PSALM 102:1\u201317<\/b><\/p>\n
For my days are consumed like smoke \u2026<\/i><\/p>\n
(Ps. 102:3)<\/i>.<\/p>\n
One of humanity\u2019s greatest dilemmas is its relationship to time. Whether we live or die, time continues its unrelenting cadence. Sometimes it seems as if we have been discarded into life\u2019s vast ocean, to drift without a beginning or an end. Often it seems as if all we have is the here and now.<\/p>\n
Hoping for something more, we ask, \u201cIs this all there is?\u201d Secularism<\/i> quickly answers in the affirmative\u2014all we can be certain of is the present. Secularism\u2019s short-sighted philosophy produces grave moral consequences. If all we have is the here and now, then why stop and consider the consequences of our actions, especially in relation to eternity?<\/p>\n
The Bible tells us we are responsible for our actions; yet, like secularism, it does not deny the transience of man: \u201c\u2026 all the glory of man is as the flower of the grass. The grass withers and its flower falls away\u201d (1 Peter 1:24); \u201c\u2026 he is like the beasts that perish\u201d (Ps. 49:12); \u201c\u2026 they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again\u201d (Ps. 78:39)\u2014a somber portrait of humanity\u2019s mortality. But that isn\u2019t all there is to the picture. Man is physically mortal, but by God\u2019s sustaining power, each of us has an immortal soul\u2014a soul that will bear eternal consequences for our present actions. And when He comes, all will be again joined body and soul.<\/p>\n
Our lives seem empty and fleeting as we consider them in this temporal existence, but overshadowing our transience is the eternal presence of God. Those who deny the existence of God put their hope in the present. But even as they hope in that which they can see, they are consumed by time\u2019s ever-present marches. There is no peace in an uncertain future and no security in the present because it so quickly fades into the past. As long as we seek meaning in things that are temporary, we will despair, but if we fix our eyes on God, we will find security and hope. We will realize that there is more to life than the present, that we live forever, and that our lives here will determine how we will spend eternity. \u201cWe do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal\u201d (2 Cor. 4:18).<\/p>\n
CORAM DEO<\/b><\/p>\n
Psalm 83<\/p>\n
Romans 11<\/p>\n
Why is it impossible to find security in the present? If human beings can only find security in that which is eternal and unchanging, in God, what does this say about the unbelieving multitudes? Do you feel insecure in some way? If so, do you look for security outside of God? Commit now to abandon pursuit of the temporal.<\/p>\n
For further study: Job 11:7\u201320 \u2022 Ps. 91:5 \u2022 1 Peter 2:4\u201312<\/i><\/p>\n
wednesday<\/p>\n
august<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PSALM 102:1\u201317 For my days are consumed like smoke \u2026 (Ps. 102:3). One of humanity\u2019s greatest dilemmas is its relationship to time. Whether we live or die, time continues its unrelenting cadence. Sometimes it seems as if we have been discarded into life\u2019s vast ocean, to drift without a beginning or an end. Often it … Continue reading “THE CLUTCHES OF TIME”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12563\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}