I’m always saying “I don’t know where the time goes. It’s been a week since my last post and I feel like I need at least another week to write one.

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.” Henry VanDyke

Many have heard phrases such as the following–
Time flies when you’re having fun
You have too much time on your hands
I’m just killing time
I don’t have time
Only time will tell
I’m running out of time
In due time
“Time” aroused my curiosity so I decided to look at examples of time in my bible and in Vines. These examples represent “a space of time,” whether short, or long or a succession of “times”.

In Luke 4:3-5, Satan is tempting Jesus and he takes him up into a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

Luke 8:27 Jesus was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. Who for a long time had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.

Acts 20:17, 18 Paul, speaking to the elders from Ephesus said “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.”

“Time” as fixed, a definite period or opportunity.
Rom 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Gal 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

 “Times and seasons”.
1 Thess 5:1-3 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

“From that time”
Matt 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matt 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Matt 26:16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

“Since that time”
Luke 16:16-17 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

“In time of need”
Heb 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Time is described as a vapor, swift transition, past and present, slow, short, long, not enough, too much, running out, waits on no one, always and never, we are either late or on time. Time is convenient or not.

“Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday”- Proverb quotes

Times a wasting, I hope you have a great day!

In Luke 22 we read that Satan entered Judas, we also read of the Passover and of the Last Supper. Jesus revealed he knew who would betray him, and next we read of the disciples beginning to question among themselves who might be the one to betray him. Then they start to argue as to which one of them was considered to be the greatest and Jesus said…

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31-33 ESV
(This was not for Simon only but for all of the disciples).

Do we set ourselves up to be “sifted like wheat”? We know Satan desires to have us and he whispers in our ear daily to get involved with many worldly activities. We make “things” our gods and we convince ourselves all is well.

Satan tempts us with anything that will divert our attention away from God and godliness. When we get caught up in this and it seems we all do at one time or another, then we must ask ourselves- is there anything of faith that remains in us? Are we chaff or wheat? Satan wants to test us, hoping to bring us to spiritual devastation.

We live in a fast paced world. At times it seems if we plan our lives right down to the very second. Somewhere along the line it seems as if we have bought into the idea that there is something wrong with us if we don’t occupy every minute of our life with some sort of activity. Are we crowding God out of our lives with all of our own interests?

As we go in and out of our seasons of life, and as we turn again, let us remember to strengthen one another.

Rest in God’s presence and relax in his Peace.

 ”Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matt 11:28-30 NIV

What is it and what does it look like?

Faithfulness is in all aspects of our lives, not only in serving God. We are to be faithful to our spouses, our children, our friends and family, our bosses.

Unfaithfulness comes when we are more interested in what is important to ourselves. Ouch!  Now that hurts a little doesn’t it? Being faithful to our spouse doesn’t only mean sexual faithfulness. It means sacrifice and commitment. It means “for better or for worse”.

We are faithful to what we are persuaded is really important. That can be good or it can be dangerous. Look around, you will quickly see what we are really committed to and it will show in our lives, despite the consequences, if it is for good or for bad. Would you agree with me then that it’s important to take a look at our motives and our actions regarding faithfulness?

Faithfulness to our spouse means love, loyalty, commitment, trust, and honesty. (Partial examples)
Faithfulness as a parent means living by example, giving love and discipline.
Faithfulness as a friend and member of a family means being loyal and trustworthy.
Faithfulness as an employee means honesty and commitment.

The following is from an article by J. Hampton Keathley, III

Moses was called to be faithful to God and to fulfill his commission. He was not called to “succeed” or to “fail.” And so the New Testament commendation of Moses focuses not on what Moses accomplished, but on his faithfulness. “Moses…faithfully discharged his duty in the household of God” (Heb. 3:2, ph). It was Moses’ faithfulness to his task which counted with God all along.¹²⁷ (emphasis mine)

Faithfulness, then, is not a matter of success or failure from the standpoint of results. If there is faithfulness, failure does not bring blame nor should it lead to a sense of guilt! Where there is faithfulness to discharge one duties regardless of the results there is success in God’s sight. This points us to the true issue in our responsibility which is limited. We are to be faithful to the gifts, abilities, and opportunities God gives us and leave the results to Him.

Mark Hatfield tells of touring Calcutta with Mother Teresa and visiting the so-called “House of Dying,” where sick children are cared for in their last days, and the dispensary, where the poor line up by the hundreds to receive medical attention. Watching Mother Teresa minister to these people, feeding and nursing those left by others to die, Hatfield was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the suffering she and her co-workers face daily. “How can you bear the load without being crushed by it?” he asked. Mother Teresa replied, “My dear Senator, I am not called to be successful, I am called to be faithful.”¹²⁸

Paul stresses this point in 1 Cor. 3:5-8. What is Apollos, really? Or what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, and each of us in the ministry the Lord gave us. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters counts for anything, but God who causes things to grow.

Faithfulness, then, is a quality that God wants to reproduce in us through the salvation that comes in Christ. It is another of the qualities of maturity to be sought in the life of the Christian. (End of excerpt by Hampton Keathley, III)

All of this gave me a lot to think about, for me, self-examination is essential.

Finally I will close with these thoughts from an article by John W. Ritenbaugh

Faithful implies steadfast adherence to a person or thing to which one is bound as by an oath or obligation; loyal implies undeviating allegiance to a person, cause, institution, etc. which one feels morally bound to support or defend; constant suggests freedom from fickleness in affections or loyalties; staunch implies such a strong allegiance to one’s principles or purposes as not to be turned aside by any cause; resolute stresses unwavering determination, often in adhering to one’s personal ends or aims.

Faithless means “not keeping faith; dishonest; disloyal; unreliable; undependable; unbelieving.” Its synonyms include doubting, treacherous and unscrupulous.

 Other synonyms include dedicated, steadfast, devoted, dependable, accurate, true, conscientious, dutiful, careful, scrupulous and thorough.

I am discovering , admitting, confessing some things about myself lately, partly through my studies and more importantly I believe I am being guided to look at myself by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I am admitting to myself, and now to you also that I am “gulp” a long way from complete surrender. I pray that I will increasingly be willing to completely surrender all that I am and all that I have to God.

I mentioned yesterday that I am painfully under construction. It’s painful because I have to exam my beliefs. I say I trust God completely. If that is a true statement then why am I so unwilling to completely surrender myself, my time, my things etc. Don’t’ get me wrong, I do partial surrender and I do that fairly often, but complete surrender is acting out what I say I believe to the fullest.

It’s scary and it shouldn’t be. You see I do believe with every ounce of my being that God will take care of me, the hard part is what about all my ‘stuff’ and all the things I like and what about my comfort?? There!! Does that give you a clearer picture of where I’m at? It’s pretty sad. I am reminded of a certain rich young ruler.

Let me insert here, I know that it is not wrong to have money, wealth or possessions. The problem is when our possessions rule our life, as in the case of the young ruler. Wealth and possessions can trick us into believing we are self- sufficient and that we don’t need God. Jesus told the young ruler to “follow me.” To follow Jesus we must deny-self.

What does surrendering look like? Here are a few examples.

Luke 9:23-26 “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat — I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?  (from THE MESSAGE)

Phil 1:20-22 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. NIV

Heb 11:8-10 By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations — the City designed and built by God. (from THE MESSAGE)

2 Cor 5:11-15 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. NIV

Rom 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. NIV

Andrew Murray wrote — God does not ask you to give the perfect surrender in your strength, or by the power of your will; God is willing to work it in you.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Phil 2:12-13 NIV

So I ask you, is absolute surrender possible?

Mark 9:23 “Everything is possible for him who believes.” NIV

In my family there are a lot of ‘builders’. My dad was a carpenter as well as several of my brothers and their sons. I can remember many times looking at a piece of land being prepared for construction and watching the foundation being poured and then watching the framework begin. At that stage many people have the ability to visualize the finished project. Not me! To this day I can’t make heads or tails out of construction in the beginning stages, and blueprints don’t help me either. Everything always looks much, much smaller too me in the beginning stages than what it actually is.

From “the” builder’s point of view, I am Painfully Under Construction. I’m looking inside of my own frame work and I’m not fond of what I see. What makes it painful is that I see way too much of me and not nearly enough of God. I see that I let fear and a whole lot of “what if’s” control who I am and what I do. I see me trying to control my path instead of trusting the one who really controls it. It seems too often that my dependence is on me instead of on God.

Painfully I acknowledge my self-sufficiency is pride. Painfully I acknowledge that looking out for me and my desires and my comfort is selfishness. Painfully I acknowledge that apart from God, I can do nothing of eternal value. Painfully I acknowledge that too often I seek to please myself instead of God.

I’m thankful God’s work in me is not complete. I am still a sinner, but I am not a slave to sin. I’m under construction.

Rom 6:16-23 All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you’ve started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!

I’m using this freedom language because it’s easy to picture. You can readily recall, can’t you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing — not caring about others, not caring about God — the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God’s freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?

As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn’t have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you’re proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end.

But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way!  Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master. (from THE MESSAGE)

Oswald Chambers wrote – If there is even a trace of individual self-satisfaction left in us, it always says, “I can’t surrender,” or “I can’t be free.” But the spiritual part of our being never says “I can’t”; it simply soaks up everything around it. Our spirit hungers for more and more. It is the way we are built. We are designed with a great capacity for God, but sin, our own individuality, and wrong thinking keep us from getting to Him. God delivers us from sin— we have to deliver ourselves from our individuality. This means offering our natural life to God and sacrificing it to Him, so He may transform it into spiritual life through our obedience.

Even though I can’t visualize me in ‘completeness’ God knows exactly what I will be when I’m no longer “Under Construction.”

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Cor 4:16 NIV