Courtesy of Unsplash.com

All of us have a time piece of one type or another. A wall clock, desk clock, one in the car on the dashboard display, on the computer, on our phone, or something on our wrist, be it of the conventional type or somewhat more technical that does a lot more than tell us what time it is! :)

We have our diaries, our memos, our calendars, which help us to manage this commodity we call time. We mark events, we prepare for them and when they come and go, we are looking for the next one.

Children impatiently wait for their birthday, or Christmas. Most young folks can’t wait for school to finish and the holidays to begin. Young lovers count down the days to their marriage day. On into life, and we’re looking at the clock waiting for the work day to end so we can head off home, then still further on we are looking forward to retirement.

It goes on and on, and without realising it, we are locked in time. Some try to cram into it as much as they can, while others waste it away. The problem is, we only have a limited amount of it, and most of us have less of it than we thought.

Whatever the answer we have at the moment to the question:
“What time is it?” We would have to face the fact and admit that ‘it is late!’

All of our plans and personal organisers might be telling us it is ‘this season’ or 'that season’, but we only have to see the environment in which we are living to see that it is late! We only have to observe the news reports to realise that it is late. In fact it is VERY late!

What have we done with our lives so far? And where are they heading? Everyone has their own answer to the first question, but there are only one of two answers to the second! Perhaps you might be somebody who would prefer not to be challenged with a question like that, but it is better to address this important issue now rather than wait until it’s too late to do something about it. This issue is not going to go away while ignoring it, look how uncertain things are getting out there in the world - is it worth taking the risk?

“Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”
Proverbs 27: 1.

Everyone has their plans and are not too pleased with having them interrupted by the Covid crisis, but now things might appear to be getting back to some sort of normality, those all important plans are being taken up once again. But what happens after all those plans for your life have perhaps been fulfilled?

A wise old sage once asked young man one day, ‘what plans do you have for your life?
He answered, ‘Well, I hope to graduate with honours after my studies.’
To which he asked the young man, ‘And then what?’
The young man answered, ‘I would like to start my employment and work my way up the ladder.’
‘And then what?’ Asked the man once more.
‘I would like to own my own home, find someone and get married.’
The question came to him again, ‘And then what?’
‘I would like us to have children and see them grow up and do well in their education.’ 
He gently asked again, ‘And then what?’
‘I would like to get my promotions so that I can retire comfortably.’ 
‘And then what?’ The old man kept probing.
‘We would like to see our children get married, and have children of their own. We would like to enjoy our grandchildren, retirement and holidays etc.’
By now the young man was hoping that he would not be asked that question anymore, but once again he was asked, ‘And then what?’
The young man got uncomfortable and said sombrely, ‘Then I’ll die!’
Thinking that would be the end of the conversation, he sighed feeling a little defeated, but the old man asked him, just one last time …. ‘And - then - what?’

Dear friend, it is later than it has ever been, and the vast eternity is nearer than what you think. If that old man was to probe you like he did to the young man mentioned above, what would be your answer.

Long ago when the children of Israel were delivered by God from Egypt and Pharaoh its wicked king, they were delivered from slavery, and from the worship of Egypt’s false gods to serve the living God. The firstborn in every household sheltering under the blood of a lamb that was sacrificed, was delivered from the angel of death that was to passover the land the night prior to their departure.

Once they were delivered, this marked the beginning of a brand new life, and God marked this event by giving to them a brand new calendar. This was the first day of the first month of a brand new year. And this month was called ‘Nissi’.

All of the events of the time that had passed before was unrecorded and closed. The only time that mattered to God was the brand new time He gave to them!

The same is with us. The time that really matters to God in our lives starts the moment we trust in the ‘Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’. John 1: 29. 

When we humble ourselves before Him in true repentance of our sin, acknowledging that Jesus died in the place of us the sinner, God gives to us a brand new life, and from that moment on, this is the time that is valuable to Him.

All the plans that we made and the time we spent and wasted outside of His schedule amounts to nothing. Everything begins the moment He comes into the life of the one who trusts Him and allows Him to make them a brand new person. If you are in your nineties and are living on borrowed time - God can do a lot with that precious borrowed time. If you are in your teens and have a potential life time to look forward to - God can do a lot with your precious life.

But in reality, all of us may have but a few moments left before it is too late, but God can do a lot with those as well, if we give them all to Him.

I know personally how wonderful it is to know that my destiny is secured. And because of this, every day of my life has meaning and presents an opportunity to invest in eternity. This can be your happy portion as well.

The Bible tells us clearly that ‘the time is short’.
The events and circumstances in the world today verify this, and … ’it is VERY late’.

Soon, God is going to say as it were ‘enough’ to the wickedness that is going on. Soon, He will tell His Beloved Son to ‘go and fetch your bride.’ Because without a shadow of a doubt, the promised coming of the Lord Jesus could happen at any moment. None of us knows exactly when He will come and call all those who trust in Him to Himself to be with Him where He is, but everything is telling us that the moment of time His people are longing for could be on the next breath.

The patience of God waits and waits for people to repent, and so, if you are among those for whom He is waiting, trust in Him fully and come under the protection of His loving care - because He will not wait forever - ‘His Spirit will not always strive with man’. (See Genesis 6: 3.) Because it is that late, you may no longer have the option to wait another day to address the all important matter of your destiny. It would be utter foolishness to put it off … until tomorrow!

* The question - What time is it? 
* The answer - It is VERY late!
* The resolution - Trust Him now, while you may!

Courtesy of Pixabay.com

~~~~~

Here's how to know for sure you are ready for heaven.
It's as simple as 'ABC'

~~~~~

Courtesy of Pixabay.com

The morning started all grey and overcast, but I had prayed for fair weather as I usually do on a day like this.

You see, today was the day when we were going to pay our final respects to Mum Le Bail (Yvonne). And I can't recall there was ever a funeral of a true believer I ever attended when the sun didn't shine at just the right moment. I prayed that this would be so once again this day and I was sure that the Lord would do it again.

Right enough, about an hour and a half before the service was to begin the clouds parted and the weather was absolutely lovely for the full duration of the service and for the committal afterwards. Of course being in the month of January it was very cold but otherwise very pleasant, for which everyone was truly thankful.

As we journeyed back home the clouds returned and it started to rain again.
Well, how about that!

While people were arriving at the Church, in the background playing softly was my new song: "Just Passing Through", which family members requested to be played on this occasion. It was on a loop and played over a few times while people were arriving. Before the service began while people were quietly talking among themselves, the Pastor came over to my Son and I, and we chatted for a little while. During a pause in our conversation he turned to asked me with a smile: "Does this sound familiar to you?" (Referring to my song.) I replied: "Yes, it is, I know it very well!" Then off he went to welcome another family member into the church. :)

It was a beautiful service and a fitting and honourable tribute to a very special lady who was not only a devoted mother to her children well into adulthood, but she was an incredibly wonderful friend to me. I look forward to that soon coming day when the Lord Jesus comes as He promised.  We'll see Mum again, and many more of those precious loved ones who went on ahead of us to be: "with Christ, which is far better." Philippians 1: 23.

As I was listening to some ministry on the Internet recently the Pastor I was listening to covered the verses of 2 Timothy 3: 1-5, and as he read these verses slowly and deliberately I was thinking to myself: 'although these words were written long ago, there is something about them that is strangely familiar right now.' And why is that? It is because these words are a perfect and graphic description of the age in which we are living ... today! It is as if the writer had penned these words only last week!

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
2 Timothy 3: 1-5.

Well, that's a pretty depressing list of characteristics isn't it? Nineteen of them to be precise! And I don't know about you, but as you read them through didn't they seem familiar to you also?

You only have to turn on your TV, or read the newspapers to see for yourselves that: "the mystery of iniquity doth already work ..." 2 Thessalonians 2: 7. The spirit of lawlessness is rampant no matter where we look.

Now, it would be the easiest thing to become despondent with the barefaced wickedness we see all around us, or maybe, just maybe we could find encouragement that these sad days were predicted in the Bible and precede an event that is very soon to take place.

Please notice that the Bible reading from 2 Timothy begun with this small sentence "... in the last days perilous times shall come'. If we are seeing all these things happening right in front of us, and that sorry list of characteristics is all too familiar to us today, then it stands to reason that we are 'in the last days!'

But what does it mean when the Bible tells us that we are in 'the last days?'

Well, for every true believer, these are the last moments when we find ourselves 'counting down' as it were, and "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Titus 2: 13. These are the last days just before the promise of the Lord Jesus is about to be fulfilled. This is what He said: "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14: 2-3.

When every true believer is focused on this wonderful promise, this is an exciting time, because very soon, in fact, any minute now, He is coming for His beloved people to take us away from this sad old world. He is going to take us to be with Him in the place He went to prepare for us when He went back into heaven.

These are the last days in which the chapter is about to close
and another is about to begin!

But what of those who are left behind? This world is in rapid decline and speedily heading for judgement. All living in it who have little or no regard for the living God, His beloved Son, and the salvation which He offers will soon have to face His wrath instead. These for them are the very last moments in which they have a chance can do something about their predicament.

The Bible tells us that: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3: 9.

This chapter in our history is just about the longest one so far because of the abounding mercy of a loving God who has been waiting for sinners for whom Christ died to repent and trust in Him fully. And in these last days while everything is going into chaos He waits just another day ... and just another ... and another. But, He will not wait for much longer. One day soon He will declare: as He did just before the flood in Noah's time: "My spirit shall not always strive with man ..." Genesis 6: 3.

But who is He waiting for? Could it be for you?

If you are reading this and find that you could be among those left behind to face judgement against your sin, you need to get serious about your dilemma before God. He knows all about it infinitely better than you do, and desires to save you from sin's power and its consequences.

Your sin and mine is the reason why Jesus came and ultimately went all the way to the cross to suffer, bleed, and to die. He bore in His body the punishment and separation from God that our sin deserves because we are totally incapable of doing anything about it ourselves.

Such love ought to touch your heart deeply. As soon as you are prepared before God to accept that you are the poor lost sinner for whom Jesus died to save, humble yourself and trust Him without reserve, God will set you on a new pathway, give you a new life with new goals.  You too will be able to look forward with joyful anticipation to that soon coming day when Jesus comes for all those who have trusted in Him and "love Him who first loved us." 1 John 4: 19.

Perhaps you are one of God's dear people but have become overwhelmed in this chaotic system in which we are currently living. It's looking dire and the days are dark and closing in on us. It is easy to become fearful and wonder what will happen next. Here is the good news - Jesus is coming again! He's coming for you! Hold on just a little while longer! Look up, because it won't be long now. You and I have so very much to look forward to ... very soon ... Perhaps Today!

Here is a couple of little passages from the Bible that you might be familiar with. May these words bring to you comfort in these 'last days'.

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
1 Corinthians 15: 51-52.

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18.

Here's a simple explanation on how to make sure you are ready for heaven  - while you have the opportunity!
It's as simple as 'ABC'

~~~~~

What a year it's been! Certainly one to be remembered ... or preferably one chosen to be forgotten forever!

Oh well, it certainly is a good job we do not know the future holds. However, those of us who have the Lord Jesus as our Lord and Saviour know Who holds the future!

Nothing takes Him by surprise, and that includes everything that seemed to hit us blindsided at the beginning of this past year.

It looks like all that we once knew as normal before Covid will in all probability never return! Too much has happened. For some, irretrievable loss in either employment or sadly losing loved ones.

Everyone is governed in some measure by fear, and there is a horrible feeling of hopelessness in every walk of life. But this is when and where a practical living relationship with the beloved Lord Jesus makes all the difference.

Those of us who His people by faith and by His grace have an anchor of hope that others do not have. Even though we all have to pass through the same trials as everyone else, we know that we have not been left all alone without rhyme or reason in this chaotic environment in which we have to live.

I get the feeling that we are being permitted to endure Covid hardships to enable us ...

to let go of this world and look for something better

Christians know that this place is not our home and that we are 'just passing through', but sometimes we find ourselves holding on to something that makes our eternal destiny less attractive. And all the while, as we see everything collapsing into disarray all around us, and as we see 'the spirit of lawlessness abound' I'm sure that it is becoming apparent that this really is not our home!

In fact, anyone who is reading this, be you a Christian or not ...

this sad old world is not your home either!

Wouldn't you like to escape? Would you like to have something so much better to look forward to?

Having something to look forward to, and Somebody wonderful to meet in Person in a very short while thrills the heart of God's people. And the more we get to know Him now, the brighter our certain future becomes.

He has made promises you know! And when He makes a promise He always keeps it because He cannot lie. He is always faithful to His Word, and because this is so, we can place the full weight of our faith and complete trust in Him and His promises.

For all of God's people the promise of the coming or our beloved Lord and Saviour is not only a ray of hope to brighten our future, but it is what the Bible calls, our 'blessed hope'. But I might add to this that this is our only hope.

Not in a negative sense but in the most positive way.

We don't need any other type of hope when we have the promise that Jesus Himself will come for us, and take us to the place He has been preparing in His Father's house since He left long ago.

This is what he promised -

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be also."
John 14: 1-3.

'Where I am, there ye may be also.' What better prospect could God's people ever have other than to be with Him, where He is? This is something that can be more fully appreciated the more we get to know Him, as I said earlier.

For everyone who is unprepared, and carrying a burden of sin around all the time, did you know that you can be free from that burden and from the very thing that separates you from the love of God?

Our sin is the reason why He came. He came to deliver us from its chains of guilt and from its consequences. It meant that He had to come and live on earth just like us and become acquainted with all our infirmities, yet without the ability to sin Himself!

This perfect Man was on a mission.
He didn't come to stay but He also was 'just passing through'.

He was here only for a few short years to live His perfect life and ultimately to go to the cross as our Substitute and suffer, bleed and die in the place of lost and guilty sinners like you and me.

All of us as individuals are the sinners for whom Christ died to save. He has done His part to the satisfaction of God His Father, and was risen from among the dead, living now in the power of an endless life.

Now it is turn to do your part, and turn from the sin that keeps you away from the living and loving God, and keeps you in a hopeless and fearful state, and trust in Him with all your heart. Completely surrender to Him and see what He will do!

What better way to begin a brand New Year? He who not only holds the future, faithfully holds each of His trusting people in His nail scarred hand. He will never let His people down but all who trust in Him are secure forever.

In fact, according to the Lord Jesus, we are doubly secure -

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all;
and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one."
John 10: 28-30.

Seeing as it is that we are doubly secure, let us make sure we seek to give to Him every reason to feel that we were worth the price He paid to make us His own.

And now that we have so much to look forward to, we have everything to live for, even though there may be tough times ahead. As long as we remember that we are only 'just passing through', and our home awaits us, we will have the ability to press on with those things that have greater value and not be wasting time in fruitless pursuits.

2021

May you be richly blessed in this coming New Year

Something special just released!

I can honestly say that without the Lord this song video would not have been possible.
It is a little different to the type of video I usually create
because of a recent bereavement in the family.
I trust that it will be a blessing to you at such a time as this.
♥

Here's a simple explanation on how to make sure you are ready for heaven  - and therefore ready to face 2021!
It's as simple as 'ABC'

~~~~~

"Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given ..."
Isaiah 9: 6.

Over two thousand years ago a gift was given from God to mankind as the ultimate expression of His love to undeserving people like you and me.

This is a very different type of a gift than what we are used to; for this gift was given to us not wrapped up in pretty paper and bows but in swaddling bands. This is not a gift that is an object but God's gift to us is a Person.

This is a Person like no other. He is God's beloved Son. We see in the above verse a twofold description given to this precious One:

He was a child born, and a Son given ...

And this is what makes Him totally unique. When God sent Him into the world and placed into the loving care of Mary and Joseph, He didn't begin His existence when He was born but came as the Son from eternity into time.

Jesus was indeed the very expression of God Himself. If we ever want to know what God is like, all we have to do is take a look at His Son; for the Bible tells us that Jesus is:

"... The brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person ..."
Hebrews 1: 3.

And while He lived on earth for a mere thirty-three years He demonstrated to us what God is like in His character, but if we want to understand what the love of God is like we have to go to the cross where Jesus was dying to put away the terrible thing that separates us from Him.

And that is our sin!

Jesus willingly became our Substitute and suffered in our place the punishment that we as sinners deserve. Everything that God requires for people like you and me to be sure of a home in heaven has been accomplished when Jesus died. And to prove that God was satisfied that the sin debt was paid for in full Jesus was risen from among the dead and now lives in the power of a endless life.

As it is evident for all to see, there is a large amount of people who refuse the Gift and the Giver,
but what will you do?

What better time to understand your need, turn from the sin that estranges you from God and trust in the only way sinners are pardoned of their sin. Trust fully in God's beloved Son and in Him alone.

But Jesus isn't just a gift for Christmas only to be soon forgotten in the passing of only a few days. He is the most precious Gift that anyone could ever possess because He Himself comes to take up His abode in the lives of those who humbly place their trust in Him.

May the precious Lord Jesus this Christmas time be the reason for your joy and your greatest delight; for if God His Father finds all His delight in His beloved Son, surely we can also.

Courtesy of pixabay.com

 I would like to wish all visiting here a very happy Christmas, and warmly invite you to join us next week in the New Year for something special.

~~~~~

Everyone is familiar with waiting.  We have to wait in queues (now at a social distance from one another!) We have all been subjected to canned music while waiting on the phone to speak to a 'real person'. We've all sat in waiting rooms for the service of a particular professional's services. We all know what it's like to be in the car, stuck in heavy traffic, or sitting at home waiting for the post to come, or for that phone call. The list goes on and on.

Waiting is one of those annoying parts of life that takes up a considerable amount of our lives. Sometimes it is with joyful anticipation, and at other times it is with fear and trepidation. Whether it is for something good or something bad, waiting is difficult. We either want it to come quickly or we want to get it over quickly.

For a child waiting for a birthday or Christmas to arrive, or a couple waiting for their wedding day, for those waiting for a scheduled family reunion the waiting feels long and almost painful. But the days come and go and soon the day they long waited for is upon them and all too soon becomes a thing of the past!

 
Courtesy of pixabay.com

For those of us who are the Lord's people, waiting plays a huge role in our lives and even though we don't like it much, it is a great necessity.  It is in those periods of waiting that we learn some very important lessons in life. One of which is, that the God in whom we trust is never in a hurry. He is never early, He is never late but always on time ... His time!

At the end of the Old Testament there were four hundred years that passed by before the promised coming of the Son of God to the earth was fulfilled. The Bible tells us that:

"... When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."
Galatians 4: 4-5.

Perhaps we are going through a hard time, or perhaps there is a promise in the Bible you have come to understand is a promise from the heart of God to you personally, there is one thing for sure - you'll probably have to wait His timing for that promise to be fulfilled. But on a good note, you certainly won't be waiting as long as four hundred years! :)

I have come to understand the reason why waiting is so difficult for the most of us, and believe the secret to the waiting process to be as profitable as possible is to wait with the right focus.

Waiting 'for' the Lord is hard, frustrating and sometimes even very painful, because our imagination and understanding comes into play, which more often than not is in direct opposition to the mind and will of God.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55: 8-9.

But waiting 'on' the Lord is the game changer, and by doing so our waiting times take on a whole new dimension. Waiting now has a purpose, and is no longer the painful process that it once used to be. This is why we are told on numerous occasions in the Bible how our patient waiting should be done. Waiting 'on' the Lord comes with a promise, and how precious this is!

So what we need to know is ....

Courtesy of pixabay.com

What is the difference between waiting 'for' the Lord and waiting 'on' Him? It is the similar difference between believing 'on' Him as opposed to believing 'in' Him, and resting 'on' His promises as opposed to resting 'in' them!

This might not tell you very much until you take a closer look and you will see that the difference has to do with how well we know Him. The more we know Him, the closer we are in relationship with Him, the easier it is to depend 'on' Him - it comes like second nature!

Perhaps that sounds easier said than done, and maybe this is so on the surface until we understand that when God tells us to "wait 'on' Him", that instruction usually comes with a promise. And when God makes a promise He keeps it because He cannot lie. He is always true to his Word.

Here are a couple of examples to make this easier to understand, and I might add, ever so much more desirable:

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the LORD."
Psalm 27: 13-14.

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD,
the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?
there is no searching of his understanding.
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint."
Isaiah 40: 28-31.

I have quoted these verses in their context so you can see how wonderful the promises are when we wait with focus, knowing the One in whom we are trusting.

The right type of waiting changes everything!
It gives to our heart renewing strength, broader perspective, stamina and resilience, and a whole lot more besides!

There is another reason why I quoted these particular verses. For those of His people who have been waiting for the promised coming of our beloved Lord Jesus, we know by the signs all around us that His coming could happen at any moment, but we just don't know exactly when.

If we were to focus on the devastation all around us in this sad old world we might lose hope and give up. We might grow weary in the race that God has set before us in the misdt of all the wickedness that abounds, or in our day to day walk with God we might feel isolated and faint along the way.

But when our focus is on Him, 'in whom we trust and know is able,' then our waiting has a purpose in these closing days. He has not only given us the assurance that we will see 'the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living' but we have something to do while we wait. Jesus told us to: "occupy, till I come." Luke 19: 13. Just a tiny statement but it is a loaded one, because there is plenty to do and we never need to be idle.

Therefore consider everything we do and say from now on until He comes as He promised, as potentially an eternal investment and will see that waiting will not only have a purpose but it will never be the drudgery that it ever was before!

 
Courtesy of pixabay.com

Or as this verse has been lovingly paraphrased:
'Just wait - you'll see.' - J.D. Farag.

(Images by Robin Higgins from Pixabay)

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Just in case you missed this :)

Rest a While now has a Facebook 'Group' to which you are warmly invited if you have a Facebook account.
This is where most of the daily inspirational thoughts are being posted from now on.
Because there has been a change to Facebook's interface
the majority of people who 'liked' Rest a While's Facebook 'Page' are not receiving notifications of fresh content being posted there.
And so, as a result a decision was made to start up a Facebook Group instead, which is currently doing rather well.

~~~~~