GOODNEWSLETTER
Number 382 July 27, 2011
TIME and EVENTS
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the 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..." Ecclesiastes 3:1,2.
Everyone has places to go, people to see and things to do. And, it's all measured in time. Whether, by days, months, weeks or years, the event makes the time memorable; sometimes sad and, sometimes glad. We love the time of birth but hate the time of death.
Within our time of doing things, we have seasonal events; such as, time-lines or, frameworks that allow us to do things. There is 'a time to plant, and a time to pluck...' and, as Jesus thought, our time ought to be understood as Spiritual.
Although, different from natural man, Jesus was subject to time and events while on earth, nevertheless. He never lost the purpose of His mission. "I must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day, night is coming when no man can work," John 9:4.
While, Jesus lowered Himself to our state by becoming man, His teaching, relative to time, can't be missed; especially, if we are to be pleasing to Him. Time is our most precious commodity. Failing to redeem the time for Christ's purpose, is robbery in the first degree. It's stealing the moment for eternity and replaces it with a moment of pleasure, idleness and sin.
During our time on earth, we must realize that every word spoken by Jesus was for our learning. Every truth must be exercised in the life of time, if we are to be His disciple. It's a lesson of joy, really; one that will lead believers to obtain salvation and be ready for the day of His Second Coming.
Paul knew what it meant to be ready. It was a constant message of his. "...for you are all sons of light and sons of day," Ist Thessalonians 5:5. Clearly, within his teaching, Paul expected believers to keep every event accomplished in line with "light" and "day". The two are to match; that is, our time has to have the right events within it. Paul taught that if the right things are done during our time here on earth, we'll be ready. "But, since we are of the day, let us be SOBER, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation," verse 8. It's a must!
How long do we have? Well, Noah was given more time than what we have, of course. But, he had to build a life-saving Ark, requiring a lot of time. The Bible states that our life may be "threescore and ten" or, if strong, "fourscore" (Ps. 90:10). The Lord has allowed me to reach seventy years and, it is with excitement that I look to coming years that are ahead. While, I don't expect my life to be as eventful - in terms of going - as, in the past - I expect to keep on keeping on in the word of Jesus and His church as long as I live.
Here's a good way to look at the life that is before you. Think of your present life in Christ as "finished." Add to the fact that there is nothing new under the sun, you'll quickly learn that, in Christ, "all things work to good for those who are the called of God," Romans 8:28.
Here's an order of events that will be good for all of us to learn:
1) The Greatest Event for Man: "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; REPENT and BELIEVE in the GOSPEL," Mark 1:15.
2) The Grace Event: "...behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation," 2nd Corinthians 6:3b.
3) The Holy Spirit Event: "And it shall come to past in the LAST days...I will pour our My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy..." Acts 2:17-18.
4) The Second Coming Event: "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfuits of them that slept...Behold, I show you a
mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed," 1st Corinthians 16:20, 51, 52.