Time is but a vapour

Standing on the beach shoreline tonight, watching the light fade, I thought "I cannot believe that today is the last day of January... where does the time go? Where does it seem to disappear to?"

As a child I was oblivious to 'time' and enjoyed each day as it came. As we mature and grow older, we become more aware of time.

Watching a movie recently I heard this quote:

'The problem with time, I've learned... (is that) eventually time always runs out'.

It does - our lives here on earth are but a moment, a mere vapour.

'...With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day' ~2 Peter 3:8

'A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night' ~Psalm 90:4

What does that mean: 'a watch in the night'?

God is eternal - He isn't boxed into time. There is no time in eternity. Therefore we must not judge his ways of working and timing, by our own standards.

'That has just gone by'; rather, as it goes by. And like a watch in the night.

When you wake in the morning, after a good night's sleep, the night seems to have gone in a moment.

Time is precious.

I guess after today, it offically is not a 'New Year' anymore. Before we know it, it'll be Christmas and a 'New Year' again...
 

 

'Time is the deposit we have in the bank of God, but only He knows the balance'

"Better than rules"

"I have a plan for you...but it will unfold in My time" ~God

Often in life we go through seasons. Times in our lives of varying difficulty or easiness. Often we can't understand why we're experiencing what we we are, and ask questions of what good can come out of it and what the purpose in all of this is?

The Bible tells that God has a plan for us. We can rest assured that while we don't know God's exact plans for the future (thank goodness - how overwhelming it would be), we do know, as His word tells us, in Jeremiah 29:11, that His plans are to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us future and a hope.

Our lives are like one big canvas. Our view is obscured and limited, because we're in it - we are the ones on the canvas; but God, the artist of the picture, can see it in its entirety; He knows how to complete it and with his paintbrush, he will!

It is right that we continually seek God's will for our future, to keep things in perspective; but not so far ahead that we lose sight of where we are at now, to the point where our minds cause us to 'live in the future', so to speak. The danger of doing this is that we lose the opportunity to enjoy and experience where we are at now.

'This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it' ~Psalm 118:24 (emphasis added)

'We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield' ~Psalm 33:20.
Throughout life, as you walk with God, you'll find you spend more time waiting than you do receiving. And when you receive what you're waiting for, then you'll begin waiting for something else! How do you define waiting? Do you think of it as simply as an inconvenience to be endured—or a period of anticipation, or maybe even a blessing? During those seemingly 'arduous' times of waiting in our lives, if we don't learn to wait with joy, we'll live in frustration.

'...I trust in You, O Lord; I say, You are my God. My times are in Your hand...' ~Psalm 31:14-15

'Let us not become weary while doing good: for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.' ~Galations 6:9 (emphasis added).

'Due season' means that God knows when the time is right, not when you think it is. God has a set time for accomplishing things in our lives, it will happen when God ordains it, and not before. If we try to do His work for Him, then we are fighting a losing battle and come out second best. God knows what you need, when you need it, and how to get it to you. He knows what's best!

The question is, 'So what am I supposed to do while I'm waiting?' The answer = Trust Him! One Bible teacher wrote this pearl of wisdom: 'God has taught me to keep living the life I now have while I'm waiting for the things that are in my heart to come to pass.'

That time of waiting is a wonderful time for you to spend in prayer with Him. Tell him what's on your heart, your concerns, worries, deepest desires and dreams. Doesn't mean to say that they 'will come to pass', but its acknowledging that while you have these dreams and plans, God just might have something even better in mind, something that we can't even fathom, and you are trusting Him to bring it forth...in His time.

It's also a time to occupy yourself and take your mind off the thoughts of waiting and what you're waiting for.  '...Serve one another in love' ~Galatians 5:13


'Learn to enjoy where you are, while you are waiting to get to where you want to be.' ~Gass

Religion vs Relationship

So many times, I have had conversations with people who do not know the joy in knowing Jesus and having a relationship with Him. Discussions with them of their perception of a 'Christian life' has made realise, people are confused by it all. Confused of the difference between religion and faith. Yes a difference does exist.

"Are you religious?" This a common question that I am asked when conversations arise and my thoughts and practices significantly differs from the 'status quo'. My answer is always the same - "No I'm not religious, but I have a belief and a faith. There is a difference between the two."

They look at me puzzled. I go on to explain the difference being that one is inward (in the heart), the other is outward (in the mind). People can be religious without being Christian.

Religion tries to fix us from the outside - outlining rules that tell us how to behave: when to go to church, when to pray, how to dress etc. It can be a tremendous burden continually aiming to please the religious requirements imposed upon us. This is what negative perceptions of a 'Christian life' are based on - a life filled with rules, that's not fun and that there is no room for joy or enjoyment from life. A religious person is judgemental - they point the finger at others with the motive to promote and elevate themselves. They forget though, that by pointing one finger at another, three point straight back at them...

"Why do you see the splinter in your brother's eye but not notice the log in your own eye?" ~Matt 7:3

Christianity however, is really about God wanting to fix us from the inside, through a relationship with Jesus which can only be established through genuine repentence (sincere regret from one's wrongdoings) and admitting that we need a Saviour, to save us from our sins (separation from God). A 'true Christian' is Christ-centred - they seek to possess and exhibit character qualities that Christ himself showed.

It is beautifully summarised by the words in this poem.

A life of faith and not of sight (2 Cor 5:7)
A life of love, a life of light (1 John 5:2, 1 John 1:7)
A life of hope, a life of prayer (Heb 3 & 6, 1 Thes 5:17)
A life that ends in glory fair (Rom 5:2)
A life of persecution here (2 Tim 3:12)
And yet a life of heavenly cheer (John 16:33)
A life warfare to the end (2 Cor 10:4)
Though 'tis a life of peace we spend (John 14:27)
A life that's hid with Christ in God (Col 3:3)
A life secured through Jesus' blood (1 Cor 6:20)
A life that has a goal in view (Philippians 3:14)
A life of satisfaction true (Psalm 107:9)
A life of fellowship divine (1 John 1:3)
A life that's here for doth shine (Matt 5:16)
A life of child's simplicity (2 Cor 11:3)
A life of glorious liberty (Rom 8:21)


~J. D. Stenhouse

~Leah

"Cast all your cares upon Him"

'Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example to all... in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity' 1 Timothy 4:12.

 

'Though you are one of the teeming millions in this world, and though the world would have you believe that you do not count and that you are but a speck in the mass, God says, "I know you"'~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

~Psalm 139: 1-3

 

So when you're feeling down, oppressed, weak and like you're walking uphill; know this dear reader - the God that created the heavens and the earth is looking down right now and wants to comfort you.

 

'Cast all your cares upon him, for he cares for you' 1 Peter 5:7.

 

~Leah

 

Technicolour glory

Last week we watched in awe a spectacular sight. To my knowledge, it's been quite a few years since we have been priviledged to experience such a display of illuminosity. From deep purple to brilliant white, the spectacular sky in all it's technicolour glory displayed magical night scenes of this electrical phenomenon.

I don't know about you, but lightning fascinates me. I sit there in wonderment. The majesty, power and sheer grandeur of it all.

'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork' Psalm 19:1.

 

 

I love unique weather 'moments'. Moments where, some event or display of weather make you stop, stand still and take it all in. Moments where time seems to stand still, or quite the opposite where time seems to be going too fast for you to bath in the beauty of it. Lightning is a prime example of such a 'moment'.

Everyday, about 40,000 thunderstorms occur throughout the world, mostly brewing in areas near the equator (that makes sense - humidity and warm air). The formation of lightning is still something of a mystery. It's understood what it is a result of, but exactly HOW it happens is not yet clear.

A lightning flash is brighter than ten million 100-watt lightbulbs, six times hotter than the surface of the sun and contains billions of watts - enough power to provide electricity to a whole country (there abouts).

When a bolt of lightning forms, the air around it is superheated, which causes the air to expand and then contract rapidly. This creates sound waves that we hear as thunder. Despite thunder and lighting occurring at the same time, light waves travel faster than sound waves, thus the light reaches your eyes before the sound reaches your ears!

'How great is God - beyond our understanding!... See how he scatters the lightning about him... His thunder announces the coming storm... At this my heart pounds and leaps from its place' (Job 36:26, 30 & 33 and Job 37:1).

'... Lightning ... White calligraphy on high, silhouettes the hill'
~Joso (1662 - 1704), Japanese poet


Amazing.

'Take My Life and Let It Be'

'Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long' Psalm 25:4-5.

'Take My Life and Let It Be'... ponder those words for a few moments. I've been pondering them for a few days...  then take in the richness of the remaining hymn.

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

As I sang this hymn, it truly was a prayer from the innermost part of my heart. Lord Jesus, my life, my all, my everything is for you, is yours. Help me, dear Lord, to live my life as you have called me to do. I love you!

So often, it is so easy to just say the words (in tune) that are projected up onto the screen without really thinking and dwelling on their meaning. 'Take me life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee', paraphrased, means dedicating each moment, each day, each month, each year, my life to loving and serving Him. He gave the most precious and loved gift that He had to us. He loved us first! Why would you not want to not love someone that so dearly loves you?

As we sang this hymn on Sunday at the close of the service, a light switch 'flicked' on - it had come to me, I had just found the perfect title for this blog.

Creating a blog has been on my heart for a couple of weeks now. I'm a keen follower of a few (some listed in My Favourites to the right), but I have been inspired by one in particular.

So readers, it is my prayer for you, that you may be encouraged and that you may be enriched by the thoughts and insights that I will share with you from the Word of God, the Bible, in my walk and journey through life as a lover and faithful follower of Jesus, my Saviour.

Blessings,
~Leah.