What Time Is It?

Right now it's 1:31pm but by the time I post this.... the clock just changed to 1:32.

Do you ever wonder, "what's the purpose of time?" Today my car broke down and I was stranded, for a brief moment. Yesterday I locked myself out of the house and I was stranded, for a little longer than a moment. Has that ever happened to you? You're going about your normal routine then suddenly everything changes because of some unplanned event. Such waste of time! Or is it?

What is time anyways?
 TIME 

• the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
• the progress of time as affecting people and things.
• a point of time as measured in hours and minutes past midnight or noon.
• the favorable or appropriate time to do something; the right moment.
• the appropriate or expected time for something, in particular childbirth or death.
• a prison sentence.
• the tempo at which a piece of music is played or marked to be played.

These are just a few of the definitions of time I read in a quick google search. I encourage you to google it yourselves or click the link above and read through the other definitions. It's quite fascinating to consider.

Ecclesiastes 3 must have been Solomons "time" of pondering time.  It starts with the words, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." You can read the rest of Ecclesiastes on your own. 

All of life has a beginning and an ending. All of life is encapsulated within the boundaries of time. Why? What is the purpose of time?

I was listening to Christmas music in the car last night on the way to church and my fiance says sarcastically, "Are you listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving?" Indeed I was. I love Christmas music! I love this time of year! The song playing on my CD, appropriately enough, was "Christmas Time" by Phil Wickham. The lyrics are awesome! In the background you hear the words, "God is with us, God is with us, Emmanuel, Emmanuel," and then you hear "It's Christmas time."

Christmas time and birthdays and other momentous occasions of life are great, but the days of heartache and pain, sufferings and sorrows are not so great. However, God has ordained the good and the bad. He designed our hearts with eternity in mind. He created us with a longing to know Him. Do you feel like you're missing something? It's God! Do you feel like there's gotta be something more? It's God! Do you long to belong to someone who loves you unconditionally? It's God you're searching for!

God came down to earth from His throne above to save our lives. It's miraculous and awesome and incredible! And now in the time after His birth and death and resurrection, He is still with us. In every season He is with us; in life and in death, in joy and in sufferings. He was, He is, and He will always be with us! When we're hurting, He comforts us. When we're joyful, He sings over us. When we're lost, He finds us. When we're broken, He heals us. When we are afraid, He is with us, He will uphold us with His righteous right hand!

When God is the focus of our lives what do we have to fear? What can time do to us when we know God? With God, time will accomplish awesome and wonderful things!
James 1 says, ....My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Hebrews 13:5-6 says, "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say:  “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?”

In a sermon entitled "Why Does God Allow This," Ray Stedman says, "....God has a perfect plan that includes what we need, the painful as well as the pleasant. If we accept those as God's choices for us, coming from his loving heart -- not out of anger, not out of desire to punish, but out of love -- we will discover three wonderful things. First, we will be enabled to enjoy all of life, even the painful circumstances. Secondly, we will learn to know God. Jesus said, "This is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." We will satisfy the sense of eternity which God has put in each heart. That will happen when our attitude toward life changes because of our relationship with God. Thirdly, this lesson will be repeated for us until we learn it, until we get it down right!

I think that is a beautiful explanation to the question, what is the purpose of time.

If you are breathing you still have time to come to Him and learn from Him. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says:
“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION."
(2 Corinthians 6:1-2)

Be Content to Submit

Jeremiah 19:15 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will bring on this city and on all her towns all the doom that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their necks that they might not hear My words.’”

My daughter's attitude was awful as we sat in the waiting room of the doctors office. She was missing school for this follow up appointment so I asked her to do some of her school work while we waited. Big exaggerated sighs filled the air around her. Shoulder shrugs and head rolls became her posture.
"You're being ridiculous little girl!" "Drop the attitude and get your work done," I firmly explained. Her reply was ridiculous, she said, "Its hard I can't think of anything."
"Seriously?"
My patience was wearing thin. How can she be so unrealistic? How can she act like this is pure torture when there were people who have actually experienced torture? How can she be so ungrateful for the blessing of being taught when there are millions of children in different parts of the world who can't go to school and would do anything for a chance to learn and improve their lives?

Ungratefulness is a horrible disease that plagues all of us at least once a day. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowlege my own tendencies to feel sorry for myself. My children are little mirrors of my own ungrateful heart.

The bible says in Hebrews chapter 13 verse 5 through 6
Let your conduct be without covetousness; 
be content with such things as you have. 
For He Himself has said, 
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 
So we may boldly say:
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?"

It is not easy to be content! Have you tried it? Only by the grace of God are we able to attaine such spiritual maturity. There is a delicate state our hearts must be attuned in order to receive this divine fruit of contentment. We must be willing and believing. We know we can do nothing in and of ourselves for it is God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Phil 2:13). But before that, we must be about working out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

A willing heart combined with faith in The all powerful God of the universe is the furtial soil we need to grow such divine spiritual fruit as contentment. Once contentment is established in the heart and feeding us we can toss out that old stinky leftover ungratefulness that's smelling up our fridge. Lay it down and be renewed and continue steadfastly in this loving kindness of our Father in heaven.

Holly sulked away her time in the doctors waiting room and didn't finished her school work. The school work must be done, unfortunately, now it might be at the cost of her play time. As with us, God will accomplish His work but we need to ask ourselves the question, "will I willing follow and be blessed or stiffen my neck and suffer the consequences?"

This seems like a silly comparison to use when a much greater cause is at hand. God has given us His word and so many souls stiffen their necks and harden their hearts from His Truth! It's a grave mistake that has eternal consequences! Hear His Words! John 14:6 says, Jesus is the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Him!

Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. 
(Hebrews 13:7-9)