How Much Time?

From the cradle to the grave, our days on earth are impeccably timed by God, and how few they are in relation to our eternal existence after death!
Between the two points of our existence and demise lies a huge burden of ambitions, duties and dreams to be achieved and/or carried out, but how much time we actually have for all this is quite uncertain.
The Holy Bible cautions in James 4.13 -14: “Look here, you people who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit. How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog–it’s here a little while, then it’s gone”. — NLT

Our ability to spiritually appreciate time has mostly been lost – swallowed up in the hustle and bustle of life. We spend our few days on earth struggling at achieving success at whatever we do, yet hardly sparing a thought for the most solemn pursuit of them all, which should be the pursuit of a peaceful and quiet death, in holiness and righteousness: this is the basic requirement for a smooth and glorious transition from this world to heaven.
How sad that we could plan well for the temporal and transient issues of this present brief life, but would neglect the ones that carry eternal consequences, especially those that have to do with the inevitable call of death, to which we must capitulate someday; perhaps even sooner than we presently do realize. We, mostly, neglect this all important aspect of our life until it becomes too late to be remedied. Does it not seem strange that we dedicate so much of our time and energy on the very things we would have to part with at death, but shirk from our duties and responsibilities to the very ones that would determine the place of our eternal existence beyond the grave?
How much time left does your life presently hang on? It is obvious that such knowledge is beyond our power, however what is within our power is the use to which we subject it before we expire.
Success, or failure, in the pursuit of life’s goals does not add or detract from the length of our days because how we live only enhances or diminishes our quality of life, not the length of it, as that is entirely at God’s discretion to manage as He chooses.
Eccl.8.12 – “But even though a person sins a hundred times and still lives a long time, I know that those who fear God will be better off.
Eccl.8.13 – The wicked will never live long, good lives, for they do not fear God. Their days will never grow long like the evening shadows”. — NLT

While old age may be an ominous sign that death lurks somewhere near, yet we cannot say with certainty that youth and vigour, on the other hand, is a sign of many years to one’s life, because both
the aged and the young die alike, each according to the days allotted to them by God.
Ps.90.12 – “Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom”. — NLT

Eccl.9.12 “Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them”. NIV

A certain Evangelist, named James Agboola, once preached at a Christian meeting where I was in attendance. He explained how he had a life from death experience at the youthful age of 36 years, and how the Lord, Jesus Christ, had met with him and decided to show him mercy by sending him back to the earth to amend his sinful way of living, and then to give warning to all of mankind of the dangers of living a sinful life. However, before he caused his soul to return back to his dead body, Jesus Christ reminded him that the 36 years, which he had spent on earth, were all that God had actually allotted to him, but that as an act of mercy, He would allow him to live on earth for an unspecified period of time, which he should use to preach God’s Word, and give mankind God’s warning: yet he was never told how much time it was by which his life had been extended.

We’re all bound to the same fate: it’s quite easy to tell how long we have already lived, but to know how much longer we shall live is well beyond us, except where God choses to reveal that to us, just as the story below will explain.
While working on this message, I received the good news of the
transition to heaven of one of our faithful, elderly mother in the Church. From what I’ve gathered so far from those around her in her last moments alive, it would seem that God had given her a premonition of her death. Earlier on, during one of our weekly church fellowships, she had shared a testimony about a dream in which she saw herself wading through the deep waters of a river, on the other bank of which was a blazing glory of light. However, just before she was completely immersed in that river, a strong voice spoke, and stopped her, saying it was not time yet to cross over to the other side.There upon she awoke. I was on the pulpit when she shared this testimony, so I told her, in the audience of the church, that the Lord would prepare her well against the time of her home coming, and I enjoined the church to pray for her.
Now that time has come and that dream has been wonderfully fulfilled. Her daughter who was present when she died had this to say: that her mother had prayed all through her last night, so much that she had to plead with her to take a break and sleep, but to which she simply replied, saying that her strength came through prayer. At dawn, while still in bed, her mother had asked to know what the time was, and after she had announced to her that it was 7:00 Am, she proceeded to say this prayer: into thy hands, Lord, I commit my spirit, soul and body. Then she turned her head sideways and died quietly, at exactly 7:02 Am
on the clock; just a two minutes notice to God that she was ready to come home at last.
How wonderfully captured here are the words of Prophet Balaam who, being excited at the prospects of the fate of the righteous at death, exclaimed:

“… Let me die like the righteous; let my life end like theirs.” Numbers 23:10. NLT. May we not as well wish for a happy ending to our lives much in the same way as that?

We must, however, be instructed that such a glorious exit from this world of turmoil to the glorious heaven of rest is the benefit of a prudent use of one’s life time, by giving all of it to Jesus Christ, and trusting Him to save it to the end.

“Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come”.
2Corinthiant 5:17 NASB.

How much time do you think that you have left before death calls?Perhaps if we knew we would have lived differently, giving more time and attention to the issues of God’s kingdom, and the requirement to live a holy and righteous life before Him. But is it any wonder that God has withheld such privilege from us? Of course not! Unless our faith in Him is well proven, and
constant, such a privilege would, instead, excite the carnal mind with the possibility of deliberately living a careless and worldly life, only to seek reconciliation with God just before the known appointed time of death; albeit to our own condemnation, because God cannot be cheated!
Gal.6.7 – “Don’t be misled. Remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow!
Gal.6.8 – Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit”. — NLT
How much time do you still have to live? I’m sure that you don’t know. However, not knowing how much
time our lives hang on should make us want to set our priorities right, assuming that we are blessed with such wisdom. Uncertainty has a way of priming the soul of the wise to be more prudent with the management of their lives. So,why not use your time more prudently by giving top priority to the spiritual and eternal issues of your life? Why not get to know God through His son, Jesus Christ, for the salvation of your soul, and reformation of your character? For, unless Jesus Christ transforms your life, you would have no place in God’s heavenly kingdom after your death.
John.13.8 – “…Jesus replied, “But if I don’t wash you, you won’t belong to me.” — NLT

Those who reject God’s call to repentance now, promising to revisit the issue at a more convenient time, must understand that the
ordinances of God cannot be manipulated: God’s call to repentance is at His own discretion and time, and it is only valid while it lasts.
John.6.44 : “You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me–that’s the only way you’ll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End.” MSB

Isa.55.6 “Seek GOD while he’s here to be found, pray to him while he’s close at hand.
Isa.55.7 Let the wicked abandon their way of life and the evil their way of thinking. Let them come back to GOD, who is merciful, come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness”. MSB

What we do with God’s invitation to repentance is entirely our business, but if we reject it, the consequences which will follow would be well beyond our control because that’d now be in God’s power to handle. Time wasted in indecision is time
irredeemably lost, unless God’s mercy comes calling again.
At the close of life, when the dark curtains of death are drawn over the soul, man would, for once, become more enlightened with the
knowledge of how the issues of his life should have bean rightly handled, but, regretfully, at that time he would no longer have the power to remedy his wrong choices, or even to better the good ones; his judgment would’ve been long determined, and his fate eternally sealed.
So, now that you still live, why not take a pause for a while, and consider this important question: If you have time for anything, shouldn’t you also have time for Jesus? Although your time is entirely at your discretion to use as you wish, yet God will hold you accountable for such use as you have invested it on.
Eccl.11.9 “You who are young, make the most of your youth. Relish your youthful vigor. Follow the impulses of your heart. If something looks good to you, pursue it. But know also that not just anything goes; You have to answer to God for every last bit of it” . MSB

If, however, you choose to commit yourself to Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour, He will save and reform your life.The Holy Bible promises in 1John.1.9 that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”. NIV

So, wouldn’t you rather believe in Jesus Christ, repent of all your sins, confess Him as your Lord and personal Saviour, and be saved? Thereafter, you can dedicate the rest of your life to doing His will, and then you would see how much beautiful and worth living that He can make your life to become.

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God bless you.