Time - Use it or Lose it!

So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

Moses, the man of God
(Psalm 90:12 NASB)

He had lived a long life. In D.L. Moody's words:

Moses spent 40 years thinking he was somebody; 40 years learning he was nobody; and 40 years discovering what God can do with a nobody.

Yet despite his long life, vast experience, and great achievements, Moses understood that life is short and that wisdom is learned when one considers that very shortness of life. The same is true for us: when we realize that life is indeed short, we start to live more conscious, focused, and appreciative of what we have. Many people who fall sick start to change their lives in order to do that one thing they always wanted before life comes to an end. There are books about 1001 places you must see or 2002 meals you must eat before you die... Others start to be more kind to people around them when something bad has happened - a change of attitude and lifestyle occurs because they understand that life is short and we better make the best of it. There are people who survived cancer or a war, and are so much more appreciative of their days alive - some only start appreciating life after something terrible has happened. But must it always be a tragedy that teaches such wisdom?

Moses reminds us that we should consider the number of our days, that is, our short lives here on earth, in order to gain wisdom in how we spend them. The context of the Psalm is interesting for it speaks of the frailty of human existence and the futility of a sinful life. After all the hardships Moses went through, he was longing to experience God's lovingkindness. The thing is, it was there all along - and Moses did experience it -, yet sin got in the way between Moses' flock and God. Sin is the very thing that separates us from God; light and darkness cannot co-exist. Yet in Jesus Christ, the Light of the World came to dispel darkness, but even before Christ became man, God gave the Torah to His people, the Torah which is 'the great light,' it is the lifestyle of people who know God and seek to live a righteous life. It is a lifestyle that differentiated the Israelites from the nations, in that the former didn't sacrifice children to demons or perform all kinds of weird rituals to appease the gods. Christian missionaries, on the basis of God's Word, brought an end to cannibalism, human sacrifice, and the like in heathen places in the world; schools, hospitals, charities, etc. were established and life was preserved. Some missions did stupid things in ignorance, of course, yet genuine Christianity never enforced conversions, but served the peoples and presented the Gospel for people to accept or reject.

What we all have in common is that time is limited and that it is on-going; we can't turn back time; there are no such things as time-machines; nor can we stop time. Time continues, and we have to use it or we'll lose it. It's that simple. The Bible instructs believers to use their time wisely, to live pleasing to God, and serve fellow humanity (cf. Ephesians 5:15-16). Each person has only a limited amount of time, and unless we use it, we'll lose it - and lose it forever! We cannot turn back time, we simply can't. Once gone, it's gone for good. It may be absolutely fantastic and beyond words to 'conquer' K2 (or any other mountain), but why risk your life - not to speak of the rescue-workers that risk theirs - for something that has no real lasting value? How can Westerners spend so much time and money on selfish hobbies while a vast part of humanity still lives on less than 2 dollars a day, thousands of children die of starvation or preventable diseases, and while millions are orphaned and homeless? Is it not far better to use our time for others than to lose it on ourselves? There are many non-religious people who are seeking to make more sense of life and find more satisfaction by doing 'good deeds.' Philanthropists have discovered what the Bible teaches since thousands of years - take care of others; don't just live for yourself, serve others, do good - it's even rewarding! There is great satisfaction in doing things for others (even if some have a selfish or self-serving motive behind it!). And, yes, of course, some people won't appreciate it; of course, some will use you and your kindness. But hey, consider this: God lets the sun shine on the righteous as well as on the wicked. Giving goodness and showing kindness doesn't primarily depend on the recipient or his or her response. Often the most 'undeserving' need it the most!

How do we live our lives? How do we spend our time? What is at the very core of our motivation? Once we realize that time is short, limited, and never to be restored, we gain a wiser heart, one that values time and seeks to make the best of it. You must use time or you will lose time. Someone said of 'teenager rules,' 'I had a great day until I got out of bed.' That may be very funny and true, yet why waste these precious years? There's so much to do, and better still, there is so much that can be done! I was in great despair for most of my teenage years, yet finally found a real hope and sufficient strength to actually do things I always felt I should be doing. Rather than hanging around bars and getting drunk and stoned, I found both the power and possibility to do something - however small - to change things that used to make me so depressed. Frustration can be a very negative force in life, yet it can also generate great energy if only we have a real hope and genuine opportunity to make a difference. That power and hope I found through my faith in Jesus Christ. I realized for the first time that doing good and living for others was the best lifestyle - for all parties involved - and that God will actually empower a willing soul with what is needed in order to get out there and do something worthwhile. It's worth it to use time right. Once we use it, we can't lose it.

Rather than being a cynic and spreading more negativity and hopelessness, why not think of ways to make things better - at least by a friendly face at work, a kind word on the bus, a timely deed for the helpless. There are millions of ways to make that little difference today, that may have greater consequences tomorrow. Why not contemplate on that which is true, honourable, right, pure, lovely, good, and excellent? (Philippians 4:8) Why complain about everyone and everything without realizing that this kind of complaining makes things even worse?! Cynics are part of the problem their complaining about!

It takes a realization that life is fragile, short, and limited to gain a wise heart and lifestyle, one that appreciates life that God gives and makes the most of it. Use your time, else you'll lose it. Don't be one of the millions who look back at their lives during retirement and regret how they lived - it will be too late. Regret at the end of your life will by far worse than discipline and sacrifice in the present. It takes something to life selfless, but regret is something that is far worse and beyond remedy! After Cain was confronted by God because of murdering his brother, he cried out that his punishment was too great to bear (Genesis 4). How sad to do something undoable and live with regret! It's better to seek wisdom and avoid that regrettable. If we take Moses' words serious, he will gain a heart of wisdom and life right - we'll use it time rather than lose it. We will avoid regret that is too great to bear.

Why don't we pray, 'Good Lord, teaching me to understand that my life is short, limited, and fragile. Teach me wisdom to live right and use my time according to Your will. Preserve me from regret at the end of my life by teaching me to live as You please, not as I please. Amen.'

To know or not to know - that is the question!

I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is.

Albert Camus

A strong statement, and clever at that. It's better to drive within the speed limit even without a police car waiting behind the next corner, than to risk a speeding ticket! The safest way to drive a car is within the given rules and laws; they are good, helpful, and beneficial.

In most religions there are moral prescriptions people are to follow. They are given to make life better and preserve it. This is especially true of Judaism and Christianity - God gave laws and values which are to bless the faithful. If people use a dvd-player according to the manual given by the producer, it will work well and last; if not, the opposite is true. It's that simple - God as Creator knows best what His creatures need, hence following divine laws results in blessing. If a person drives 80 km/h in a 30-zone and hits a child, it's not the fault of the speed limit but of the driver; the speed limit is to protect. In the same way it makes life safe to obey God's laws. It has, however, become a great fashion, especially in recent years, to reject God, violate His laws whenever possible, and ridicule everything sacred - it's cool to be non-religious, or we may better say, it's so uncool to be Christian. What people of an atheistic background tend to forget is that even our post-Enlightenment Europe is religious and spiritual, in that New Age has become extremely popular (this is especially true of Germany and Switzerland). People actually are hungry for spiritual things, the question is only, Where to look for the real, genuine, and true!?

If there is no God, then keeping moral laws, or natural laws, is still beneficial for people; those living an honourable life are still well off. Yes, I know, thieves, crooks, and cheats can often make an easy living - but would you also want to share their conscience? Would you want to share their punishment once they're caught? Me not! Numerous 'celebrities' can confirm that money, fame, etc. does ultimately not satisfy - that's why some commit suicide, others turn to God, some seek to 'save the world,' and the rest remains unhappy. One is better off living a life with a peaceful conscience, and that's a moral life. Music stars like Johnny Cash realized that - and changed their lives by turning to God to find peace with themselves.

Albert Camus' statement is good advice to people who doubt in the existence of God. Apart from one or two Greek philosophers in Antiquity, God-denial is a recent phenomenon. And still today, the vast majority of people in the world believe in something. It is a tiny, mostly European, minority who deny the existence of the supernatural. Just as bodily hunger proves that the body needs nourishment, so does spiritual hunger prove that the soul needs spiritual nourishment, and hence prove the existence of the supernatural, the metaphysical. If there is no God, then believing people have lost nothing at death; but if there is a God, non-believing people will lose everything. Atheism is often a way to avoid an uneasy conscience - it's easy just to deny God and live as one pleases. But we cannot deny the rule of law in order to live in anarchy; law upholds order, and order is necessary for peace and prosperity. It is good that the Bible (as well as the Koran) teach accountability towards God for one's actions; if we are not responsible before a judgement, then the motivation of living a moral life becomes thin, and would only be considered when one benefits from it. Yet already here a major error is visible - in such a behaviour selfishness is at the core, and that is moral failure No. 1. Yes, I know, people don't like to hear about judgement and stuff - I was one of them. It's the response of the tormented conscience, while deep down inside of us we know that we are, and should live, morally accountable.

Is there life after death? To know or not to know - that is the question! Some say we can't know - and they are perhaps right; but perhaps not! Some say, Well, we'll find out; unfortunately, it will then be too late. Whether we can know or not, the issue is to choose the safer option, and that's the point of Camus' quote.

The Light through whom we see right

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

C.S. Lewis

Lewis' quote is interesting and helpful to understand something crucial about life and its mind-boggling questions. Though I'd rather use 'Christ' instead of 'Christianity,' I like the quote for it expresses truth in an illustrative way.

I believe in Jesus Christ, yet I am critical of parts of Christendom's deeds throughout the centuries. The Church has certainly failed in many ways, yet people, not God, are to be blamed (more about that in another blog-post). Fact is, Christ is not always represented correctly by Christianity, yet still, HE is - or should be - the centre thereof. It is to Him we must look in order to understand what Christianity is - or should be - all about! We need to do this just as we look to the music band we're going to see in concert rather than its fans - some we may like, others seem rather freaky, but we don't judge the band by its fans, right? (that's certainly understandable to those of us who have been to concerts of The Cure - which used to be one of my top bands, by the way). Despite the many short-comings of the Church, Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12), and through Him we see all things accurately and in truth - that is a point - and a very important one - C.S. Lewis is making.

I have long struggled to find answers to tormenting questions of life - why the suffering; why the injustice; why the racism - why, why, why...?! (further blogs will deal with such questions) Well, only by a realization of who Christ is and what He can do, I became one of the millions of people who found peace of heart and lasting hope. I do no longer consume drugs to try to deal with my frustration over what is ugly and evil in this world (it never worked anyway), even though I am still upset about a lot of things. I do no longer sit around in depression, powerless to do what I wished to do - no longer a rebel without clue... The big difference is - and this is important - I have found some real solutions to the world's pressing issues, that is, how to handle this situation and do something about it, however small it may appear. It is, of course, not as easy as it may sound here, but certain things are clear: we live in an imperfect world because humans are imperfect, and even good deeds are not perfect. It is here where I started to understand the real issue - unless humans can be changed in heart - and hence in deed - there is no real change at all. And that's were faith in God has great effect! And, at the same time, we're still imperfect even if God can improve our lives tremendously.

As the sun can been seen, so Christ can be experienced - if a person has done so, one can say with Lewis, 'I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it...' - and also the rest of the saying - 'but because by it I see everything else.' It is at this point where we start to see ourselves and the world with different eyes, from a new perspective. Christ transforms a life, and new ways of looking at ourselves and the world around us emerge through that wonderful change. No longer are people alienated or strange; no longer do we despise ourselves or others. Christ gives people hope, peace, and love, as well as power to do good. It is the crucial and most fundamental change a person can undergo; without it nothing can be really changed: that change is one from selfishness to selflessness - genuine selflessness.

Genuine selflessness does not seek glory or honour from humans for one's good deeds; it does it for the sake of people, and - for the Christian - to glorify God who is the true source of goodness. Doesn't it feel fake, if a rich person donates a lot of money only to get his or her name into the news or in order to deduce money from taxes? Jesus said that He does not seek honour from people, and that His followers should do good works so that people may glorify God (see John 5:41; 15:8; Matthew 5:16). We had enough of these self-serving autobiographies through which politicians excuse their failures or seek to blame others just to place themselves into a better light (isn't it interesting how conscience works stronger when people get old?). Humans fail, human organizations fail - just think of the genocide in Rwanda or ex-Yugoslavia. And yes, the Church has failed, too! But then, my point is that we look to God Himself, and test our own hearts and deeds to see whether we are actually doing the right thing with the right motives the right way. It is here where our criticism should start; it is here where real change can - and must - occur.

Through faith in Christ one can get to know reality as it really is, just as the sunlight provides the necessary means of seeing the world and its beauty. People ask, How can there be a loving God if there is so much suffering in the world? Well, one short response is, How can there not be a loving God if there is so much beauty in the world? We better first criticize humans for their ugly deeds before we seek to divert blame on God. A professor in political science rightly said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely! Isn't it easy just to blame someone else, especially God, without taking responsibility ourselves? Well, that is saddling the horse from the wrong side - it's the wrong way to go about in seeking genuine answers for troubling questions, and certainly the wrong way to solve the mess the world is in. We have to acknowledge a certain wrong before we can change it; denial is wrong.

I like what Madeleine L'Engle wrote:

Many atheists deny God because they care so passionately about a caring and personal God and the world around them is inconsistent with a God of love, they feel, and so they say, 'There is no God.'

This is so true, and I not only understand this state of mind, but can compassionately understand it - I was there myself! A key difference is that I somehow always believed in God, though I did not have a conscious faith in and personal relationship with Him until the age of 21. Honest people have honest questions, and sometimes feel so upset about things they care for that they end up concluding 'There is no God.' Yet concluding so is to cut off the very Source who can actually empower people to change things - there are thousands of people with faith in God who experience that and live it out daily (however imperfect it may sometimes be). A skeptic and always-negative critic can never make things better - we have to look to the good things while we're still honestly concerned about the bad stuff! I know that evil prevails despite the many good deeds of people - not just when good men are passive - but still, we must continue a struggle for the good of the suffering despite the many set-backs and difficulties. Great people who have changed things in this world have always struggled through many difficulties and their case seemed hopeless at first - just think of Martin Luther King's struggle!

Dear Reader, things are not as hopeless as they may appear - there is still hope and power, and that hope and power are found in God, the Father of Jesus Christ. The Son of God is the Light of the World through whom we see light, truth, and beauty, through who we can gain love, hope, and perseverance, and by whom we can know salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life. Perhaps we should spend less time blaming God and others, and look to God in prayer instead, before allowing Him to change us to become His instrument for lasting change. Fact is, humans do bad things with their God-given freedom; egoism is at the very root of all problems - it can only be dealt with by a change of heart. There is hope, and it is found in Jesus, the Light through whom we see right.

My First Blog...

Unlike my Dad, who is rather heavily 'computerized' and uses all kinds of electronic tools (Mum calls them toys!), I do not know all about the latest technology (In fact, I learned about 'the blog' not too long ago. I guess, I am slightly old-fashion in some ways, and I do not walk around everywhere with a MP3-player...) There's so much to discuss, and a blog is a good way of doing that. So, this will become my tiny contribution on themes that move me, upset me, and make me wanna write something. I will also share family and ministry news - you'll find all kinds of posts here...
I hope you'll enjoy this blog, be moved to reflect, research, and perhaps respond, but above all be encouraged to live your life happy and to the full, that is, with purpose, meaning, and content, as well as a good dose of romance and humour!