God's Time
By Woodrow Kroll
Part 4 - God's Time By Woodrow Kroll
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Click here for Part
1 - God's Time - Pearl of Wisdom
Click here for Part
2 – God's Time - Season and time, Polar Opposites
Click here for Part
3 - God's Time - All things beautiful
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Part 4 - Going according to plan
If God has already
determined the times and seasons of our lives, is it possible to die before our
time? In a sense it is.
Solomon exhorted, "Do not be overly wicked, nor be
foolish: why should you die before your time?" (Ecclesiastes 7:17).
Through wickedness or
self-will, we can deprive ourselves of the fullness of days that God would have
liked to have given us, but even this must be approved by God and is a part of
His eternal plan.
For a believer, the
thought that not only do we have a time to be born, but there is a set duration
before our death, is a tremendous comfort.
It means everything is
going according to God's plan. The apostle John said, "Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, 'Write:
"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord"' (Revelation 14:13).
The psalmist added, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is
the death of his saints" (Psalm
116:15).
Of course, we still don't look forward to death. And when death comes to our family--to our spouse, to our little children, to our parents--we always say, "Why, Lord? Why now?"
But we must never
forget that God has a duration for our life. In God's grace He will not allow
one day more or one day less than that duration. It's all according to His
divine plan.
And here's one final
and exciting possibility within God's plan. It is also possible that those in
Christ will never die.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Paul says, "Then we who are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And
thus we shall always be with the Lord."
It is possible that
the season of our lives will simply be swallowed up in the eternity of God.
The
omnipotent One can interrupt the sequence of "a time to be born and a time to die," and one day He
will do just that. Perhaps today!
Whether God chooses to
take us to Himself through the blessing of death or the blessed hope, in God's
plan we end up being with Him forever.
Instead of fretting
about the days of our lives or worrying about how long we will live, life would
be more enjoyable if we simply rested in the Lord and committed all those days
to Him, including our final days.
In a world of heroic
medical care and wonder drugs, let's not forget that just as the day of our
birth was part of God's eternal timetable, so is the day of our death.
None of us likes the
idea of facing death, but those who have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior can
face it very differently than those who are fearing the consequences of their
sin.
For believers, the day
of our death is another day to glorify the Lord. The day when we die is simply
another day to commit to a loving and omniscient God.
The day of our death
is, in His hands, every bit as wonderful as the day of our birth. "This is the day which the Lord has
made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).
When you live and die
in the knowledge of God's eternal plan, you live and die with this
confidence--God makes all things beautiful in their time.
Are you tired of
everything in your life going wrong? Are you fed up with trying to make things
in your life lovely and easy and pleasant, only to have them turn out messy and
hard and distasteful?
Maybe you've gone the
whole route. You've been through alcohol, you've been through drugs, you've
been through sex addiction, you've been through climbing the ladder of
success--and your life is still a colossal mess.
But don't give up yet.
There is an answer. The answer is Jesus Christ in your life.
It's through faith in
Jesus Christ as your Savior that God can make your life beautiful, and He does
it in His own time.
And maybe--just
maybe--this is God's time for you. Let Him make your life beautiful.
And maybe--just
maybe--this is God's time for you. Let Him make your life beautiful.
Ask God to show you what to do. Pray the
following prayer:
“Just As I Am”
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot;
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Are you struggling with a big decision or
wondering how your eternal future will play out?
Why not talk to the God of the universe and
let Him work in your behalf?
He says, “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will
counsel you with my eye upon you" (Psalm 32:8).
Ask God to show you what to do. Pray the
following prayer:
“Heavenly Father,
I admit that I am a sinner and my sins have
separated me from You. I now want to turn away from my past sinful life and
begin a new life with You.
Please forgive me. I now receive your Son,
Jesus Christ as my Savior, my Master and my Lord. I believe and confess that
Jesus Christ died for my sins, was buried, and rose from the dead.
I want to receive all that Jesus Christ has
provided for me as my Savior. Your Word says, ‘Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved’ (Romans 10:13).
I believe and confess that Jesus Christ is
the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes unto the Father, but by Him.
Lord Jesus, I pray and ask You, to come into
my heart and be Lord of my life. I thank You that you have given me eternal
life, and according to Your Word, I am born again.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of
the Holy Spirit Who is in me now. I surrender my life to You. I promise to
study Your Word – the Bible.
Use me for Your glory.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
Written by:
Charlotte Elliott,
Music written
by: William B. Bradbury,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yG1OmRBlwYGaitherVEVO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxA0TFe3-UoAntrimMennoniteSESamonte
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2VrRk4pZHYJoslinGroveChoraleACruceSalus1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovYPQl93zroBrinDoerksenDrigeleo8
lyrics
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am, and waiting notTo rid my soul of one dark blot;
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt;
Fightings within, and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
With many a conflict, many a doubt;
Fightings within, and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind;
Yes, all I need, in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Sight, riches, healing of the mind;
Yes, all I need, in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
|
Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down; Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come, I come! |
|
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Click here for Part
1 - God's Time - Pearl of Wisdom
Click here for Part
2 – God's Time - Season and time, Polar Opposites
Click here for Part
3 - God's Time - All things beautiful
------------
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