"Time"

[zeland2236]

“Time”​

The old year is past, a new one has just begun, and we are all now one year closer to eternity. For many people this past year, time was no more. One moment they were in time, the next moment they were in eternity. Time is a two-sided coin, one side despised and wasted during life, the other priceless, and unattainable at the hour of death.

God has given us these days to work out our salvation, but how well do we use them? How often have we observed a man in idle pursuit? If we were to ask him what he is doing, he would reply: "Oh, I am just passing the time."

I remember an old song of many years past. It was called "Standing on the Corner Watching All the Girls Go By." Are we just standing on the corners of life watching the days of our salvation going by unused?

To quote Saint Alphonsus De Liguroi:

"O time despised during life, you will be ardently desired by worldlings at the hour of death. The thought that they must very soon appear before Almighty God, to give an account of their lives, fills them with untold confusion and anguish. They will ask for another year, another month, or another day to settle the accounts of their conscience, but they will ask in vain. To obtain a single hour they would give all their wealth and worldly possessions, but that hour shall not be given."

Let us therefore exert ourselves to the utmost to accomplish the work of our salvation while there is still time. Do now, what, on the Day of Judgment, you would then wish you would have done. For at the moment of death, the time of grace will have passed, the time of justice will have come.

(Hebrews 9: 27; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10, 12; Matthew 7:13-14; 25:31-47)

Best wishes for a happy new year.

 

[1Tonne]

That is a great saying.

Our lives are short. Those of us who have the Holy Spirit should have a drive to share to the lost and make the most of our time. In John 14:16 it says, “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever” KJV.
The word “comforter” has changed over the years. We normally think of “something producing physical or emotional easing”. However, this meaning did not arise until the mid-17th century. The word “comfort” in archaic language means, “to physically strengthen, support or fortify”.
The Spirit’s comfort is not passive; it equips believers with strength, guidance, and courage to face challenges, spiritual battles, and trials. The Comforter stirs us to action. An example of the word used in old English is, “They comforted themselves with food and drink before the long journey.” So, they strengthened themselves with food and drink for the long journey", thus giving them the ability to do the task.
Today more modern Bibles have translated this word as “Helper” or "Advocate". The word “Helper” is probably the closest we have in modern English. But keep in mind that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, will strengthen and support us in doing things. It will be like a prodder to push us into action.

Those of us who have the Holy Spirit should not be wasting time as we have an internal drive. But this can be stifled. In a believer, their fleshly desires, sin and pride can get in the way. So, we should evaluate what we are putting first in our lives. God or ourselves.
Do we have an urging to see the lost saved or do we simply just go to church and live a nice life? We should question ourselves, "Have we truly repented of our sin and am I doing what Jesus commanded?" The Bible says that to receive the Holy Spirit, we need to truly have repented. Many are held back from sharing as they do not want to be embarrassed. This is pride. Have you repented of pride?

Acts 2:38 (NIV) "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"

Acts 3:19-20 (NIV) "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus."

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NIV) "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

Verses for how short our days are:
Psalm 39:4-5 (NIV)
"Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure."

James 4:14 (NIV)
"Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

Psalm 90:10, 12 (NIV)
"Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Job 14:1-2 (NIV)
"Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble. They spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (NIV)
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot."

Isaiah 40:6-8 (NIV)
"All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever."

1 Peter 1:24-25 (NIV)
"For, 'All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.' And this is the word that was preached to you."

Psalm 102:11 (NIV)
"My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass."

Ecclesiastes 12:7 (NIV)
"And the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."

These verses remind us to live with purpose, focus on what truly matters, and draw near to God, as our time here is short compared to eternity.