given you and stay close to Him, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you..." John 15:7 There is also the learning process in abiding and following Jesus. It is something we grow into and we learn from Him. "Come unto Me (Jesus), all you that labor and are heavy leaden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am MEEK and LOWLY in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30. All this is to say that God has made provision for us and wants us to take time to rest and refresh ourselves.
Now that we have a firm confidence in the work Jesus has fulfilled for us on the cross to pay for our salvation, we can be completely at rest from our works, have full confidence in our eternal hope, and then follow Him by faith, love, and joy in this life. And that is exciting!!
PART 2 - TIME SENSITIVE MATTERS-
From this place of confidence and rest we can look rationally at things that are urgent, not only for ourselves, but also for others. Let us look at this verse of Scripture:
NOW IS THE TIME
"...behold NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME, BEHOLD, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION.’”2 Corinthians 6:2
This topic of salvation is the primary reason Jesus Christ came in the first place - to save us from our sins. Dear friends, to be saved from sins, means to be delivered from the guilt of our disobedience to God, from "the wrath to come" which is His vengeance against our evil deeds, the punishment of Hell, and separation from Him. This is more than gigantic! It is the most important issue of all our lives. Praise His Holy Name! When God says, "NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME, BEHOLD, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION." He means just that. If you or someone else is walking in disobedience to God, then answering the call to faith in Jesus Christ and repentance is the most important choice that you or they can make. Therefore, do not play games by being presumptuous with the time you have in making your decision. This particular aspect is addressed most seriously in both the Old and New Testaments. As someone put it, "God has given today for your salvation, but has not guaranteed tomorrow for your procrastination."
I was listening to a testimony of a brother in Christ and how he related to us the steps toward his salvation. He told of us the many times he had opportunity to commit his life to Christ, but kept putting it off. Until finally the Lord told him it was his last chance. Thankfully he repented. That is a terrifyingly close call. As the Scriptures declare, it is the Lord Who GRANTS us repentance. The choice is ours, but the terms and conditions are His. "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, 'Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.'" Acts 11:18
If you have never accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, nor repented of your sins, or if you are not sure you are going to Heaven when you die, it is time to pray and give your life to Jesus. Here is how. If you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for your sins, and that God has raised Him from the dead, and if you confess Him as your Lord, you shall be saved. Romans 10:9 It is time to pray! DO SO NOW!
If you have just confessed this and prayed, then tell someone, find other Christians and learn from them to help you grow in your faith. May the Lord bless you richly!!!
WHEN YOUR TIME RUNS OUT!
In the business of life and with all its distractions we can easily lose our way by focusing our time, energy, and resources on temporal things, even if it is necessary. Then there are other distractions which feed our flesh and ego, some of which may not even be wrong in themselves, but if out of order can be detrimental to our walk with God in carrying out His will for our lives. Jesus gave us some very interesting illustrations regarding this.This one in particular I wish to point out: "And He spoke a parable to them, saying, 'The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully, and he thought within himself, saying, "What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits and my goods?" And he said, "This will I do. I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you has much goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you: then whose shall those things be which you have provided?' So is he that lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Luke 12:16-21
Obviously Jesus expressed that the main focus of this parable is regarding the dangers of covetousness. The other detail I wish to emphasis is that this man was living presumptuously assuming that he had plenty of time to do what he wanted to. That is an easy assumption most of us can make; however, the Lord has not guaranteed us any specific date or time for our duration. So let us not live carelessly and assume we have all kinds of time to fulfill His will. A friend of my once told me of a conversation he had with the son of a Christian family he knew. The young man was not serving the Lord but partying. My friend challenged him regarding his lifestyle. The lad replied that he was not ready yet to serve the Lord, but wanted to have fun first. Shortly afterwards he was killed on the road while returning from a party. Much can be said about this incident, but the assumptions, misplaced values, and ignorance puts our eternal souls at risk. Dear friends, the general purpose and direction we must live our lives is for His Kingdom and doing His will amid all our day to day activities and challenges. That is our responsibility to carry out in our lifetime. This may mean simply having proper values, holiness, faith and love in all that we do. You may not be called to do any Gospel works, but living a holy and godly life in all your day to day activities is huge for the glory of God. I want to reiterate here that living for Jesus is simply walking in love in all that you do (1 Corinthians 13), and the life in all its wonders will open up to you. That is how you find joy.
MISSING THE TIME OF YOUR VISITATION
"And when He (Jesus) was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, 'If you had known, even you, at least in this your day, the things which belong to you peace! But now they are hid from your eyes... because you knew not the time of your visitation.'" Luke 19:41-42,44
Again, these are massive topics and so much can be said about them. Here we have the scene where Jesus is entering Jerusalem, their long awaited coming King and Messiah. Promises were to be fulfilled for Israel for which they had long endured. We know that Jesus' purpose was far far greater than what the Jews were hoping for. They did not realized that He was coming to be the Savior of the world. Yet from this passage it appears that if the Jews at that time had acknowledge Him, even then God would have spared them from their pending destruction. Nevertheless, here is another precious lesson that we as His people can learn. Most all of us are always waiting for and are expecting God to do something in our lives, in our midst as a church, and in the world as a whole, but when He comes, will it be the way and when we are expecting. Jesus told us clearly that when He returns, for instance, that we do not know the day or the hour, but we can know the season Mark 13:29-32. He will come as a thief in the night 1 Thessalonians 5:2. Will we be ready? Will we be watching and waiting (are we watching and waiting) as He has admonished us to, or are and will we be preoccupied? What we are doing now will not likely be much different than what we will be doing then, if it will indeed be then and not now. This is not even addressing the issue of how often we have missed moves of God (revivals) because He did not come when or how we expected (as already mentioned in other topics). What about answers to prayers that we did not recognize, and may have even rejected. Jerusalem missed the coming of their Messiah because He did not come in the way they expected or thought He would, or should. Little doubt, they even had Scriptures to justify their unbelief - "They answered and said to him (Nicodemus), 'Are you also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee arises no prophet.'" John 7: They missed their DAY OF VISITATION. All the answers to their own prayers and expectations not only slipped by them, but they even ignorantly opposed Him. Missing that tiny moment of opportunity for Israel cost then centuries of hardship. Again, how many of us have missed and even opposed moves of God. Moreover, how many times have we missed what He wanted to do in our lives personally that we were likely praying for, all because He did not come when, how, or through whom we expected Him to come. What are we waiting for and expecting from God? Will we miss it? Are we humble enough to see Him??? Are we prepared for the unexpected? Those windows of answers to prayer are often not very large, and waiting for another may be awhile, if at all. Our time is limited. Let us keep our hearts and minds open to Him, and not play lords as to when and how we think He should work lest we miss what we so desperately need. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6
DOORS OF OPPORTUNITY
"For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries." 1 Corinthians 16:9
How many times have we all said, "I should have..."? Throughout our lives all kinds of doors of opportunity have opened and closed. Some we get, and some we miss. Certain doors are opportunities for development, success, and prosperity, and others are opportunities to make important connections. For sure we are all going to miss some, and likely more often than we realize, but there is a point I wish to emphasize here. Perhaps one of our biggest errors in this is the tendency to procrastinate or completely put it off, Typically we feel we can do it later for any number of reasons: Right now it is not convenient; I don't feel like it; I am too busy; We might be missing something else of interest...
Notice how the apostle Paul recognized the open door and did not waste time in taking advantage of the opportunity, in spite of the opposition. How costly it can be when we miss critical opportunities, and it may not be us that is actually missing out. "Withhold not good from those to whom it is due when it is in the power of your hand to do it. Say not unto your neighbor, 'Go, and come again and tomorrow I will give',when you have it by you." Proverbs 3:27-28 There are critical situations when the Lord has selected us to be a type of benefactor to someone in need. He may be using you as an answer to their prayers. Withholding can cause some serious problems. Be sure of this, needs, whether our own or someone else's rarely come at a convenient time or circumstance. But being quick to respond with the help necessary can have the same impact as a full blown miracle, and actually may be a miracle. 2 Corinthians 8-9 touches on this in a form while speaking of giving to those in their time of need. He ends the chapter saying, "Thanks be unto God for HIS unspeakable gift." Notice how their obedience in giving is actually a gift from God.
Then there are doors of opportunity where the Lord is calling us to tell others about Him, or contact someone who needs encouragement. I can recall at least two situations where I felt strongly urged of the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with guys. Both times I talked myself out of it, and in both situations the guys died within a day or too shortly afterwards. This is so serious. The first one for sure I was convinced that I would get another opportunity, but I put it off. The second one I felt I would get in trouble with the bosses at work, and maybe I would have (although looking back, I doubt it), but so what. His eternal soul was more than worth it. May the Lord be gracious to all of us.
As far as going out of your way by doing or saying something kind for or to someone, which might seem to be an untimely inconvenience to you, could be the critical point in the recipient's life that rescued them from a bad decision, and possibly change their life forever. So, the Scriptures say, "And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galatians 6:9
Another scenario I want to emphasize are the opportunities we can miss where we need to perhaps bridge a relational gap. The gap may have been caused by either or both parties, but one or both sides are reluctant to reconcile. God wants reconciliation at some level, forgiveness, and love most certainly, yet managing it may be more difficult. He often does provide opportunities for reconciliation, but it is up to someone to step through the open door and reach out. Be warned, those opportunities may not always be there, especially in the case of an unexpected death. Then how do you manage that? Not only the pain of missing the relationship, but also the tormenting unresolved issues, regrets, and 'should haves'. Jacob and his brother Esau had such a serious falling out that Esau was going to kill his brother. Years latter God provided Jacob with an opportunity to reconcile with his brother whom he had swindled. Even though God had blessed Esau so much so that he forgave Jacob, Jacob made the most of the opportunity to fully reconcile and paid a handsome price that secured their relationship for good. Exodus 33 Think about it. Had Jacob taken back his gifts when Esau initially refused them, what would have happened should another misunderstanding had arisen some years later. Esau would have had no confidence in any of Jacob's sincerity or integrity, and any hope of further reconciliation would have likely been lost. The lesson we need to learn from is how Jacob seized the small open door of opportunity and made a lasting earnest connection with his brother. They did part ways, but in peace.
CONCLUSION
Time is a precious commodity that God gives, and it is to be used wisely in all our businesses and concerns. Be at peace and enjoy His grace, but keep your focus on HIM and His will. Jesus loves you!
Comments
Post a Comment