The Shortness Of Time

We should always keep in the back of our minds the brevity of life.  Life itself is so very fragile.  We never know when our time on Earth will come to an end.  We never know when our loved ones will be taken away from us or when we will be taken away from them and that is all the more reason that we should appreciate, relish and make positive and effective use of the time that we do have with one another.  We should never take our loved ones for granted and forget the blessing of having their presence in our life.  Simply imagining not having them around us should cause us to be thankful that we do have them in our life.  Sometimes we get angry, upset or irritated with those that we love the most and instead of quickly mending fences and becoming one again, we allow that strife to bring division, discord and disconnection.  We shouldn't allow our humanly squabbles to make us forget the love that we share.  We should be quick to appreciate the fragility of time and become one again with those who mean so much to us.

Be encouraged to see that time on Earth is very limited when compared to the forever of Eternity.  We only have a short time to love, laugh and be merry with one another so let us use that time to our benefit and recognize how much we have to be thankful for.  Without our family and friends life would be meaningless.  The love that we hold with one another is greater than the greatest of riches.  Our relationships are priceless gifts that need to be nurtured, cherished and upheld.  We must invest wisely in the lives of those who mean the most to us and recognize that just as we would like for them to be there for us, we must be there for them just the same.  We can't be selfish in our relationships.  We can't dictate how or when we'll spend time together.  It has to be on equal ground and we must be there for them just as they are there for us.

I encourage you again to think on the shortness of time.  Think on your loved ones and if there is anything lacking do all that you can to fill that need.  I firmly believe that love implied is not the same as love shown.  Speak your love, show your love and make sure that the recipient knows exactly how you feel about them.  Recognize how much you would miss them if they were gone from your life and do all that you can to show your appreciation that they are still here for you.  I believe that recognizing our blessings is just as important as having our blessings.

–Dwayne

Sin -- The Hard Master

It's amazing to me how people refuse to come to God. They would rather take pleasures in alcohol, in drugs, in sexual perversions. What they fail to realize is that sin is pleasurable for a season, but it is also a hard master. It will take from you all that you hold dear and leave you with nothing. But on the other side of sin, we have the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus died for us so that we might be forgiven, redeemed and made righteous before God the Father. His plan for us is to be with Him in fellowship, in communion, in oneness. He wishes to give us all that we lack and all that He wants in return is our love and devotion to Him. It is easy to love God once you to experience the peace that He gives. Peace that surpasses all understanding, Peace in the midst of struggles, Peace in the midst of heartache. Such peace can never be found in the perversions of this world.

If you have fallen away from the Lord and have given in to these "pleasures", I want you to know that your ending will not be a pleasurable one. Every sin, every perversion, every lustful act will require judgment by a just Judge and He will give every person exactly what they deserve. It will not be a matter of good works outweighing the bad, but rather judgment that is just and right for all that we have done wrong in our earthly vessels. The Bible declares in James 1:13–15 "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

It is to your own detriment if you continue in the path of sin. So why let it? Why let sin keep you from the goodness of God? He wishes to forgive you, to redeem you and to cleanse you of all unrighteousness. It is a free gift given to all mankind and all one has to do is simply accept it for themselves. Repent my friend if you need to and know that God offers you forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ. The past can be washed away and your future can be forever secured, but you have to take the first step in calling upon the Lord. I pray that you will make that courageous step if you need to.

–Dwayne Savaya