The Reality Of Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

There is a time for everything. A season of every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die....
A time to plant and a time to harvest....

A time to kill and a time to heal....
A time to tear down and a time to rebuild....
A time to cry and a time to laugh....
A time to grieve and a time to dance.....

Life....

Given to us by God, we don't consider it to much until death comes into our midst....
We were born to die...
That is a by-product of the introduction of sin into our world.

I once heard it said that if you go to a graveyard and look at the tombstones, you'll notice something.

Each tombstone has a "birth" date and a "death" date on it.

Between the two is a hyphen separating them.

Our entire existence is marked by that little hyphen.
Every day we lived....
Every choice we make.....good and bad....is defined by that little hyphen that separates birth from death.

I do not want this posting to be depressive reading for you today.
I am just in a place where the reality of life is hitting me every which way I turn.
I am grateful for every moment of every day...
Last night at our service, during the ministry time, guys were streaming to the front to receive prayer. As we stood there praying for man after man, I began to weep....thanking God for that very moment. Thanking Him that His Kingdom had invaded our time and space and that hearts had responded to His call.

Don't let Satan rob you of the importance and preciousness of this gift called life.
Life is not defined by your situations and circumstances.
Life is defined by how you let God take you through your situations and circumstances.

Life is to be lived.....

To be savored ...
To be inhaled and accept each challenge and obstacle with the view that it is one more opportunity for you to cooperate with God and let Him once again reaffirm his promises to you.

Life is not defined by your hardships....
Life is defined by what God teaches you as you go through the hardships.
When life is good......
Drink it up....
Revel in it....
Laugh.....
Dance.....
Let it burned into your memory, so that you can draw from it when times get hard.

There is reason to this posting this morning....
I received word that a man who came through the program here at Rapha years ago had died.
I'm never ever really prepared for this kind of news, and the moment I hear it, my mind flashes back to our time together.
He was a gentle man, with a very unique child-like quality about him.
Every time I sat and talked with him, I found myself having  a hard time believing that this man was coming out of a lifestyle of addiction.

He loved life and loved to laugh.
He was as country as the day is long and I loved him for it.
I know that he loved Jesus and had given himself to Christ.
Now, today.....
He stands before Christ and knows the truth that I only claim to believe.
He knows in clarity and truth who Jesus is.....
I will miss you Johnathan......

God on you....

mb