Things I Learned Growing Up That Maybe I Wish I Hadn't
That Loved Ones Would Always Be There - PART 2
This article is a continuation from our last one. If you missed it please click the button below.
Yesterday we started this discussion on the shortness of life with the following text:
Ecclesiastes 3 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past. And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?”
Of judgement our writer says:
Ecclesiastes 8:6-13 “Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him. For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be? There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt. And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.”
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die…”
When we look back at the open text, we see that everything King Solomon says there is a time for is just as sure to happen as this first set of events: being born and dying. Everything has been appointed a season by God, and everything appointed has also been given a purpose here— “under the heaven”.
We do not, therefore, have extra time in which to accomplish the will of God— to bear our crosses— there is only now!
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The writer speaks again of man’s supposed wisdom concerning the spiritual things:
Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.”
We do not actually know the amount of time we have left nor the potential prosperity of our words, but “…we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8).
This concept can be terrifying if we have not been living our lives for Him. It literally means that as soon as we close our eyes to this life, we report to the Master. What will we be reporting?
An end is coming for all of us— a day in which we will be reckoned before the Lord. It could be sudden and without warning. This is, in fact, exactly how the Lord’s second coming will be, and perhaps many reading this now have the method of their departure scheduled in that way.
Ecclesiastes 12:3-7 “In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”
The born-again will stand before Him at the judgment seat (Bema), and the books will be open and read of our every act, speech and thought. He will be coming personally to escort you to that throne. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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.” We will then give an account of every event the books speak of. Yes, even the saved, will have to explain to the Lord our every event. For the elect, though, we can find comfort in these words, for Jesus will be there to wipe away every tear.
The lost who leave this life without ever knowing the Lord Jesus to be their Savior will find themselves also in His presence, but that seat will be the Great White Throne. There, they will be dispatched into the lake of fire, for they have no advocate; they have no plea. Intercession has not been made for them, and thus, the Lord’s wrath will not be stayed. If you are reading this and do not know Him as your own, then you have no Blessed Hope. Those that are “lost” are not such because the Lord Jesus COULD not find them, but because He was not sent for them to begin with. His saving blood was more than capable of covering whosoever the Father chose, but it is the Father’s will that saves— not man’s.
Some will seek to argue the above point, but these articles are not written with an intention to debate. The Bible is plenty capable of straightening out any man’s doctrine, including my own, if we would but submit ourselves to it. The Bible does clearly call for the wicked to forsake their present path and seek the Lord: Isaiah 55:6-7, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” It is imperative that they do just that!
We know also that, during what is left of this church age, it is the responsibility of every born-again believer to sound out the call to come unto Him— to repent and believe that He is able to save them that truly come unto Him.
We must note that Scripture reveals, “No man can come to [Jesus], except the Father which hath sent [Him] draw him: and [He] will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44). This was what Jesus said to a bunch of murmurers struggling with Jesus proclaiming to be the “Bread of Life”— the very source of hope and salvation. Man's nature is unbelief— sinful from the fall of Adam. One simply cannot believe unless the Father draws him unto Himself giving the desire to believe. Let me attempt to clear this up as we close with an example from the Lord’s ministry:
Mark 1:35-42 “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, [Jesus] went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee [remember this phrase please]. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth [this implies that He did not come to wait for every man to come to Him; those the Father sent Him for would be drawn to where ever He was. Those truly drawn will come to where He truly is.]. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt [Again please note, Jesus saves no one against His own will], thou canst make me clean [A token of this man’s faith that Jesus is able]. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.”
In the context of this event, we see that all men supposedly sought after Jesus, but only this one who was drawn came to where He was. In faith, that man confessed to believe. In action, that man bowed himself to the ground; a sinner “beseeching” the Savior that he might be healed.
“Those truly drawn will come to where He truly is.”
If you have been drawn unto Him, I encourage you to fall prostrate at his feet as the leper, and in full faith that He can, seek His pardon. You haven’t much time remaining dear friend!
If you have His pardon, you have absolutely no excuse to not be in His church serving Him. Can you truly confess that you love Him if you refuse to show Him that you do?
John 21:15-17 “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”
Can you feed the sheep from outside the pen? Can you be sharpened as iron if you are no where near the other irons? Time is of the essence, and it is but a vapor. We dare not take it for granted! For every individual pictured in these past two articles there is little I wouldn’t give to have just a few more minutes with them. I pray that motivates me (and you) to not miss that time with those that remain.