light shines for those who know the Lord

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Have you ever felt like you blinked and ten years just went by? On most holidays, Renee’s parents come over and join our family for dinner and to celebrate the day. Although Renee sees her parents quite often, I usually see them on the holidays. It always strikes me when I have seen them that they’ve aged a little more. Then I go and look in the mirror. So have I. Then I look at my children and grandchildren, so have they. Time absolutely flies by! Psalm 102:11 says it like this: “My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering like grass.”

Have you come to the place in life yet where you’ve discovered that many of the things that you thought were so important and chased so hard after, aren’t? One day, hopefully we will come to the realization that the only thing we can take with us at death is the peace of knowing we lived for Jesus and will be going to Him.

This world is changing rapidly. Sin is abounding in this earth. God’s grace is crying out to those who will receive Jesus and live for Him. The clock is ticking and we are approaching the last days. Jesus will soon be coming back to the earth. The Bible talks about it. It will be His time to come and put a final close to all of the sin, destruction, death and the havoc that Satan has sown in his effort to undermine God and His plan in the earth. For the Christian, Jesus’ return is not a scary thing – it is an exciting thing! It is a day and time that we have read about, learned about, and will finally see happening. For the one that walks with God and knows God’s promises, he can walk in the “the peace that passes understanding” and not be confused by all the darkness that is happening in the earth.

My four children are adults now, but If I was young again and just getting married and knew the Lord like I do, I would not hesitate to have children in this day and age. Even with all the darkness around us. Why? Because we also live in a day where there is more knowledge of the Lord and more opportunities to worship Him than ever before. There are many good strong churches that teach God’s Word and teach us how to live our life before the Lord. There are more children’s books, children’s Bibles, cds and dvds to help our children know the Lord than ever before. When I look at the ministry to the children at our church and how awesome it is, I think, “Wow, I would have loved to grow up in the Lord being able to have what these kids have.”

Even so, the truth is, we are heading into the last of the last days. The apostle Paul wrote about them so that we could understand ahead of time what they would look like. In 2 Tim 3:1-5 he said, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God– having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”

This is just one of many foretellings of what would be upon this earth in the days before Jesus’ return and finally destroy the works of Satan. For many, even to talk about this sort of thing feels highly uncomfortable. That’s not my desire in addressing this subject. My desire is to say that when you know the Lord Jesus as your personal savior and you have the Holy Spirit within you, you can know about and live through these last days without fear of what they will bring. You can stay focused on what God has given you to do. You can raise your family with great purpose and focus to know God’s love and ways. You can be a daily light, a source of comfort, and an answer to those that are searching for answers. It will make your life full.

The world – those without Jesus will never figure this out. Those that live without Jesus are lost trying to maximize their fun, increase their stuff, and live pleasing their every desire. The Apostle Paul was instructing us to think soberly and differently saying, “…understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in drunkenness, not in sexual immorality or indulgence in sensual pleasures, not in arguing and strife and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Rom 13:11-14

Days go by quickly, and some don’t understand where the world is headed. But for the person that knows Jesus and understands what’s up, they have their life focused on what is important and live by faith in God’s promise and rest!

Psalm 112:4 “Even in darkness light dawns for the upright…”