Time…an amazing and mysterious instrument that forms the parameters of our walk on earth. We measure it, even down to the smallest portion of a second with an atomic clock. I can purchase an ocean tides book and look up when it will be a low tide in my area for the purpose of going clamming in a few months. If I care to, I can even look up the time of low tide years in advance.
Recently, we were alerted to the event of a meteor shower in the Northwest. Meteorologists knew it was coming years in advance. Yes, they were able to calculate the date because of the accuracy of our solar system which runs even better than a Swiss watch which, by the way, relies on the accuracy of our solar system to set the watch in the first place!
Our lives are governed by time. You have heard the expression, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” Do you know when it doesn’t fly? When you have a severe tooth ache and you are waiting for the dentist to see you. Right? Or if you have insomnia the night before a big meeting, time seems to move like a sloth just waking up; So…very…slow…It all has to do with our awareness of time during those moments. It seems the older you get, the more you think about time and the knowledge that you are daily moving forward toward the sunset of your time on this wondrous planet, the only home you have ever known. Most folks try to avoid thinking about their end of time. They stay busy and find distractions before fear can grip their heart.
I read the one-page letter that Steve Jobs left behind when he knew he was close to the end of his life. It was his effort to encourage his family, friends and company employees to make the most of every day. He said he would exchange all of his money for just a little bit more time. No one knows when our life clock will chime, but we know that it will.
Now we come to the most important discussion of time…it will one day end as far as the life we know and enjoy on this planet. No more clocks, no more schedules to keep, no more wondering what day of the week it is. Beyond this realm of time is the realm of forever. You say you don’t believe that? Then why do you sometimes use the term, forever, in certain situations? Would you like a few examples? How about, “Oh, we have known each other, like forever.” “How long has this been hurting you? Well, it seems like forever.” “Sweet lady, I am going to love you forever.” “We have been sitting here waiting for you forever!”
In the book of Ecclesiastes, 3:11, it reads, “He has planted eternity into man’s heart and mind…” We were originally designed and built to live forever in fellowship with God. But then, the seed of sin entered and has infected every single one of us. Just as human traits are passed on to our children, even so, the traits of sinful behavior are also handed down with the consistent result being death to our bodies. And yet, our minds and hearts still ponder and crave eternity. “Who now will release and deliver me from the shackles of this body of death?” Romans 7: 24. I thank God that through Jesus Christ, my heart and soul can now live forever! We can rejoice and give thanks that time is not the end of our lives. We can now look forward to life beyond the realm of time.
