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| Have time with the Lord today. |
Did you try to find the Lord?
Maybe you will say, "God found me!"
Yes, it is not wrong, the Bible said in Luke 19:10 "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost"
The Lord found us, and He found us in different ways.
But while we were Christians, did you continue to find the Lord?
Some Christians today think that being a Christan is enough. They were already with the Lord, they are close to the Lord, and they already have the Lord which is somehow true, but do you think that is enough?
I saw many Christians today saying that they have the Lord but they don't do what the Lord wants them to do. When we become Christians, the Lord expects us to do the "basic Christian work". What are those? Reading the Bible, Memorizing the word of God, Devotions, praying, and even fasting. But, Christians are somehow neglecting these "basic Christian work".
I would not be exempt from the reality that in some cases I read the word of God but not the usual time I spend on it. Are you like me? well, I realized that somehow I did not find the Lord in that way. So then, if we want to find the Lord we should do something for the Lord. Right? Because, honestly, there are times that we felt empty or we could not feel the presence of the Lord it is not because the Lord is hiding or sleeping it is because we do not do the hundred percent or we don't give our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Just giving spare time to the Lord is not enough, we need to have devoted time for the Lord. A time that we can pray, study and meditate on His words.
The Lord said in John 15:4 " Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." One of the meanings of Abide in this verse in referring to the time we are talking to is:
(a.) To continue to be, not to perish, to last, and endure of
- a person, to survive, live
TO CONTINUE
To continue the said time we want to spend for the Lord is not an easy way. Believe me, there is a lot of time that we want to spend with the Lord but then the devil will put plenty of works before us that we thought those things should be done immediately! He (the devil) will destruct us in many ways. Until we will not do what we plan to do with the Lord.
In abiding with the Lord we should have a "continuous" time for the Lord, Not spare time. Not a moody time. BUT A CONTINUED TIME WITH THE LORD.
NOT TO PERISH
Having time with the Lord should not perish or be changeable, without expiration, and not depart from life. It should always be part of our lives! This kind of time we oftentimes forget. Yes! some Christians or I might say all of us are good when it comes to the beginning or start, but when we reach the middle or when we are about to reach the finish line we don't have the same time that we usually spend with the Lord.
The time we spent with the Lord is just the acceptable time, time is comfortable and can benefit us. Not like the old time when we first accepted the Lord that at any time of the day we can read, meditate, and talk to the Lord anywhere and everywhere we are.
TO LASTI
It is a time that should not be the last but TO LAST. I want to compare our time when we spend it to someone that for us is very special. We feel that we don't want that time to end right? We actually can spend our time with them without feeling bored and anxious. But, what happens when we spend our time with the Lord? A 5, 10 minutes to 30 minutes, to One hour is a boring time for us. Sometimes we feel heavy, our eyes are sleepy, and our body wants to lie down and rest.
The Lord wants us to have a time that is to last. Not just for a beginning but to last. A time that we will spend for the rest of our lives for the Lord.
ENDURE
What does this word mean when it comes to time? We do have lots of time that we spend on different activities in a day, right? And we endure to stay and finish what we started to do.
For example our work, we spend eight hours of labor for a minimum wage per day. We endure because we need to endure for us to be paid by the company we work at. To all students, even if you don't feel to study a particular subject you need to focus and study at the end you endure because you want to have a good grade and eventually graduated.
Now when it comes to having time with the Lord, we have to endure all. Even at times that we don't like to, we don't feel to do something, and when we feel that we tried doing it. We should endure for us to get the benefit from it. The Lord will be glad for us and that's the reason why we endure everything for God's sake. We want Him to give the glory and joy in His heart.
SELF CHECKING
Now let's check on ourselves today. How's our time when it comes to spending it for the Lord is it continually? not perishing? it is a time to last? can we endure? If NO we are in big trouble!
Because with the given meaning of abide when it terms to time we spend with the Lord, it must be the way the Lord wants as John 15:4 says - Nothing more and nothing less.
He created time not because He just wants us to spend it on our pleasure but He created time because the Lord wants to see from us how we love Him, enjoy His companionship, and treasure the moment we have with the Lord in His given time.
A time as if we beg Him for a particular need that we prayed for Him to bring immediately. Nakakalungkot at nakakatawang makita sa maraming Kristiyano ngayon ay yung inaapura ang Dios na gawin ang mga bagay na gusto nilang mangyari sa kanila. But were locked in spending our time with the Lord.
WHY THE LORD WANTS US TO GIVE OUR TIME TO HIM?
He created time not because He has a time and He is the time. No! The Lord is not the time and in Him, there is no time. He has no beginning and end. But, He created time for us.
Did you ask yourself, why God created time for us? Why are 24 hours of our time divided into four? Morning, Afternoon, Evening, and Midnight.
I was in deep thought because of this question that suddenly inner self rebuke me in saying why should I think so deeply when naturally I knew there is a good reason why God created time and divided it into four. God made time because for us. First; TO MANAGE IT. Secondly; TO LEARN HOW TO VALUE IT. Thirdly; TO SPEND IT WISELY.
God is infallible. This is always true! Even in making time, He never makes a mistake here.
In what God's reason in making time, do we manage our time wisely? Do we value our time? Do we spend it wisely? - Again, if we're not concerned with the time we spent here on Earth, we are in big trouble!
Why?
One thing is for sure might happen to us if we're not the like Christians what the Lord wants us to be in terms of spending our time with Him?
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO US?
We are not the person that will survive and live as per John 15:4 meaning of Abide.
If we are the Christians that will not continue what we are doing for the Lord, if we are the Christians that easily perish the desire of what we are doing for the Lord, if we are the Christians that didn't know how to last our relationship for the Lord, if we are the Christians that can't endure what we are during for the Lord...then we are not the person (Christians) that will survive and live as a Christians want the Lord wants us to be.
How the Lord endure what He did on the cross to save us, we should do the same. How he surrender to the Heavenly Father, we should surrender the same.
You know, abiding in the Lord just once is not enough it should be FOREVER!
Look at too many Christians nowadays, they 'called' Christians but they can't survive being a Christian. WE ARE NOT CALLED BY GOD TO 'JUST' CALLED CHRISTIANS WE SHOULD LIVE THROUGH IT.
And we can't live through it if we don't have time with the Lord. We are like a Christians atat are moody, seesaw, and defeated Christians.
Brethren,
Let's look at ourselves today, how are you in the Lord? Did you abide in Him as John 15:4 says? If NOT, you know how your relationship with the Lord is, in the first place you know Him.
If you remember how you are in serving the Lord, GO BACK! It is not late yet. You can do what you have forgotten. Because, surely, the Lord misses you so much! He waits at your meeting place.
Come! Let's find the Lord today!
TO GOD BE THE GLORY
Letter for my Brethren
I pray that your heart be filled with excitement, desire, and love to find the Lord today. May you always endure the challenges you may face when you are in a time in finding the Lord. May you also keep the burning fire in your heart, the Holy Spirit to teach you how to abide in Him the way He wants you to be.
I pray you to find yourself in the time when you first met the Lord.
I plead the blood of Jesus Christ to protect you from all harm in Jesus' name, Amen.
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