Man Does Not Know His Time

The devil and his demons were devising plans to get people to reject the Gospel. “Let’s go to them and say there is no God,” proposed one. Silence prevailed. Every demon knew that most people believe in a supreme being. “Let’s tell them there is no hell, no future punishment for the wicked,” offered another. That was turned down, because men obviously have consciences which tell them that sin must be punished. The conclave was about to end in failure when there came a voice from the rear: “Tell them there is a God, there is a hell and that the Bible is the Word of God. But then tell them there is plenty of time to make a decision. Let them ‘neglect’ the Gospel, until it is too late.” All hell erupted with ghoulish glee, for they knew that if a person procrastinates on Christ, they usually never accept Him.

Do you ever think about the brevity of your life and the importance of eternity? Do you ever put off what you should do today under the idea that you’ve got plenty of time ahead? Someone has calculated how a typical lifespan of 70 years is spent. Here is the estimate:

Sleep—23 years—32.9%
Work—16 years—22.8%
TV—8 years—11.4%
Eating—6 years—8.6%
Travel—6 years—8.6%
Leisure—4.5 years—6.5%
Illness—4 years—5.7%
Dressing—2 years—2.8%
Religion—0.5 years—0.7%
For a Total—70 years

The Bible says in Psalm 139:15-16 “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”  This is a clear and certain reminder that we can take time for granted. But it is also a reminder that we have all the time we need to do the priorities of God with our lives.

I am writing this column following a FaceTime call I just received from Jonathan Blair. Jonathan and Jennifer served on our RBC staff for many years and now are involved in helping plant a church in the Salt Lake City area of Utah. They are one of our mission partners, and we’ve been praying for them greatly in recent weeks. As you know Jonathan collapsed while leading worship a few Sundays ago and was rushed to the hospital with a full aortic dissection or tear. He explained it to me as we talked and showed me the scar! The Doctors said, it was the worst possible case short of being fatal. God used both His miracle touch and the miracle of the skilled medical team to save his life. He shared how fatigued the smallest activities are, but he is getting stronger each week. Amazingly, he told me in our conversation that this coming Sunday (March 19) he will lead worship (limitedly) at the Awaken City Church where he serves. He said he will live the rest of his life with the constant risk of a sudden and fatal recurrence. He and Jen are a young couple with a beautiful young nest of children and worth our continued prayers for health and usefulness to God.

I praise God that He intervened and spared Jonathan’s life and will continue to use both he and Jen. But it also reminded me to never take a single day for granted. It reminded me to elevate the spiritual and eternal things of life, and it reminded me to live for God one day at a time… why? Because as Ecclesiastes 9:12 says… “For man does not know his time…”  Now, don’t live in fear of the unknown timing of God, but likewise, don’t assume you have all the time in the world. Make each day count! And remember, God is always trying to take you someplace new.

I love being your Pastor!

For God’s Glory Alone,

Pastor Ray