"Time is Flying By"

TIME IS FLYING BY

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Daniel 12:4  

Did you ever feel like time is flying by?  I woke up one Monday morning and it hit me, “It was Monday morning again, but the week had passed so quickly I hadn’t even noticed it.  I find this happening the older I get.  At first I thought it was just me, but then I heard some young people talking about how they couldn’t believe how fast time was going by.  

With the world going so digital, it would seem that life would be easier, but in fact it gets busier.  Within my own family I see how busy they are and work more hours than I ever had to, even when I worked full time.  None of them have time to just sit down and read a good book, or sit on the deck and watch the birds at the feeder.   

Ever wonder what happened to those days when we were young and time had no meaning whatsoever?  Summer days seemed to last forever as we played out doors, swam in inland lakes, had family picnics that lasted from noon until after dark and then we chased fire flies.  Does anyone still go on Sunday afternoon drives?  My mom and dad would take off after church with a picnic basket in the back of the car and a jug of lemonade and a thermos of coffee.   

Dad would usually head north and would find a roadside park where we would pull in and stop by a picnic table.  Mom would cover the table with oilcloth and lay out our feast.  After eating, Dad would take the old quilt from the back seat of the car and spread it out on a grassy spot for his nap.  Mom would take out the Chinese checkers game that we would play for a while, or take out a deck of cards to play Solitaire.  I usually had a book to read.  We didn’t look at a clock because we would leave when we were ready and travel on to find an ice cream store. (Jones’s ice cream at Baldwin was our favorite and is still there.) Eating our cone on the way back home was the best way to finish our day. 

The lazy days of the past have faded away just like it says in Psalm 103:15-16, “As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone.”  We now live in the days that Daniel spoke about when “many will run to and fro and knowledge will increase.”  When things happen on the other side of our world, we can watch it happening.  If you buy a computer, by the time you get it home, it’s out of date. 

 

It is prophesied in the Word of God that a time would come when days would be shortened. “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.” [Matt. 24:21-22]  We are living in those days!

Friends, the Holy Spirit is calling you to get close to God.  He wants to draw you to him.  You cannot afford to be a casual Christian in these days.  A casual Christian sits back and says, “Whatever happens will happen; I don’t care what others do.”  Well, you better care, because if you don’t take a stand for Jesus today, you will probably not make it to heaven.  In spite of what you may have heard, there is only ONE way to get to heaven and that is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior.

But it doesn’t stop there.  You can no longer be a casual Christian and serve the Lord.  Jesus was not casual about dying a terrible death on the Cross.  He wasn’t casual about willingly shedding his blood so you could be forgiven from all your sins.  Do you think you can just be a ‘do-nothing’ and make it into heaven?  Jesus told us what to do in Mark 16:15, “Preach the Gospel to every person.”  We must share about Jesus and the gift of salvation that he gives to every believer.

When was the last time you told someone about Jesus; led someone to the Lord, or prayed with a lost soul?  Time is flying by and I surely don’t want to miss Jesus’ return when he gathers the believers together and takes them to heaven with him.  If you don’t see time slipping away, you probably don’t read the Bible or even think the day will come when it will be too late.

Someone challenged me today to take 30 seconds and think about my week and how much of it I gave to God.  I really felt sad when I thought about it.  I was ‘doing things’ for God, but I failed miserably when it came to one on one time with my Lord.  Let me encourage you to pray and ask God to open your eyes to what is happening and try spending time with Him. I know I’m going to.