January 2023

As we begin a new year, I always think to myself as to how much time we have left before Jesus comes to catch His Church—the Body of Christ—away to meet Him in the air. This is what we know as the “Rapture” of the Church.

 There is a story of a little boy who was given a dollar by his daddy, who wanted to teach his son a valuable lesson in life about money. He said, “Son, if you will hold on to this dollar all day long, and save it, at the end of the day, when I get home from work, I will give you five more dollars.” He gave his son a specific deadline: he was supposed to hang onto it until 5 p.m. Well, that sounded like a pretty good deal. The little boy held onto that dollar all morning and most of the afternoon. But at around 4:30, he just couldn’t contain himself. He began to question in his mind, and he wasn’t sure if his dad really meant what he had told him. The little boy started worrying. And as they saying goes, that dollar was burning a hole in his pocket.

 So he went down to the little drugstore near his home and spent the dollar. He bought a small toy with that dollar. At around 5 p.m., though, his dad who had made him the offer came home, and the little boy had to tell his dad what he had done. He didn’t have the dollar anymore, so, he showed his dad the little toy he had bought. His dad just shook his head in disappointment. “Son,” he said, “If you had waited thirty more minutes, I would have given you five more dollars. You could have had your little toy and more money besides.”

 He was right and the little boy knew it. He said, “I know” and he hung his head in shame. He felt stupid because he had squandered the money, and his opportunity. Why? Because he was so impatient! This is not just a cute story, but in a much, much larger sense, God has given us a similar gift, as our Heavenly Father, He has given us years of our lives. Our time here on Earth is an infinitely precious commodity. Each and every day, we get so many hours and minutes deposited to our accounts. We can hold tight to those minutes, using them wisely, or we can neglect them with useless pursuits. But soon the day will come—like it or not—when we are down to our final minute. So we all need to use our God-given time well. In the Psalms, David wrote about how fleeting life can be:

“LORD, make me to know my end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, You have made my days as a handbreadth; and my age is as nothing before You, verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.” (Psalm 39:45)

That concept of “numbered days” isn’t just an Old Testament idea. Paul wrote something very similar in his New Testament letter to the Ephesians:

 “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore be you not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17) The New Living Translation says:

 “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” (Ephesians 5:15-17 NLT) Paul adds other thoughts to this reality in the Book of Romans:

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our Salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:11-14)

 “Time is running out,” Paul writes. “The night is almost gone.” Our days are numbered, and the days are evil. It’s late. We are to make the most of every opportunity because the day of our Salvation is coming soon. These Bible passages should remind us, every day, of the fact that Jesus Christ is coming back again! The signs of the times visible in our culture echo this idea. We are nearing the end. We could be taken into eternity in the blink of an eye.

 It could happen through the Rapture, or it can happen at death. That’s why we always need to be prepared and ready to meet the Lord at all times. We don’t know when the end of our lives will come. It might happen at the end of the world. Or it might happen at the end of OUR world. All of us, right now, are a heartbeat away from eternity. It could arrive in the twinkling of an eye.

 Are we making our final minutes count? God has given us a precious gift, so make every day of your life mean something. Serve other people. Love your family. Spend time with your friends and community. Do good works. Contribute to society. Gather regularly with Believers. Give generously to your Church. Enjoy the world God has created for us. Tell others about Jesus.

Worship God! Yes, you’ll worship Him for eternity but your opportunities to worship Him during this life are limited. Don’t waste the opportunities you’ve been given on Earth. Instead, take advantage of them! Keep one foot in Heaven and keep another foot on Earth, because Jesus is coming soon.

 I want to thank you for being a faithful partner with me over the years, and I will continue to pray God’s richest blessings over you and your life. Also, I want to encourage you to be careful what you listen to, pray in the Holy Spirit, stay in faith, stay in the Word, keep speaking the right things and making the right confessions of faith, pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and remember “God loves you; we love you and JESUS IS LORD!”

In the Service of Our King,

Darrell G. Harrelson

 P.S. Remember, on September 11, 2022, we finished putting our new YouTube Channel together, it is now up and running. All you need to do if you would like to watch our services is: click on the YouTube icon, then in the search bar type in—Pastor Darrell Harrelson, and you can watch the programs. Remember to hit the “subscribe button,” and hit the “like” button as well. Also please let your family and friends know, so they can be blessed by the Word. Thank you for all your help.