Testimony of Fatih

"I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what He will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint"- Habakkuk 2:1 (NIV).

God told Habakkuk the Babylonians were coming to conquer the Israelites, taking everything and everyone as their own. Habakkuk complained to the Lord concerning the merciless droves who took pride in their own strength and lived in luxury, while conquered nations lay at their feet (1:16-17). Then Habakkuk took up his position to see what the Lord had to say about his complaint: Why was evil prevailing? God's answer: Live by faith and trust Him (2:4). Habakkuk, though his heart was pounding and lips quivering, said he would wait for the coming calamity, yet he would remain joyful in God his Savior saying, "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights" (3:16-19). Will we, like Paul and Silas, shackled and imprisoned unjustly, sing and worship God in the middle of the night (Act 16:25)? Are there not witnesses to our struggles? What encouragement is given, what faith is demonstrated, as others watch God's ambassadors-in-Christ? The people of Judah, like fellow prisoners hearing songs of worship in the middle of night, witnessed testimonies of faith. Jesus told us we would have trouble, but to take heart! He has overcome the world (John 16:33). What do witnesses see in your testimony of faith?

Time Well Spent

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day"- 2 Peter 3:8 (NIV).

Time can't be accurately measured when it comes to God. Could the creation have taken place over 7,000 years, instead of seven days? Did the three days Christ lay in the tomb feel like 3,000 years to Jesus? God can see time as a whole, from the beginning to the end. Time does not hold Him; He created time. Does time hold us? We measure it down to the second. It's brevity and length set every area of our lives: our goals, our birth, our death, our relationships, our work, our play. Yes, time holds us. What if we threw off the shackles of time and discarded the clocks, wouldn't the day still hold the same amount of hours? Certainly; therefore, we can't discard time. The sun rises and sets; the moon wanes and grows, our bodies reveal the effects of each passing year. Obviously God intended time to be an integral part of our lives. The message is that our life is the only "time" we have that will count towards our eternal reward, where "time" will no longer hold us. Our goal is to invest our time wisely; it's limited and the timer began the day you were born. Make your time well spent.    

Significance

"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun"- Ecclesiastes 8:15 (NIV).

Three times, in Ecclesiastes, Solomon repeats the wisdom he has unearthed for each person "under the sun:" eat, drink, and find enjoyment, or pleasure, in the toil God has given each of us (2:24; 3:13). Solomon had everything, I mean every thing, but he laboriously searched for the significance of life. Much of our toil seems downright useless; most of our life we don't understand what's going on, can't control what's going on, nor can we predict what's coming our way. Solomon's final solution, his recommendation, is to enjoy the life, the toil, God has given you. God has given you life, your life; it's a gift. Fulfillment of life comes from centering our life on God, He is our meaning, and being obedient to His commands. Everything else is meaningless, a chasing after the wind (2:11).  

Being Flexible

"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that""- James 4:13-15 (NIV).

Sheldon Cooper, one of the characters from the television comedy The Big Bang Theory has a checkoff list for every detail of his life. In case you've never seen the comedy, he's a genius, but definitely on the autism spectrum. Each day is ordered down to what he eats, where he sits, and the required number of three knocks on the neighbor's door. Even his bathroom trips are scheduled. It doesn't bode well with those he is in relationship with. This is extreme, but don't miss the underlying message here: God's will, will be done with you no matter how ordered you make your life. Being flexible should be your life's greatest goal; if not, it'll be your greatest obstacle in maturing spiritually. God has His own plans for your life; plans for prosperity, safety, hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Trust God; being flexible will bode well in this Relationship.

The Right Team

"The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. he was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him"- Revelation 12:9 (NIV).  

Game over! The last play has been completed; the buzzer has sounded. The Archangel Michael has spiked the football under the goalposts of the world's final field of battle, while the losing team and its coach are hauled off the field kicking and screaming, their days are over. The cheering has abruptly stopped in the opposing bleachers; there is no trumpet sound. Those who were lead astray now face the realization they backed the wrong team; they've lost and it's an eternal loss. However, a trumpet blast is heard on other side of the field, followed by the rise of resounding jubilation, exultation, rejoicing, euphoria...pure rapture. This final victory will give those on the winning side of the field an eternal reward; they had committed to follow the Right Team.