For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. (2 Timothy 1:7-9 NLT) Plato once said, "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." Light brings what didn't seem to exist into existence. I said "didn't seem to exist" because it was there all the time, we just didn't acknowledge it. Sin remains hidden until light exposes it. Greed, mistrust, and our own human lust is uncovered by light. Even our human limits are uncovered by God's light, are they not? Mankind has come to fear light because they have become comfortable with their darkness. Never be ashamed to bring the light into the darkness of this world, my friends. It may seem a little intimidating to stand before others, allowing your light to shine brightly. It may even seem that you will face more battles when you declare...
But even though a person sins a hundred times and still lives a long time, I know that those who fear God will be better off. The wicked will not prosper, for they do not fear God. Their days will never grow long like the evening shadows. (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13 NLT) Virgil reminds us, "Time passes irrevocably". There is no 'getting back' what has passed. We might want to regain what has been lost, but once time passes it is impossible to regain it once again. This is why we must hunker down and get the most from each day we walk with Jesus. We aren't going to pass this way again! A person might live a long life, but will that life be filled with the blessings and grace of God? To live long, prosper much, and 'get places' in this lifetime might bring some sense of 'fulfillment' to some, but to the one deeply in love with Jesus, the only 'places' they want to explore are those filled with his presence. The more we see the wicked prospering on ...