CHRISTIANS ENJOY THE TIME OF THEIR LIFE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD
My mama’s grandfather clock went “tick-tock” all day and all night. Either you adjusted to it or lost your sanity! When mama kept my little niece while my sister was at work, at naptime mama tried to coax her grand-daughter to go to sleep. Finally, the four-year-old blurted out: “Big Mama, if that old clock would stop going tick-tock, tick-tock, I could go to sleep.”
Like it or not, that old biological clock of ours will never stop going tick-tock until we in fact “go to sleep” when “time” (as we know it) will be no more, but, Life as promised by the Lord in the hereafter will have just begun.
Once we close our eyes in death as if going to sleep in the here and now, we shall “open our eyes” once again, as if waking from a deep sleep, to behold His glory -- as of the only begotten Son of God!
Meantime, as the old clock continues to tick and tock, how shall we spend the time of our lives? Shall we play a little game called “I wish” . . . or, shall we use the time we do have in such a way as to enjoy life - as best we can. `
There’s no time like the present!
A dear lady told about going to college, and thinking to herself, “If I can ever get out of college, get married and have children, I’ll finally be able to enjoy life.” So she stuck with it . . . discovered that children require a lot of hard work . . . “If I can just get these kids raised, I’ll be able to relax and really enjoy life” . . . With the kids in high school, she got a job to save for her kids’ college education . . . “If I can just get these kids out of college, and get all of the bills paid, then I can quit work and really enjoy life” . . . Finally, the last child graduated from college, bills were paid, she walked in to the boss’s office and said, “I quit” - whereupon he said, “Oh, you don’t want to quit now.
If you stay with us just ten more years, you’ll have a great pension for the rest of your life”. . . worked another ten years . . . she and her husband retired at about the same time . . . sold their house and bought a retirement cottage. Then --- all they did was sit on the front porch, looking at the family picture album, and remembering the good ole days!”
“Life is what happens while you are making plans to do something else”! Never put off until “everything is just so” the abundant life which Jesus came that we might have and enjoy in the here and now. My impression of you who participate in this Bible study is that, for the most part, you have learned in whatsoever state you find yourself therein to be content.
Thus, a lesson each of us has learned and are putting into practice right now is this: Enjoy the time of your life under the influence of the Spirit of God! Our wise counsel to folks who follow in our steps is summarized by the Apostle Paul in his wise counsel to Christians of the Church at Ephesus - Ephesians 4:15-21 . . .
Be careful how you live because your time on this earth is limited - and your challenge is to discern between the will of the Lord and the will of “the world”.
To choose the Lord’s “strait and narrow” way is wise. To follow the world’s “wide and broad” way is unwise. An old 18th century expression reminds us of the folly of following the ways of the world: “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”
Foolish to chance committing the sin of blasphemy by abandoning trust in God. . . deleting references to God . . . prohibiting prayers to God . . . destroying God-given life . . . disowning God-created gender. . . devaluing God-ordained marriage . . . defying God’s commandments . . . embracing Godless ideologies!
Advice to those who exercise “governing authority” over these matters: Be careful about attributing to the Lord the work of Satan! There IS a sin unto death -- spiritual death (eternal separation from God)! It’s as if Paul wondered:
“What have foolish-acting people been drinking? Kool Aid laced with the poison of false doctrine? Drunken stupor caused by self-inflated egos? So drunk with power that you label that which is good “evil” and that which is evil “good”? Do you have no priorities?
Paul’s reference to “drunk with wine” was an analogy of how people tend to act when they think more highly of themselves than they ought to think which causes them to live “recklessly” (as if there is no God, as if there are no standards of right versus wrong) . . . “religiously” (as if using religious words makes their immorality okay) . . .
Rather than be controlled by power-crazed atheists . . . religious apologists who, like Pilate, “wash their hands” of any guilt they may feel because they dared not challenge the actions of evildoers . . .“Be controlled by the Spirit”.
Be not influenced by the condoning or legislating of lifestyles that subvert God’s will and spurn God’s ways. Make sure your thoughts, emotions, speech and actions are influenced by the Holy Spirit of God!
Unlike the consequences of being “under the influence” of “substances” or (as I prefer to say it) “substitutes” (methinks an appropriate term in light of all the voices we hear promoting the “wide and broad” way that leads to destruction), consider the blessings of living “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit - Romans 8:13 . . . Romans 15:13 . . . Galatians 5:22-23 . . . 2 Timothy 1:7 . . . .
The Spirit-controlled person wants to know: “What does God’s Word say to God’s People about this matter?” “What, therefore, is God’s Will for me?” Wise choices are predicated on wise counsel! Ask-Seek-Knock! God’s Spirit helps us to understand God’s Will when we pray, “Thy Will be done on earth (in my life) as it is in heaven.”
Folks: The Holy Spirit is our source of sound judgment! The spiritual gift of discernment empowers you and me to sift through the voices we hear, to sort it all out – whether truth or propaganda . . . affects us . . . we should do anything other than pray about it.
“Pray about everything . . . and the Peace of God which transcends all understanding (due to the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit) will guard (bring contentment to) your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus!” (Philippians 4:7). Be a Philippians Christian!
Praying about everything improves how you think– evidenced by giving thanks to God on a right regular basis - for life and all of life’s blessings (whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable – anything excellent or praiseworthy). Feeling overwhelmed by adverse circumstances? Think positive! Review your life and recall the good times! How a man or woman thinks in his or her heart, so IS he or she!
Praying about everything improves how you talk – evidenced by words of encouragement to downhearted folks and merry making with upbeat folks. Who doesn’t enjoy an inspiring true story, a spontaneous sing-a-long, a good laugh or two? Come alive! Have a party! Engage in conversation over a cup of coffee! Be a positive influence in all you say!
Praying about everything improves how you walk – evidenced by personal deference on your part as you relate to others. Certainly we all have experienced an act of deference (courtesy, respect, submission) shown to us because of our senior status!
As seniors, living with and surrounded by other seniors, do we honor others by a willingness to “hear them out” and by yielding to a preference of theirs?
We’re not responsible for the way others behave, nor do we have control over the way other people act or react to God’s commands.
But! We are responsible for the way we behave, and we certainly have the Holy Spirit’s influence to help us control our own actions.
Enjoy life under the influence of the Spirit of God! Amen!
