1 Corinthians 7:29-31

²⁹ What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; ³⁰ those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; ³¹ those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

Senior Citizens

There were senior citizens who were reflecting on their life. “Time flies so fast!” the first elderly said. “That’s right! It seems like only yesterday!” the second elderly responded. Truly, when you are younger, it feels like time moves so slow. But when you become a senior citizen, you will feel like time is running so fast.

The song “Yesterday when I was young” describes it very well when the singer wasted precious time in luxurious fantasy. He recalls, “I teased at life as if it were a foolish game. I lived by night and shunned the naked light of the day. And only now I see how the years ran away. I never stopped to think what life was all about.” He concluded, “The friends I made all seemed somehow to drift away. The time has come for me to pay for yesterday when I was young.”

Such is common narrative for young people throughout history. They may prefer to hang around friends who crave to be amused just like them. If you are older adult and still hanging around friends that you used to play with when you were younger, it’s fortunate situation on your part. But if you’ve got a friend who may encourage you to serve the Lord more seriously, it is far more wonderful life.

May our life be like what King David had testified in Psalm 71:14-18:

¹⁴ As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. ¹⁵ My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long—though I know not how to relate them all. ¹⁶ I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone. ¹⁷ Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. ¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.

Ordinary mindset chases fantasies. Great personalities like King David are focused on their legacy that the next generation may learn from. Indeed, the Lord will bless anyone who trusts him. If you were blessed by the Lord, you cannot help but praise him and testify of his righteous deeds and mighty acts in your life.

What is it that you personally wish the next generation may talk about you?

Would you prefer to leave a legacy of devotion to the Lord like King David? Pray for stronger faith and godly wisdom to personally accomplish the mission purposes that the Lord had specifically designed for you. Be prayerful of anyone you may spend time with. Pray that someone may join or promote your cause.

You can always find someone who may invite you for relaxation, but it is not always frequent for anyone to find someone who is ready to serve the mission purposes that God has designed for believers. And make sure that you clearly understand your calling. Time is short. No one knows how long we will live on earth or when Christ may return. Are you intentional in your life? It means that, “We’ve got to be prepared to be transported into eternity anytime sooner!”

1.  Mean

²⁹ What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 

Time is so short! How do you accept that? For senior citizens who have advanced in years, they may readily feel like time is running so fast. To look back to what happened in the past, it seems like an event happened only yesterday.

But if you are enjoying your life and sense some sort of fulfillment of things you attained and accomplished, you’ve got praises of God abound and no regret.

With grateful heart we can identify with King David when he rhetorically declared his praise to his loving God in Psalm 144:1-3, ¹ Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. ² He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. ³ Lord, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them?

If you were to be honest to yourselves, can you cheerfully praise the Lord for memorable and great moments you experienced when you trusted Christ?

What is it that you wished to accomplish before you will leave this world? What do you personally dreamed to attain or achieve for yourselves during the few years left for you before you die if ever the Lord won’t return in our lifetime?

Christ Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Christ is the way to heaven. His ways are intended for our welfare. He declares the truth that may happen in our life. Life with complete satisfaction can only be realized when we trust him. Together, let us reflect on what he declared in Matthew 24: 10-14, ¹⁰ At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Left Behind

Have you ever watched the Left Behind movie? The Left Behind movie is apocalyptic or destructive movie. It featured believers who left this world during the rapture. As after effect of the rapture of believers, church attendees or not who were left behind struggled from worldwide disastrous result of the rapture.

Where did they get the idea to make the movie Left Behind? Who inspire them to produce the movie for viewers to be warned of the return of Christ?

Let’s reflect on what it says in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, ¹⁵ According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Pray that Christ will return in our lifetime, and we’ll be transformed forever before the Great Tribulation. Do you sense peaceful gladness in your heart whenever you hear about the return of Christ? Make sure that you’ll join us when Christ the King of kings returns, and we will reign with him forever and ever.

In the Left Behind movie, those who were left behind after the rapture of believers mourned that they were left behind in a chaotic world. Surely, you wish to live with the Lord forever. You won’t appreciate a lonely moment of mourning.

2.  Mourn

³⁰ those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 

What does it mean? When loved ones die, we certainly sense sorrow, but not everyone can easily accept that their loved ones had left for eternity. Many people mourn for their loved ones who died to the extent of not being productive.

But for believers, we may mourn silently but still we have to be active spiritually.

To be productive practically and spiritually more than exhausting ourselves in extended mourning testifies practically that we prioritize Christ in our life. Let’s meditate on what Christ had declared in Luke 14:26-27, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

People, great and small may expend energy mourning for their loved ones who died; others may spend resources exploring for relaxation and fantasy. But if you seriously consider yourself as Disciples of Christ, you’d rather focus on how to store up for yourselves more eternal treasures in heaven. How much eternal treasures have you stored up for yourselves already? Are you serious about it?

Consider meditatively what Christ admonished in Matthew 6:19-21, ¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

God is a jealous God. He wants us to experience the best life we can ever have in eternity or even on earth. Faith inspires us to trust that God prepared the best experience we would cherish. But most often, we are influenced somehow.

We are attracted to temporal things and experiences what others have explored.

We are also engrossed on temporal leisure that has no relevance to eternal life.

What do you think? Ordinary mindset may assume that godly preferences are less attractive or not very appealing to their taste. Why? Many people are deceived to presume that when people loudly express their excitement, it must be fantastic. We normally observe loud cheering during sports game.

Football Fans

Will you watch the Superbowl? Have you heard of football fans found dead after they watched a football game?  Accordingly, three football fans had been found frozen and dead on the yard of a house where they watched football game. According to initial reports, there were several substances in their body.

Such terrible report is not an isolated case. Thousands of people die from toxic drug every year. Victims are deceived and enticed to use toxic drugs that could make them high and ecstatic temporarily. Sadly, believers are also victims of consumerism. They may spend their resources to upgrade their social status.

Is it bad to buy the best product available in the market? No, it is not! It is great actually, if you have sufficient fund to purchase the best product available. It says, “Those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep.” We should be aware that everything in this temporal world will be replaced one day. Do you purchase things that may be useful as practical proof of your faith in Christ.

Reflect on what Christ teaches in Luke 14:31-33, ³¹Suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

Can you accept that we are actually facing spiritual battles? We can spend money for amusement and fantasy but, if we follow Christ as his disciples, we are advised to give up everything we have. How can we rationalize such situation? How could we enjoy the fruit of our sweat and at the same time obey the Lord?

God won’t forbid relaxation and pleasure, will he? Our mission is to testify of his grace; we should manage our resources carefully and not reckless prodigals.

3.  Manage

³¹ those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

What does it mean to use of things as if not engrossed in them? It means, we manage things to their best possible potentiality or usage but we should not depend on them completely. We rely upon the Lord and not on temporal things. Temporal things can be useful for short period of time as compared to eternity.

Many things in this world are practical representation of things in eternity. What is one thing that you personally cherish in this world that you may want to benefit from or you wish to use all the days of your life on earth?

Fruit Tree

When the weather was mild, I can’t fully express in words my excitement. I often spent few moments in our yard checking flowers buds on the fruit trees. I tried to imagine how beautiful the flowers could be when they bloom. I explored a possible situation if ever we sell the house; what may happen to those fruit trees we planted. Will the next owners of the house want to have fruit trees? Will they take care of the trees just the way we care for them? It’s possible that the next owner may just cut down those fruit trees, and I sense no enthusiastic feelings.

The scripture reminds us to use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. So, I will plant and take care of the trees to harvest fruit. Whatever happens after I am gone should not bother me. At least, I did the best I could at the moment. Let us reflect on what it says on 2 Peter 3:10-13, ¹⁰The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. ¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

No one knows when Christ returns. He may return in the next century; he may return sooner in a little while. We do not need to predict his return, but we should be ready anytime. We should be engrossed in doing the good works that God wants us to do and store up eternal treasures for ourselves in heaven.

Personally, do you sense as if your life seems like something is missing? Listen: If you sense like you are not fulfilled yet, you should use your spiritual gift and do what God has designed for you to do, or respond to God’s calling.

But first: Make sure your faith in Christ is active. Do you have peace and gladness in your heart that you’ll enter heaven if Christ returns anytime sooner?

Next: Be filled with the Holy Spirit; know your spiritual gift and calling.

Then: Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and revelation to understand clearly which practical steps you should take to participate in the good work he designed for you to get involved in. The situation you are in now could be the place that God wants you to testify of his transformational work in your life.

Despite the many difficult challenges you may face, you will certainly sense enthusiasm in your heart as confirmation that the Lord has situated you where he particularly wanted you to experience much of his grace. Amen!

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