It's Hard

Jeremiah 29:11 says this, "For I know the plans I have for you." says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
This sounds relatively easy. And it is almost always the advice from the outside voice to the one who is troubled in some way. In a day where good people suffer, good people are persecuted, good people are condemned, it is hard to think that Jesus, our Lord and our Savior, would allow good people to suffer. Pains of this world are harsh. From cancers to wars to condemnation and persecution, it seems we have it pretty tough. Read closely, plans for good and not of disaster. If we are looking at the world, we won't find any plans for good and not of disaster. This world is full of corruption and dismay. So seek not anything of this world. The rest, to give you a future and a hope. Without Jesus we have no future, we have no hope. If we are His people then our future is there, in heaven with Him. That is our hope. That is our good. And that is NOT disaster. What makes us think we should ever rise above Jesus and not partake in suffering? Jesus came down here to buy our salvation at a very costly price. And we turned our back, after demanding he die for nothing, while he hung on a cross, alone, bearing the sins of all of us. So alone to the point that His Father, God, turned His back because the sin Jesus bore was too great. God had plans for Jesus. And those plans were for good, not of disaster, and for a future and hope. Jesus has those same plans for us.

Life, Death, and Time

In the beginning of spring, there are so many signs of new life. The grass is getting greener. The trees are beginning to regain the leaves. Bushes are beginning to bloom. As spring turns into summer, and over the course of summer, life remains. Some remain almost the same throughout these seasons while others flourish. As fall rolls around, we begin to see the early signs of the fading away of these things. The leaves, the grass, the blooms, all begin to die. Soon, all the leaves have fallen and the grass is brown, bushes barren. Over the next few days I have related this to our lives as human beings. See, my wife and I visited an old cemetery the other day. I took my time, reading the headstones and absorbing some of the history. As I looked at the dates, perspective began to set in, I guess. Our life is like the seasons from spring to fall. We will be born, and we will die. There's no way around it. Just like we were born, we are appointed to die as well. Now, seeing that the appointed date of death is unknown to us, time is a beautiful gift from God. Life, well, that's just the time between birth and death. As I read the headstones and looked at dates, I realized that the gift of time is very different for everybody. Some people had 40-50 years of time on this earth. Some had as many as 80 or 90. And unfortunately, some only had a few months to a few years. Proving that death arrives unannounced. So why do so many people take advantage of the gift of time? I don't have an answer for that. But no matter the amount of time, it is a gift that isn't guaranteed. It is time to grow, spiritually, mentally, physically. Learn what God wants from you and do it. It is a time to love, and love wrecklessly. Don't waste time dwelling on negative things that will only drag you down and focus more on things that will create positivity. God looks at the life we have as the time He has given us. Don't waste it. The only time promised is the time it just took for you to take that last breath....