The Limit of Time Makes Us Wiser

We all have limits. One of the limits we can feel in our lives is the limit set by time. There are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 12 months a year. There are so many things that we want to do in life but we have so little time. The infinite possibilities of stretching ourselves in doing so many things have been limited, constrained, and filtered by time. That is why the limit set by time makes us wiser because it allows us to prioritize doing the things that are of utmost importance rather than wasting our time on trivialities.

That is why the apostle Paul exhorted us to “look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ” (Eph. 5:15-16) We should be careful how we go about our lives. We should do this with wisdom by making most of the time that we have because the days are evil. The horrific evil that we experience every day should propel us to manage our time well. Apart from the grace of God, sinners become worse and worse every day. Apart from the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, sinners would never be changed inwardly. Hence, we should make the most of our time by always making sure that encounters with other people would shed light into their miserable condition and horrific destiny through our lips and our lives.

The more we meditate upon our short-lived lives, the more we are compelled by grace to do radical things for God’s kingdom. The limit of time makes us wiser to make the most of the only one life that we have knowing that the only things that would matter and would last in the end are the things that are done in the name of Christ for His glory and the good of others.

Pursue Clarity not Intimacy (Part 2)

A friend requested to rewrite a particular blogpost. I wrote about this topic way back on 2016. When I re-read it, I realized that it was kind of short. Maybe it’s because I was too young back then. Maybe the words are not backed up with experiences and application.

Insights deepen through time because of personal experiences and experiences of others as well. Time gives us more opportunity to trace the hand of providence in our lives and others and learn from it. Time also gives us more opportunity to listen the wisdom of more mature people. And more importantly, meditate on the word of God which is ultimate fount of perfect wisdom.

Though that is the case, I would still admit that though I have re-written this topic, I still fail in some degree and still struggle in some measure. Nevertheless, the more important thing is we try to make it right and improve from the mistakes and immaturities that we have made in this area of life. And we try to overcome this struggle with the power of the Holy Spirit who makes us victorious in our fight against sin.

Many of us always struggle in this area because normally, it’s God’s will for us to have a partner in life. That’s why God said that “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helpmeet comparable to him.” (Gen. 2:18) However, though the desire to have a partner is good in itself, sin could distort it. This could be evident in our ways of pursuing this desire. We might pursue it in worldly or sinful means. We might do things that should only be done in the context of marriage: premarital sex.

So, it’s safest to postpone intimacy in the confines of marriage because that’s a gift that should only be enjoyed in that context. And, best to pursue clarity before intimacy. As I have studied God’s word and read insights of other people, I am now more convinced that pursuing clarity has three aspects: godly desire, godly people, and God’s providence. I believe that all three should align if we would want to gain clarity for a particular person. I don’t mean to say that a person could be 100% sure before marriage. What I am trying to point out is obtaining deeper clarity if the person is who we want to be with for the rest of our lives.

The first aspect of finding clarity towards a person is a God-given desire. Our desires are shaped either by sin, world, and satan or by God. So, it’s important to discern if the desire for a particular person comes from God. God usually speaks to our desires. That’s why it is important to reflect what we desire in life not just to a person but in some aspects as well.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”(Psalm 37:4) If we delight in God, He reshapes our desires to be aligned to His will. This verse doesn’t mean that God will give us what we desire at any particular moment. But it means that God gives and shapes our desires to be in line with His will and His word. So, it’s important to consider a desire for a particular in the context of our relationship with the Lord. If we are sinning, not finding our joy and delight in God, not working for God’s kingdom, and so on, then a desire for a person is motivated not by God but by sin. But, as we make Christ every day as our pleasure and treasure, He shapes our desires to be aligned with His. And if, our relationship with Jesus takes the highest priority in our lives, then desires that flow from it could be relied upon because it is being fueled by God.

“A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 7:39) This verse says that a woman is free to choose whomever she desires but only in the Lord. Being always in the Lord is like a tall gate which does not allow sin to enter our heart and influence it. In the Lord also means that the person whom we ought to choose should also be in the Lord; he or she is a believer. This instruction is not just for widows but for all of us who sincerely desires to have a partner. God gives us the freedom to choose a person base on our desire. If we desire a person then we are free to choose him or her. The most important relationship is the one we have with Jesus Christ. And, it ought to direct lesser relationships. Let us not compromise the best thing for lesser things but may our desires draw us more to the Best being in the universe. Let us remember that a good thing becomes a bad thing if it leads us away from God.

“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” (1 Tim. 3:1) To be called as an overseer is the highest calling a person could have from God. But the apostle Paul tells those who aspire that it starts with a God-given desire for the task. God-given desires are essential and necessary to discern God’s leading. If the highest calling starts with a God-given desire, how much more other areas in our lives such as marriage? It also reasonably follows that these gray areas could be explored by what God puts in our hearts. May it be our work, choosing a partner, buying a house, or etc.

“Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” (Proverbs 19:2) Our desires should not be a leap in the dark. It should be informed by knowledge of a person. And, obtaining knowledge of a person is safest in the context of community; surrounding yourselves with people to not ignite unnecessary and untimely desires. Desiring a person without knowledge is not good because it is like buying a house base on what a person see on the outside without examining what’s inside. Good and safe desires are also informed. Just like when buying a house, we exercise diligence in examining if the faucets are working, pipeline is okay, groundworks are solid, walls are sturdy, rooves are not leaking, drainages are well-functioning, flow of electricity is good, and so on. Making haste with our feet always cause us to make poor and immature actions and choices. Let us not rush something that we would want to last for a lifetime. Slow is good because there’s always more time to pray, more time for personal growth as well, meditate on God’s word, seek for more wisdom from God, witness a person’s life, examine a person’s godliness and maturity, and seek wisdom from godly people. The Bible describes the characteristics of what a godly man and godly woman are. Let us try to meditate upon it so that we would be more wisely informed that these are the qualities that truly matter and are beautiful in God’s eyes. And let us not have this ungracious and imposing spirit on others because we too need progress and grace. Let us be more focused on how we could be the man or woman our future needs rather than being consumed of setting standards that we also hypocritically fail to achieve. I do not mean to downgrade making wise and godly decisions. I think that it’s just best to balance it. That though we are seeking clarity in our future partners, no matter who that person is, there would always be flaws, sins, failures, and immaturities. So, there should always be room for grace.

The next aspect is godly people or community. If we are active in church, this could refer to our church community or local church. This also includes our godly friends who are not serving in the same local church with us but who loves and cares enough to hold us accountable and give wisdom and advice when needed. Sharing our lives to selected godly trusted people is essential in our Christian growth. They do not just help us in making a godly and wise decision but also holds us accountable to prevent us from sinning and gently rebuke us when we are sinning. It’s important to include trusted friends in our lives to help us make this important choice. They might see things we haven’t seen and considered in our perspective because we might be too blinded by our emotions.

“Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22) Indeed, the more wisdom and counsel we get from godly people, it is more likely that our plans succeed. They are the ones who could also affirm whether the desires that we have truly comes from God. Just like when Paul told Timothy that aspiring the role of an overseer starts with a God-given desire but it doesn’t end there. The verses that follow provides the qualifications of being an overseer. And qualifications are affirmed by the people around us. It’s not enough to say that I desire to be a pastor or overseer. We should be tested and affirmed by godly people who could see whether we are really called or not. In the same way, desires for a person could also be corrected and affirmed by others who love us and care enough about us.

Lastly, and I believe the most important aspect of clarity is God’s providence. We might have godly desire to a person and godly people might affirm our desires but it’s possible that God won’t just allow it to happen. It’s possible that the other person gets married, the other person doesn’t exhibit mutual desire, gets transferred to another country miles away, considers another opposite path, and so on. Timelines might not match. Feelings might not match. And so on. In God’s providence, He is the One who is ultimately arranging and directing our lives and the lives of our future partner so that in His beautiful time, our individual paths would align and intersect.

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21) The Lord gives opportunity and takes away opportunity. The Lord gives circumstances and takes away circumstances. The Lord gives people and takes away people in our lives. He is the ultimate Determiner of our lives even the person whom we get to be with. We are free to choose base on our desires but God is still sovereign over our desires and choices. He could choose to not let it happen by giving circumstances, opportunities, experiences, insights, and most especially revealing things in His word. And just like desiring and being affirmed by people to be an overseer, it is not enough if God’s won’t give him the opportunity to lead a church. God is the one who ultimately calls and places us where He wants us to be.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” (Proverbs 19:21) It’s still the purpose of God that prevails despite of our desires and affirmations of godly people. That is why it is important to meditate in God’s hand of providence in our lives.

As we seek for clarity, may we always be reminded that we are first brothers and sisters rather than prospective partners. We should daily renew our minds and pray to God to have pure and respectful thoughts towards each other. Boundaries make best of friends and boundaries help us guard our hearts and guard the hearts of others as well. As we pursue clarity, may we not sacrifice it in honoring God in the relationships that He has given us. May we treat women as mothers or sisters and treat men as brothers or fathers. (1 Tim. 5:1-2) This should be our natural default. And, It takes time, effort, and prayer. I think if we have brothers or sisters, it’s easier to apply this principle. It’s like treating members of the opposite in the same way we treat our siblings. It’s better also to be imaginative; to think of our future sons or daughters. I don’t want other people doing these things to my children so I won’t do it to my brothers and sisters in the Lord as well.

Let us honor our future partner in the things that we do now. That though we are not married, we trust that God has prepared someone for us if it is His will for us. And our response on God’s faithfulness and love is to also be faithful to the person that He has prepared for us; honoring them even though we still don’t know them in the things that we do now. We need help especially the help of God’s Spirit and wisdom from His word. Let us not just be informed but also live transformed lives that reflect the clarity we wish to obtain. Let us continually seek God and His kingdom and the person whom God prepared for us will also be added in our lives. (Matt. 6:33)

Captivated by Glory

All of us are captivated by something or someone. To be captivated by something means to “attract and hold the interest and attention of” (Oxford languages). What captivates us affect how we live our lives because we live our lives in accordance to the things that capture and arrest our hearts. What captivates us vary from person to person. It could be family, career, achievements, money, partner, ministry, knowledge, intellect, gifts, and so on.

On the other hand, one way the Bible defines “glory” is the manifestation or demonstration of the holiness of God. Isaiah 6:3 says: And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” The seraphim described the Lord of hosts as holy. It made mention it three times which means that it’s on the superlative degree; the Lord is the holiest or is most holy. It could be love, love, love or mercy, mercy, mercy or sovereign, sovereign, sovereign. But God was described as holy because the holiness of the Lord includes of all of His attributes. Holiness refers to the otherness of God – that God is in a completely different category as compared to His creation. No one else aside from God exists. Because of His perfect attributes – omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, sovereignty, love, mercy, justice, patience, and so on – He is on another level. He is cut above the rest. He is uniquely distinct. God alone is God because of His attributes. So it follows, that since holiness is God’s attributes then glory also refers to God’s attributes on display. God is the all-powerful Creator. This attribute is seen in the glory of creation just like a chef’s glory is his food or an artist’s glory is his artwork.

Psalm 96:3 says, “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” Glory defined as the proof of God’s holiness or demonstration of His attributes aligns with the verse in this psalm. After the psalmist wrote “declare his glory among the nations”, it was immediately followed by “his marvelous works”. God’s marvelous works show God’s glory. This is in line with how we described “glory” in the previous paragraph.

Now that we have defined what means to be captivated and what glory means, we could now combine these two words to arrive at the title of this blogpost: “Captivated by Glory”. And as it relates to Psalm 96:3, the psalmist calls forth to declare God’s glory among the nations through songs. However, we can never declare the glory of God if we are not captivated by the glory of God. If we are not fixated or captivated by the majesty, beauty, and splendor of God then we could never share that God is majestic, beautiful, and splendid. If we are not captivated by the glory of God then it follows that we are captivated by the glory of something or someone else. It could be family, career, achievements, money, partner, ministry, knowledge, intellect, gifts, and so on. This is actually what the essence of sin is. In the heart of sin is an exchange between the glory of God to the glory of something else. If we won’t find God pleasurable, satisfying, and enjoyable then we would seek pleasure, satisfaction, and enjoyment to other things. That is why the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:23, “ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” Because of our sinfulness, instead of being captivated by the glory of God, we think that it is not that beautiful and glorious. We are instead pleased and captivated by the glory of infinitely lesser and worthless things as compared to the majestic beauty of God. When we exchange the glory of God to other things and people, we do not have anymore the glory of God. To lack the glory of God because of this exchange is sin. That’s why Paul in Romans 3:23 wrote, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. In light of Romans 1, we fall short of God’s glory because we exchanged the glory of God to the glory of lesser things. So, the glory we now have is worthless kind of glory that cannot measure up the standard of God – a glory that could never satisfy our deepest longings and desires. And more importantly, a glory could never save us from our sins.

As C.S. Lewis said, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

We are indeed settling for infinitely lesser things even though God is showing us so much more. Exchanging and settling in things and people in the place of God is the heart of sin and idolatry. And being captivated by something else would be evident in our lives. What captivates us transforms us. We become what we behold. If we are captivated by the glory of money, we could work two jobs for the sake of earning more – sacrificing even time spent with God and family for the purpose of earning more. If we are captivated by the glory of our beauty, talents, or gifting, we would do everything in our power to maintain and cultivate it so as to continually take pride in it. If we are captivated by the glory of knowledge, we would always be on the pursuit of new information so that we would appear to be smarter than others. If we are captivated by the glory of new experiences, adventures, and travel, we would just fill our time and schedule with all kinds of activities to be labeled adventurous or a person who has gone to places and explored the world. If we are captivated by the glory of pleasure in lesser things, we do our best to seek satisfaction and pleasure in these things – trying to satisfy the insatiable desires in our hearts. To be captivated and captured by the glory of something or someone else is also worshipping other things aside from God. The glory that captivates us is what we worship. It’s at the heart of idolatry – having other counterfeit gods aside from the one true God. We seek salvation, purpose, and satisfaction in these things not realizing only God could give that to us.

Our hearts are not meant to be captivated with lesser glories. Our souls are meant to be captivated by the glory of God. The only solution to this problem is to behold the glory of God in Jesus to be transformed in the image of Jesus. We become what we behold. As we behold and become captivated by the beauty of Christ, we are transformed into that very same image. That is why the Apostle says in 2 Cor. 3:18, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Let us turn our eyes upon Jesus! Let us be like king David and make it our heart’s chief aim to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord all the days of our lives. And as we do that, the light of the glory of infinitely lesser things dim in comparison to the one true Light. And as we are captivated by the glory of God ultimately revealed in the face of Christ, may we become transformed by the power and work of the Holy Spirit into His image and likeness so that we could also mirror the light of Christ in this dark world.

When Life Doesn’t Make Sense

All of us have experienced something wherein we could not make any sense out of it. It is like fitting a piece of puzzle but ending not filling any gaps for that particular piece. There are lots of events that happen to us and the people around us that don’t make sense to us.

We might lose our jobs that we need to support ourselves and our family. We might suffer injury, sickness, or incapacity that render us to not to do things we are capable of doing anymore. We might experience death of a loved one in a time where his or her family need her the most – children are still too young. We might lose friendships that we thought would last for a lifetime. We might experience breakups that we thought are going the aisle. Events, circumstances, and experiences are to many to write but the point is there is always a time when life does not make sense. There is a time when we ask God, “Why did this happen to me?”

Our sinful natures want us to figure things out. We want to fully understand why things happened to us for us to find peace and realization that this is why it happened to me because this is what God has planning all along. But, the Christian life is not like that we are called to “walk by faith and not by sight”. We are not all-knowing so we could never fully know our situation, our future, and the purposes of God behind it. Nevertheless, we could rest in faith that the God who holds our future and is in control of our situation has always a good purpose in mind. If we don’t understand His plan in our lives, we can trust his heart. He is our heavenly Father who knows what He is doing with our lives and is relentless to give what would make us more and more like Him.

I really like what Eli responded to Samuel when he heard the bad news of what the Lord to Samuel. 1 Samuel 3:10-14 says, ¹⁰And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” ¹¹ Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. ¹² On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ¹³ And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. ¹⁴ Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

When Eli heard this bad news He just responded in 1 Samuel 3:18 that “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.” Isn’t that comforting? God is God and we are not. We are not in complete control of our lives but He is and He does things that seem good to Him. This is the essence of His sovereignty – that He does things that He wants according to the predetermined purposes that He has established. All things that happen are under His good governance. Nothing happens outside of His loving hand. And, the things that He allow ultimately point us back to how glorious He is. And if we are people who are lovers of His glory, then we would be people who would be firm in all circumstances because we know He will use it to reveal more of His glory. It is not about what we want to happen but what He wants to happen. It is not things that please us but things that seem to please Him. If we are more God-centered in the way we look at our lives then we would be more joyful and peaceful in the midst of these circumstances because we know that God is doing these things to display His glory. And as people who adore God, we really want God to be glorified and magnified above all because His glory is our joy.

His glory is our joy. His greatest glory is our highest joy. Let that sink in our minds.

So, when life does not make sense, stop finding the answers why it happened. Continue to trust in God. Let us surrender everything to Him in prayer because He knows what He is doing. In the right time, He will reveal to us through circumstances and His word why it happened. And whether we find the specific answer or not, we now know that it is for our good because that’s his promise in Romans 8:28 which says “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” And the purpose is always for us to be made like Christ. And as we become more like His Son, in spite of all the things that life rob from us, we still find satisfaction because our hearts are set on God who is the Satisfier of our souls.

A Better Perspective on Relationship according to Genesis 2

I would want to share insights I have gained in relationships from my meditation on Genesis 2. I would like to start first with Genesis 2:15, it says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” The first principle that we could see here is that God created man for work and has given him a platform (garden) to do the work. In today’s age, there are varieties of labor that man could choose from according to the individuals gifts and desires. There are also various platforms wherein work could be applied. Be it in business, agriculture, law, medicine, and other platforms the world has given us. We are not meant for idleness but for God-glorifying work. We would do well to ask ourselves when considering a potential partner, “Does he or she work with the constant awareness of the presence of God – doing all things – for the glory of God?” or “Does he or she exhibit idleness at work?” “Does he or she make the gospel more beautiful because of his or her attitude towards work?”

The second principle is that man is the leader, protector, provider, and the one who is responsible for his wife. In Gen. 2:16:17, it says there: “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” The man was commanded by God to not eat of the fruit. The woman was not still in the picture so it should be the man who must take the leadership and responsibility to protect his wife by communicating to her the commandment of God. Unfortunately, the man failed as said in Gen. 3. We can see in Gen. 3 that God holds the man primarily responsible for what they did even though it was the woman who was deceived by the serpent because he was tasked to be the leader and protector of the woman. Since, man was the one tasked to keep and cultivate the garden, he is deemed to be held primarily responsible to be the provider for their sustenance. A man should hold fast to the word of God or else there would be dire consequences of disobedience. The consequences is clearly seen after they eat of fruit. A man should be a man of Word of God to protect her wife from the falsehood and deception of satan. Leading, providing, and protecting go beyond the physical needs but primarily focus on the spiritual needs of the wife just as Jesus give Himself up to cleanse His bride. Men should aim the mold of Jesus and ask within, “Do I lead with a servant heart and love sacrificially?” “Am I willing to risk my life to protect my future wife in physical danger?” “If a burglar enters the house, am I willing to defend her?” “Am I equipped to protect her from worldliness and the schemes of the enemy?” “Could I provide food and clothing – necessities – for my future family?” “Am I constantly equipping myself with the word of God to lead my family according to God’s word?” “Do I exhibit faithfulness and dependence on God or Am I self-reliant when problem comes my way?”

The third principle that I have seen is that man needs help for the task that God has in stored for him. Genesis 2:18 says, “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” It is clear in the verse that the work that God commanded man to do necessitates the help of someone suitable for the work as well. Usually, as we try to look for our lifetime partners, we really consider how our gifts and callings compliments with each other in order to fully serve God with our combined capacities. There are times that the strength of the man is where the woman is weak at and vice versa. The phrase “fit for him” assumes a complementary relationship; what he lacks she supplies and vice versa. Both should understand each other giftedness and encourage and make way for the exercise of each other giftedness for the glory of God. They ought to walk hand in hand in advancing the kingdom of God.

The fourth principle that I have learned is before God gave the woman to the man, he formed animals first but Adam did not find a suitable helper for him. (Gen. 2:19-20) I personally see here that God did not give right away the woman so that the man would appreciate her when God gives her to him. Delays cause appreciation and gratitude.

The fifth principle is the woman is not an afterthought. God already planned from the beginning that He will give a helper to the man. If it’s God’s will for us to get married, He already prepared someone for us. It’s our job to be faithful and prayerful to that person even thought our paths have not yet intersected. If a man is in God’s will and a woman is in God’s will, if they are meant to be, there paths will intersect in God’s time. We should faithfully wait upon God until that happens. Focusing on the harvest because God will give a helper.

The sixth principle is that man and woman are made for kinship and companionship. Genesis 2:23 says. “Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” This is the first poem man said to woman. It signifies that the man is celebrating his wife because of her companionship. Before the fall, they would have eternity spent being together. However, after the fall, we just have a lifetime of companionship with our future partners. Though that is the case, it is really important to consider companionship in a prospective relationship. We can ask the question, “Could I see him or her as a potential bestfriend for the rest of my life?”

The seventh principle that I see in Gen. 2 is the principle of monogamy and marriage of between the opposite sex. There is just one man and woman – not man and another man or woman and another woman – in the picture. God ordained marriage to be enjoyed by two people who are fully committed to each other. That is why in 1 Tim. 3, it is of prime importance for the elder to be faithful to his wife or to be a one-woman man because it is a virtue expressed already since Gen. 2. Men would do well to strive to have a heart for only one woman. Sin easily creeps in and make our hearts adulterous and covetous. So, we should strive everyday, praying on our knees, to be this kind of man for our future wives.

The eigth principle is that when they get married they should be each others top priority. They are one unit now and God wants them to focus to that newly formed unit. That doesn’t mean they are to cut ties with their parents but it just means that there is a change of priority. Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Holding fast signifies commitment. A marriage relationship is a picture of the covenant relationship we have with God.

Displaying God’s glory through their marriage is the highest calling that married people have (Eph. 5:22-33) Wives should reflect the submissiveness and obedience of the church while husbands should reflect Christ covenantal, relentless, and sacrificial love by His grace and for His glory. This impossible task could only be done by God’s power through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given to us when repent from our sins and trust in Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross for man’s salvation. He lived a perfect life for our righteousness and died a painful death to take our condemnation. He is risen proving that He is mighty to save all who would receive Him as Lord and Savior. Jesus is the One we are aiming for. He is the last and better Adam who fully exemplified biblical manhood.

Personally, as I meditate upon these truths and principles, I fell short of it big time. That’s the reason why I wrote it. For me to be reminded that this is what I ought to be aiming now and in the future. Maybe, as you read of it, you have also realized that you have fallen short of it also. The good thing is that there is a God who wants us to depend on Him for enabling grace as we act out and strive for the designed roles that God have for us.

Thank you for reading. God bless!

Why consider the brevity of life?

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

(Psalms 90:12 ESV)

We should ask God to reveal to us the brevity of life in order for us to grow in wisdom. Realizing the shortness of life will cause us to invest our time wisely and pursue activities that have eternal value and significance. Our life is like a “mist that appears a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14 ESV). All of us would agree that time flies so fast and our time here on earth would end because of death. Our life in light of eternity is merely a dot in a never-ending line.

We would do well to ask ourselves, “What would I do if I knew I only have 10 remaining years to live? 2 years? 1 year? 1 month? What if it’s our last day here on earth?” For sure, we’d make the most of those days and use it for the things that would really matter.

If we try to look back and track down how we spent our days, all of us would agree and admit that we have used our time for trivial and nonsense pursuits that do not have eternal value. All of us have this regret that if we could just go back in time and change the things we did, all of us would have done it.

I am personally guilty of this. I spent time watching movies and videos that do not edify the soul but corrupt it and make it stagnant. I spent time in social media. I even spent also time in games that do not have eternal significance.

Thankfully, though I wasted too much time and bear its consequences, Jesus Christ, the God of time came into this world to save me through His perfect life, death on the cross, and resurrection from the ultimate consequence of a wasted life – eternal punishment from hell when I repented from my sins and trust in Him as my Lord and Savior. He not just redeemed me from the penalty of sin but has given me the power to redeem time through the Holy Spirit. This gift is offered to all through Jesus Christ. We just need to respond in repentance and faith in Him as our Lord and Savior.

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 Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. (Rev. 22:12 ESV)

All of us have short lives and all of us will soon die and face the judgment of God. We will all be held accountable with what we have done with our lives. If we just merely lived for the enjoyment of ourselves without considering God then it’s sad to say that He will give us punishment as a consequence for this wasted life.

Empty and trivial pursuits for the enjoyment of oneself is not what we are made for. Our souls are made to delight with our Creator. He wants to give us the highest joy and ultimate pleasure (Psalm 16:11). He doesn’t want us to live a wasted and empty life but wants us to have an abundant life (John 10:10) – a life of unshakeable peace amidst difficult circumstances, a fully satisfied life because it has found the true Satisfaction, and a life with abounding joy amidst suffering.

We only have one life and let us make this life count by offering it to Jesus, His kingdom and His cause. We are made to love and enjoy Someone better and we are designed to do greatest thing for the Highest cause: to go and make disciples of all nations for His glory. (Matt.28:18-20) Until our hearts beat for Jesus and His glory, life would be meaningless and empty.

And as we close, may we be reminded of this quote as we consider the brevity of life:

Only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last. (C.T. Studd)