Yesterday, I woke with a start. Our fourth grandson was born March 5th, in the 65th year of my pilgrimage in life. How many years will the Lord bless me with to nurture him and my other grandsons as a grandfather? Will the journal that I leave behind affirm God’s plan for their lives? Will the honesty of my dreams, successes, struggles, wins, and losses help them as they make their own pilgrimage?

A portion of my Bible reading for the day was 1 Corinthians 7 and this short and striking sentence stood out to me. It was an encouragement for me to make every moment count for our marriage, family, community, and congregation.

“The time that remains is very short.”

1 Corinthians 7:29, NLT

The urgency of the sentence is that today matters! How will you live today? This is the time for all of us to seek to burn brightly with the fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It’s a brief time but an important time!

• It’s a time for us to return for worship together.
• It’s a time of thoughtfulness.
• It’s a time for serving as Jesus served.
• It’s a time to encourage one another all the more as we see the day approaching.
• It’s a time for boldly expressing the love of God in deed and word.
• It’s a time for loving my wife.
• It’s a time for loving and teaching our children and grandchildren.
• It’s a time to for making memories of prayer and play with our children and grandchildren.
• It’s daytime as Jesus said, a time for working for the night comes when no one will be able to work.
• It’s getting closer and closer to the time that Jesus returns!

Sometimes it can be difficult to find the energy or motivation to boldly express love or serve others. It’s why we should always encourage each other. Guilt, criticism, pity, and nagging will not motivate long term. Encouraging will!

“We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things. Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer.”

Hebrews 10:24–25 CEV

I would hope that we would never waste time. Benjamin Franklin said that if loved life then we would never waste time for “that is the stuff life is made of.” Who needs your prayer today? Who do you know that you needs to know about God’s gift of new life? Who do you know that needs a call, a letter, or a helping hand?

Perhaps you are going through a painful time. I write to you as one that has been there, not once, but several times. I also write to assure you that difficult seasons will pass. If you can stand the pulling God will pull you through!

Finally, friends as a passionate follower of Christ, I know two things. God loves and desires for all people to be saved. Secondly, the way to know God is through Jesus Christ. I encourage you to commit your life to Him, grow in your knowledge of Him, and serve Him wholeheartedly for “the time is very short.”

Peace!