Today's Topic: Managing Your Time!

Today, I want to share with you a very important topic: managing your time!

I stand before a tombstone, inscribed with someone's name, born in such and such year, died in such and such year. In the blink of an eye, one generation passes, and another comes, an endless cycle. It strikes me, years from now, we too will be relics of the past. The thought dawns on me: need I be so concerned with these things? I do not. Those I once held dear, are they not now just figures of the past? At that moment, the words of Ecclesiastes resonate in my mind.

Ecc 1:2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” Ecc 1:3 What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? Ecc 1:4 A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. Ecc 1:5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hurries to the place where it rises. Ecc 1:6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. Ecc 1:7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place where the streams come from, there they return again. Ecc 1:8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. Ecc 1:9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecc 1:10 Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. Ecc 1:11 There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow. Ecc 1:12 I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. Ecc 1:13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is a grievous task that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. Ecc 1:14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

Profound words indeed! We need not concern ourselves so much with earthly matters. Whether we cling to them or not, we shall all depart this world. Those who hold on tightly, will leave, as will those who do not. All that we experience in life – our relationships with colleagues, bosses, pastors, our performance at work, our academic achievements – they may appear so real, yet they are but vanity of vanities! At times, we immerse ourselves in these things, only to suddenly find ourselves lost! Life, oh life, what then are we living for? How ought we to live?

The Preacher concludes in Ecclesiastes: Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. Ecc 12:14 For God will bring every work into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Therefore, what we do beneath this vanity, how we choose to spend our limited time, will all be accounted for before God! God desires us to make wise choices in our limited time, to leverage our momentary light affliction to achieve an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison! In this limited time, the fruit of our service, the impact of our ministry, will follow us!

Revelation Rev 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

What is life? It is time. When we run out of time, that is death! Leaving this world, time enters eternity. Either eternal death, or eternal glory. How we spend our time is a matter of critical importance!

Time is finite, yet what we do in this finite time determines our eternal state – eternal death, eternal suffering, eternal separation, or eternal glory, eternal joy, eternal life? In these fleeting years, can we gain a heart of wisdom, to number our days, so that these fleeting years may achieve an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison?

God puts us in time, within these limitations, so that we may know our lives are short, and understand how we spend our time, how we spend our lives. God will surely judge!

Today, I share with you: Managing Our Feelings.

Scripture: Ephesians 5:16

Eph 5:16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Eph 5:17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

We Must View Our Lives From God's Perspective

The most critical thing is one's perspective. With the right perspective, one can have the right life. Abraham, often standing outdoors, gazing at the starry night sky, valuing the vast universe, yearning to understand the meaning of human existence! Consequently, God revealed Himself to him, spoke to him. His perspective began to align with God's viewpoint! His thoughts and intentions began to change, becoming more like God's. Eventually, God considered Abraham His friend. As a result, Abraham's story resonates in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam!

Where did Abraham begin his seeking? From pondering life and death!

One cannot know God without understanding that one lives under vanity! Only by recognizing one's insignificance, limitations, helplessness, the inevitable submersion in the river of human history, unremembered, can one seek the purpose of life! That is the beginning of seeking God! Do not think the Book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon; it was revealed by God. God wants people to see the truth clearly! We seem to live so realistically, yet it is vanity of vanities. We seem to care about certain things, yet in the end, we all enter the grave together! Abraham knew long ago that life lies under vanity! Otherwise, he would not have trusted God so completely.

In reality, many problems vanish when viewed from God's perspective! Many problems also disappear when viewed from the perspective of the deceased! The problem is, we are caught in between, neither knowing death, nor God, nor eternal life. Our problems in life become very real.

To change our thoughts and intentions, begin with understanding life and death! I encourage you to look at coffins, look at tombstones, attend funerals. You will become more aware. You will know our lives are short, our time is limited, we are but a step away from death. If we have only one minute left in this world, what would we care about most? Wouldn't it be where we are going?

Never think that death is the end of everything.

In her book Life After Death, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross presents stories of what people experience at the moment of death. As a psychiatrist in New York, she became interested in and studied life after death through those facing death and those who had near-death experiences. Dr. Ross interviewed nearly ten thousand people who had near-death experiences, those who had faced death and returned, and found that they consistently experienced three stages of death. The first stage: the soul separates from the body, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. We leave our bodies to reach a more beautiful house. In silkworm farming, one can see how silkworms struggle to emerge from their cocoons. The body is like this cocoon. The soul experiences pain in order to break free from the body. The second stage: spiritual energy replaces material energy. All physical connections completely transcend time and space. Having lived in matter, we shed this matter and enter the world of the soul, experiencing a completely new world. People see spiritual guardians protecting them in solemn light and instantly review their life experiences. According to those who have revived from near-death experiences, seeing that light feels like “unconditional love.” The third stage: the consciousness of the first and second stages disappears, and new “knowledge” is gained. Possessing knowledge of the spiritual world, with spiritual eyes, nose, and mouth, one reillumines oneself, realizing the meaning of living well through one's past life. Dr. Ross says this about death: Death is not a painful event; it is the shedding of the physical body like a skin, transforming into a higher level of consciousness. The confessions of those who have experienced near-death show that death is not the end; in Christ Jesus, it transforms into a higher level of consciousness. Everyone will face death, and after death comes judgment.

If you stand at God's height, looking at our limited lives, would you still haggle over gains and losses with people? Would you still harbor hatred? Would you still be bitter? You would let it all go! The problem is that people's thoughts and intentions are too narrow. They do not know that the things they care about are vanity of vanities, resulting in great suffering! Spending time on haggling with others, eventually contracting consumptive diseases, slowly dying in pain, is there any meaning to it? No glory to be found!

The Bible wants us to see from God's perspective! I think we will see more clearly!

One Spends Time On What One Pursues in Life

If your thoughts and intentions are like the devil, the devil will come. If your thoughts and intentions are like God, God will come! This is called the Law of Attraction.

Blessing and curse hinge on who you resemble! Whose will guides your life! How you allocate your time!

If one contemplates with God's intention, he will pursue what God values. Conversely, if one thinks according to human desires, he will prioritize what humans deem important!

I am often struck by humanity's folly! Our God is the treasure of our lives, why do we not cling to Him?

We frequently invite new brothers and sisters to gatherings, only to be met with the response, I have no time! In reality, it is not a lack of time, but rather the allocation of time to pursuits they deem more critical!

Indeed, one's thoughts and desires dictate their scheduling! Why does he have time for ministry? Because he values it. Why does he lack time for ministry? Because he has more pressing matters!

Study the Scriptures diligently, discern what is of utmost importance! I tell you, devote your heart, soul, and strength to serving God, and you will not be at a disadvantage, for He is God! That is our most tangible endeavor. For the fruit of our service accompanies us into eternity!

This is why Paul exhorts: Redeem the time, for the days are evil. Paul is not merely advocating for time management; he is urging us to consistently dedicate time to the Lord, ministering to Him!

Rom 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Rom 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Paul's intent is that we should never be lacking in zeal, but keep our spiritual fervor, serving the Lord! Not diverting time to other pursuits! (Perhaps many may question this, citing work, travel, fitness, and so on.)

God will scrutinize how we spend our time. For it reflects our thoughts and intentions! Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also!

Paul asserts that this generation is evil! Redeem the time, why? Because the evil of this generation does not manifest solely in murder and arson; rather, it lies in its capacity to consume your time, drain your life, with the aim of preventing you from serving the Lord!

The Essence of an Evil Generation – Draining Your Time, Consuming Your Life!

The essence of evil: It obscures how we spend our time, yet we seldom question why we are living! It causes confusion!

It makes people toil

It makes people busy

It makes people feel justified

It causes people to value worldly concepts

It separates people from God

It causes people to offend God

It causes people pain

Eph 2:2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. Eph 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh, following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

Do Not Be Foolish!

A fool is one whose priorities are inverted! Superficially intelligent, yet profoundly foolish!

Forgetting death, deeming it a distant prospect

The billionaire Steve Jobs has passed away, he founded an electronics company and became a billionaire, but not long ago he also passed away? Kim Jong-il also passed away, billionaires passed away, Kim Jong-il of the Kim Il-sung family, who wanted to be kings for generations, also passed away, it is not only these people who have passed away, you and I will also pass away, it is an established rule that people die once after they are born, and there is judgment after death.

In the West, in villages or churchyards, there are cemeteries. In cemeteries as beautiful as parks, there are many tombstones standing up, in front of the tombstones stand many people reading the words of remembrance recorded. After going to church for service, go to the cemetery to read the words on the tombstones, or the elders in the village will also read the words engraved on the tombstones. One of the tombstones is engraved with three short but interesting lines. The first line begins like this, I used to stand there like you and read the words on other people's tombstones, and I was startled when I saw this, but I couldn't help but smile and thought I understood...But the second line was engraved with I used to stand there and laugh like you, and I was awakened at once, and immediately looked at the next line, which said: Soon you will die like me, prepare quickly. So I carefully reviewed my life and learned from it the lesson of living honestly in the future. Ladies and gentlemen, no matter who we are, when we read other people's tombstones, we think that we will not die. Although these people have passed away...but in the near future, someone else will read your tombstone. People usually live as if death has nothing to do with them, but everyone will face death one day. In the position of death, are we desperate, or are we joyful in greater hope? These are determined by the way we live now. Check to see if your death is moving towards a hopeful death or a desperate death.

Forgetting the outcome, fixating solely on the process

Forgetting efficiency, fixating solely on time

Forgetting the purpose of life, fixating solely on living

Forgetting major matters, focusing solely on trivialities

Forgetting the distant, focusing solely on the near

Forgetting eternity, focusing solely on this life

Know What God's Will Is!

Theologian Jürgen Moltmann said: Whether this world has hope or not, we are people who live with the hope of God. Whether this world has hope or not, we who believe in Jesus must have hope. We have hope because the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. This Dr. Moltmann and I are very close friends, and he is a world-class theologian. As a German soldier in the war, he became a prisoner and was held in a British prison, and news came that his hometown had been bombed and burned, and his parents and lover had been killed and no one was there. He was frustrated and despaired when he heard the news, lost hope, did not eat or sleep, and only waited for death. He said: How can there be tomorrow if you lose hope? Only despair...But a pastor gave him a Bible and told him to read it. In his frustration, he saw Jesus' miserable death on the cross while reading the Bible. He was forsaken by God and rejected by his disciples on the cross, and his body was also struggling in pain. That despair was greater than his own. Even so, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, overcame despair and became the Lord of the resurrected life, and he found hope in Jesus. There is only one hope of resurrection in Jesus. So he welcomed Jesus as his savior, regained hope, was released from being a prisoner, went to seminary to become a servant of the Lord, and became a world-class theologian.

God became his hope! How important is hope!

A person who has hope lives well!

God's will never intends to harm us! God's will is for us to be blessed! What God has prepared for us, what is recorded in the Bible, is mostly teaching us how to live when we are alive on earth! It's just that the path that God wants us to be blessed is very different from our intentions!

Pressure issues – can be resolved in the blessings of God!

Laborious issues – can be resolved in the blessings of God!

Not only preparing blessings in the world, God is also preparing crowns of honor and glory for us to receive!

Serving God is grace! Not only is it grace while we are on earth, it is still grace when we enter eternal life!

Joshua - It is because He is God that Joshua said that I and my whole family will serve Him! I especially recognize this reason! If you have any other reason, you will not be able to serve. You start because of gratitude, but as your knowledge of God deepens, you need to know that serving God is our life!

There will be time! Because that is our life!

Faced with so many service needs, how much I long for every leader, every brother and sister among us to be raised up and serve zealously with me!

I know that because of God’s choice in my empty life, I have been able to serve this true and living God. It is truly grace! I know that my service will surely follow me!

Although I am often hurt and often encounter ungrateful people, I know that I have chosen the most enjoyable profession. - Very painful, but very enjoyable!

Share God's grace and God's mercy. Become a blessing to this generation.

Limited time to achieve immeasurable and eternal glory. Our labor is not in vain! In the future, we will receive a crown of honor and glory.

This is what I hope for!

Today I ask you, what is your hope?

Do you still have hope? We have no time to waste!

Time is our most valuable resource. But where is time spent? Are you striving to do more of the Lord's work? Do you understand the will of the Lord?

Summary: How Will You Spend 2016?

Psm 90:10 The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Psm 90:11 Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due. Psm 90:12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Do you serve the Lord with all your heart and strength?

video src=http://video.fsll.org/VideoMP4/2015-11-08.mp4 controls=controls width=100% >