Have the Time of Your Life!
Every day that we live is a grace gift from God. We do not earn or deserve the time that God gives us in life. The only time that we have to honor God in this life on earth is the number of days He provides for us in the Christian life. The fact that we are alive each morning is a sign of God’s grace and faithfulness.
James 4:13-15, “Come now, you who say,”Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”
“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”
“Instead, you ought to say,”If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.”
Lam. 3:20-25, “Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me.”
“This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.”
“The Lord’s loving-kindness indeed never ceases, For His compassionsnever fail.”
“They are new every morning; Great is Thy” faithfulness.”
“_The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him._”
“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.
Every day is given us by God; therefore, every day is very important. A growing Christian thinks of every day as alike and lives one day at a time.
Rom. 14:5, 6, “the man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind.
“He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.”
Ps. 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.”
God has provided spiritual assets in the form of Bible truth to make each day count for His glory. Therefore it is important to learn God’s word every day.
Jer. 15:16,“Thy words were found and I ate them, And Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts.”
Matt. 4:4, “But He answered and said,”It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’"
Since there is no suffering in eternity, God can only demonstrate His grace provision for suffering while we are alive on earth. The testing that we undergo gives God the Father maximum opportunity to show His grace provision while we continue to live one day at a time.
2 Cor. 12:7-10, “And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me– to keep me from exalting myself!”
“Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me.”
“And He has said to me,”My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”
“Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Ps. 1:1-3, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!”
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.”
“And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.”
Our time must be used wisely.
Eph. 5:15-17, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise,”
“making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”
“So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
1 Cor. 7:29-31, “But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none;”
“and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess;”
“and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.”
John 11:9,10,”Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.”
“But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
Do Not Waste Time!
A Christian wastes time when he is out of fellowship and under God’s chastisement also called divine discipline. Every day that you are under God’s discipline is a day that you have lost.
Ps. 102:2-4, “Do not hide Thy face from me in the day of my distress; Incline Thine ear to me; In the day when I call answer me quickly.”
“For my days have been consumed in smoke, And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.”
“My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away, Indeed, I forget to eat my bread.”
Ps. 102:23-28, “He has weakened my strength in the way; He has shortened my days.”
“I say,”O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days, Thy years are throughout all generations.”
“Of old Thou didst found the earth; And the heavens are the work of Thy hands.”
“Even they will perish, but Thou dost endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing Thou wilt change them, and they will be changed.”
“But Thou art the same, And Thy years will not come to an end.”
“The children of Thy servants will continue, And their descendants will be established before Thee.”
Ps. 90:7-9, “For we have been consumed by Thine anger, And by Thy wrath we have been dismayed.”
“Thou hast placed our iniquities before Thee, Our secret sins in the light of Thy presence.”
“For all our days have declined in Thy fury; We have finished our years like a sigh.”
Consummate human pride also called arrogance destroys a Christian’s ability to profit from the divine provision of each day.
Prov. 27:1, “Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.”
Redeem the Time!
It is important to purchase time each day. Eph. 5:15-17 is above.
Days are meaningful and prosperous when there is spiritual growth through learning and applying the word of God.
Ps. 90:14, “O satisfy us in the morning with Thy loving-kindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”
Jer. 15:16, “Thy words were found and I ate them, And Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts.”
Matt. 4:4, see above
Each day that God provides by His grace only has meaning as it is devoted to fulfilling the plan of God.
Ps. 34:11-14, “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”
“Who is the man who desires life, And loves length of days that he may see good?”
“Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.”
“Depart from evil, and do good; Seek peace, and pursue it.”
1 John 1:6-9, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;”
“but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Prov. 3:1-2, “My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments;”
“For length of days and years of life, And peace they will add to you.”
A Christian’s day by day life only has meaning as it is related to the principles and doctrines of God’s word.
Prov. 3:13-17, “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding.”
“For its profit is better than the profit of silver, And its gain than fine gold.”
“She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her.”
“Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor.”
“Her ways are pleasant ways, And all her paths are peace.”
All of the dynamics of daily living are related to Bible truth.
Ps. 25:4-6, “Make me know Thy ways, O Lord; Teach me Thy paths.”
“Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, For Thou art the God of my salvation; For Thee I wait all the day.”
“Remember, O Lord, Thy compassion and Thy loving-kindness, For they have been from of old.”
Ps. 119:96-102, “I have seen a limit to all perfection; Thy commandment is exceedingly broad.”
“O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.”
“Thy commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine.”
“I have more insight than all my teachers, For Thy testimonies are my meditation.”
“I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Thy precepts.”
“I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Thy word.”
“I have not turned aside from Thine ordinances, For Thou Thyself hast taught me.”
Prov. 23:17-19, “Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the Lord always.”
“Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off.”
“Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way.”
2 Cor. 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”
“For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,”
“while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”