Skip to main content

Time



“Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain:  whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that.  But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.  To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” 

James 4:13-17

    What is your life? The answer may be scarier than the question itself. Yet, the Holy Spirit asked, “What is your life?” It is a vapor, something that is seen briefly. It appears and it is gone. So why do we try and hoard the time that we have on this earth instead of willingly giving it up for God? When we plan in such a way that we leave God out of our lives, we hold onto the temporary brevity of life rather than the eternal desire God has for us.

    Have you ever lived like there was no tomorrow? In one sense that could be a good thing. If we lived our lives like every action, every word, every thought mattered, how much more could we be like our Lord?  Perhaps this is a good thought to have when we consider what James writes. “If the Lord wills,” should be what we say in all things. The biggest little word in the Bible is “if.” Think about all the blessings that God said He would give to the children of Israel when they came out of the land of bondage. All of them were contingent on if the people would give up being slaves and accept freedom on God’s terms. If we still try to live with one foot in the world and one foot in the Word, we will certainly be sad with the results.

     God calls us to remain in His will. This is not a feeling or a tingle, but a "thus saith the Lord." The answers to what we are to do as individuals and as the church are found in the inspired Word of God.  Paul wrote, “prove all things; hold fast that which is good;  abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22).” God has given us the truth in which we can prove all things and give up the things that are sin. “Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples;  and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:31-32).”

Grace and Peace, 

R.D. Beavers 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don't Raise an Ahaz

           Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah his God, like David his father. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations, whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel.   And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree . 2 Kings 16:2-4                   When was the first time you drove a car? What about the first time you jumped off a diving board or gave a speech? After that first time, it certainly became easier. What about the first lie you told? Did it become easier? King Ahaz of Judah was evil and far from the example of David. Ahaz was the first to offer child sacrifices to t...
Post a Comment
Read more

At the Feet of Jesus

          How amazing it must have been to sit at the feet of Jesus. Have you thought much about that? What would it have been like to be around the Master? It was obviously life altering for His disciples, the majority of which (by historical accounts) would go on to violent deaths. Christians would go on to be persecuted throughout the centuries. Why? Jesus is worth the shame (Acts 5:41). Jesus is worth it all, because “there is no other name, under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). It is for this very reason we think about how amazing it would have been to personally sit at the feet of Jesus. To Talk to Him Must Have Been Tender           Talking to Jesus must have been so tender. We know that He would tell people what they needed to hear, and sometimes that was rather forthright (see Matt. 23), but he was loving and compassionate to those who wanted to learn from Him. Remember when parents were b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hanging On

Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God  Hebrews 12:1-2      In order to hang on, you must let go. This seems counterproductive at first glance. If we let go, we might fall and get hurt. If we let go, we might hurt someone else, and we might even hurt ourselves. Yet, letting go can also allow us to hang on to what matters.       We can hang onto the righteousness of God. This helps us to run with patience. When the race is long and arduous, and when life doesn’t end up as we planned, we can look forward to letting go of the doubts and sins that tell us to quit, give up, and stop running...
Post a Comment
Read more