86,400 seconds

"86,400 seconds are all you receive in one day. If you only had 86,400 seconds left in your entire life, what would you do with them?"

John Wesley was once asked what he would do with his life if he knew he would die at midnight the next day. His answer was something like this:

“I would just carry on with what I am doing. I will arise at 5:00 a.m. for prayer, and then take a house meeting at 6:00 a.m. At 12 noon, I will be preaching at an open-air. At 3:00 p.m. I have another meeting in another town. At 6:00 p.m. I have a house meeting; at 10:00 p.m. I have a prayer meeting and at 12:00 midnight, I would go to be with my Lord.”

If you knew that you would die in 24 hours, would you be able to keep living on in good conscience as you are? Or would you begin to do all manner of ministry and evangelistic outreach? Would you be more loving and caring and thoughtful to those around you?

The Bible tells us…

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matt 24:44)

Do we live each day honoring to the Lord? Do we use each minute wisely? Time is a very precious gift. If you knew you only had 24 hours left to live, what changes would you make to your routine? In reality, we should live each day as if it were our last, because…it may really be our last. Oh Lord, help me to live each day for Your glory and to not have regrets!

Maybe you have not accepted Christ as your personal Savior, for you say, “I will get right with God before I die. There’s enough time.”

Is there really enough time?

10 out of 10 people die. Think about that. And how many of those knew that their hour to go had come? Death can happen suddenly. Very suddenly. You could have a heart attack…be hit head on by an incoming vehicle…even die in your sleep. Approximately over 150,000 people die and go to their eternal destiny every single day. Each one of us will someday meet our Maker and give an account of the things we did in this life.

May I ask you this: Do you know when you will die?

The obvious answer is no. None of us know when our time will come. But it may be today.

Are you ready?

If you are not ready for death, please, I beg you…get right with God. He is waiting with open arms, and invites you to come to Him and accept Him by faith. 

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Hello to our faithful blog readers...(if there are any out there after our long spaces of silence ;) ) We have a surprise coming (hopefully) soon to Jewels of Jesus, so stay tuned!! :) Keep your eyes on Jesus! 

Fear of the Future

I was talking to a friend a few months ago, and I was surprised to discover that he was actually afraid of the future at times. I was only surprised because I suffered from that same fear (and still do, sometimes) not very long ago.

I meant to post this sooner, but I actually forgot all about it. Sorry! I don't know how many others out there are afraid of the future, but for those who are, I hope this is helpful in some small way.

My fear of the future consisted of being worried whenever I'd hear someone reading in the book of Revelation. I didn't like hearing about the antichrist, or verses where it talked about anything bad happening to the church. I got worried when I thought about what might happen in the future. Because I like to know what's going to happen. And I don't know what's going to happen in the future.

It got so bad that I'd purposefully try not to think about the future. If I heard someone talking about it, I'd purposefully try not to listen because I didn't want to hear about it and be scared. I didn't think of it as a 'fear' as such, just something I didn't like to think about.

Until I realized it was a full-blown fear. I'd blown it way out of proportion. Sure, some uncomfortable things may end up happening to me, and sure, I might not like them very much, but the truth of the matter is that God is in control, whatever happens. And I can trust Him. It sounds so easy and simple, and it's difficult to believe because we like to have our fingers in every pie, so to speak. We like to have our futures under our control.

And something we have to accept is that our future is not in our control. If we have a fear about the future, the only way we will be delivered from the fear is to speak the truth. And the truth in this situation is that God is in control. We have to accept that He's in charge. We have to give him the reigns and say, "Lord, I have a fear of my future. I'm struggling to trust you and I'm struggling to trust that you have a good plan for my future. I'm struggling to accept everything you have planned for me.  But I want to trust you. Help me to trust you and give me a peace that whatever happens comes from you. Replace all my wrong thoughts with the truth. I choose to believe in the truth of your word no matter what my mind tells me. I love you and know that you have a good plan for my life. Amen."

You might not feel very confident after praying that prayer. But you'll need to consciously pray something along those lines every time you experience fear or doubt about the future. Every time you face fear, pray, give the fear to God, and leave it with him. He can handle it. And then eventually, when you think of it, you'll feel peace, because you'll know he's in charge.

Something I did when I had fear of the future is to write up a whole lot of inspiring verses about not being afraid, and having peace through trusting Jesus. Then I'd go back through the list of verses (I have them sitting here in front of me, actually) and read them aloud, declaring the promises of Jesus. That helped me not feel so fearful. My list is like three whole pages long.

Maybe doing something like that will help for you. Here are five or six of my very favourite 'do not fear' verses, copied straight off the list in front of me.


Psalm 3:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

Exodus 14:13-14
Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Deut 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Psalm 27:1-3
The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

Daniel 10:19
"Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong."

Isaiah 43:1-3
Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts you.


In summary, here's my list of things I recommend to do when you feel fear for the future (or any fear of anything at all, for that matter!)

• Pray, give your fear to the Lord, and ask Him to fill you with His peace.
• Go into Scripture. Read over your list of encouraging and inspiring verses for situations like this.
• Believe the truth. Don't tell yourself that the future is scary, because it isn't. I heard somewhere that worry is fear of the future without God in it.
• Know that others before you have struggled with this. I have, and still do, sometimes.
• Remember that  no matter what happens, God's in charge, and he will never let you down.
• Put a smile on your face and go to meet your fears with the confidence that God's sovereignty brings!

Sometimes I Wonder - Music Post

"Sometimes I Wonder" is a song I heard for the first time in July 2012 right after a young man's life was snatched unexpectedly from this world. As I pondered the words of the song that night, tears filled my eyes as I thought of the joy that surrounded this young man and all the believers that have gone before us and I wondered. I wondered of what heaven must be and what glory must be surrounding them.

As one reads through Scripture, one catches a glimpse of what is waiting for us, but if you are anything like me, it is more than you can fathom. 

• No night there
• Streets of pure gold
• The lion laying down with the Lamb
• No tears, pain, or sorrow there

Though only a few of the glories that we, as believers, will experience on that great day. When a loved one passes I often spend time wondering just how heaven must be for them. 

Sometimes I wonder!

I challenge you to place your eyes on the Lord as you think about the glories of heaven. When my eyes are fixed on the glories of heaven and what awaits me, so often the troubles of this world don't seem so big. Not one of us knows when our time is up and when we pass into eternity, will our loved ones wonder about the glory that welcomed us? Or with bitter tears in their eyes, will they weep because we weren't ready to meet our Saviour?

Heaven awaits you! The joys there are beyond what we can even imagine. 

3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 

4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 

6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 

7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Revelation 21:3-7

Are you ready? He is coming soon! It may be tonight, or it may be tomorrow. Answer His call today.

Sometimes I wonder about the glories of Heaven. Do you wonder?

Blessings to you!

Guest Post :: Are you ready for Eternity?

On January 30, 2014, at about 2:00 AM, nine members of one household crossed the threshold from this life into eternity. That night one of their baseboard heaters started a tragic house fire which was to change their entire lives. The dad, Chad Watson, and his eleven year old daughter, Kylie Watson, survived. But their lives will never be the same. Their whole family is gone…never again to be seen in this life. How does one go on when something this tragic happens to them?

Their funeral was on February 8th which I and a few of my family members attended. On that stage were nine caskets each containing a body of that family who had gone before us into eternity. Outside sat the nine hearses waiting to carry each of those caskets to the grave. And there was the grave…one large grave to hold all their bodies.

My heart was breaking…these were my friends. They were ones I talked with, played games with, laughed with. And now, what now? I would never see them again in this life. They were gone…I must go on without them. And their family must go on without them.

Losing a loved one is a very hard thing. We are overcome with sorrow and also with many questions; why did God take them from us? Why did I have to lose them? But though it is a hard thing we can learn some many lessons from it.

"Death is not a period in life but a comma"¹. Death is not the ending…it is just a change of location. The question is…which location will you go to after your death.

Were they ready for eternity? Am I ready for eternity? Are you ready for eternity? Each of us has only one life in which to prepare for death and eternity. This life is so short; just a handspan in light of eternity. Yet, this life is of infinite value for each one us. We are given this life to prepare for eternity. We are given this life to glorify God. And yet how many of us just waste this life; spending it only for our own pleasures?

"Is what you are living for worth dying for?"² Are you using this life to prepare for eternity? Or are you wasting it on this world? When you come to death where will you go, heaven or hell? These cares and trivial things of the world will pass away one day; never to return. But the things of God are going to last forever. Are you living for God in this life? Don’t waste this life on yourself. Don’t waste your life…you only have one! “We have all the time after the sunset to rejoice in our victories but we have only until the sunset to win them.”³

Examine yourself…are you ready? You can’t wait until the time has come where you must leave this life. Search yourself today! Are you yet an unbeliever? "Today is the day of salvation!" Seek for Christ…don’t give up till you have found Him. Are you a believer? Is your life evidenced by fruit? Are you living for Christ?

We are living in a dying world. So many people are passing into eternity without even hearing about God. Are you proclaiming the gospel to people? Is it known about you that you are “not after comfort but after souls”? If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.” (Charles Spurgeon). Are you doing all you can to help rescue these dying people or are you just letting them plunge headlong on their way to hell?

Christ Jesus…the Son of God…came and gave Himself up for us to save us from God’s wrath. “Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:6-8).” Christ sacrificed Himself for us…He made the greatest sacrifice ever possible. Through His sacrifice we can now have peace with God. How can we do any less? We must give ourselves fully for Him. Sacrifice yourself to Him…don’t hold back anything. “Love so amazing so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all.”⁴

This life is just a handspan in light of eternity. Are you wasting your life or are you pressing on towards the goal? Are you ready for eternity? "Is what you are living for worth dying for?"

¹ Thomas Watson.

² John Piper.

³ Richard Baxter.

⁴ When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

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 Carissa is the middle child of seven. She goes to Christ Fellowship of KC where her dad is one of the pastors. She enjoys reading, studying theology, competing in the National Bible Bee and studying history. She was saved at the age of 12 and seeks to serve the Lord with her whole life. 

Wisdom and Treasures

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)

I once heard a story about an ant and a grasshopper. One warm summer day, a grasshopper happened to meet an ant who was carrying a heavy load of food back to his home. “Why bother carrying something so heavy?” He asked. “Doesn’t it wear you out?”

“Hungry Ant” by Rubén Díaz Alonso is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The ant paused slightly and responded, “Yes. But in the winter, I will live on this food.” After saying these few words, the ant picked the food up again and struggled once more toward his home. The grasshopper watched him, wondering. What a waste of time, he thought. I would much rather stay warm in the sun and eat as I need now—there will still be plenty to eat later!

Winter came. By now, the grasshopper realised how wise the ant was to have stored food away. Oh, had I not been so foolish! He thought, and I could still be as full and satisfied as he!

This story draws a striking picture of the Christian’s walk. When winter comes, we don’t want to be left without nourishment, so now—while we have the chance—we need to be storing up food. That ‘food’ is the treasure Jesus spoke of in Matthew 6:19-21. Reading and memorising the Bible and praying are some of the ways we can store up this precious treasure. Ask God to show you how to do this, and He will show you if it is His will—just as He has promised.

Like my dad says, “Keep on keeping on!”.
Esther

Live for Eternity...We are called to glorify God!

A very powerful clip from Paul Washer.

"We are not called to build empires! We are not called to be accepted! We are called to glorify God!"