Number Our Days / Time

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This is true for a new generation radio and now the man who preached in 50 states and 50 days beaker writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics Dr. Alex McFarlane are you spending time or using time by Alex McFarland of truth for new generation about that as we begin today's edition of broadcast spending time I hear people talk about how they're spending their time but really from a biblical sense and certainly in the sense of good stewardship. We should think about using time, not merely passively letting time elapsed going to look at Psalm 90 and I invite you to turn to the word of God. If you're in a place where you can look up the Old Testament book of Psalms. Maybe you're driving along and you can't read along but just listen along if you would, and I trust that you had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season. I wish you God's best in all things in the new year and a lot of people are flipping the calendar anxious to leave 20/20 behind. I read somebody said if 20/20 were a fish they had caught they would throw it back and from the cove.

The quarantines, the impact on the economy. The riots that have drug on for months in cities like Portland and Seattle in Minneapolis and Chicago and Detroit and Atlanta on all over the nation. There's been racial unrest.

When I think what's made it doubly hard for so many people is unit we don't minimize the seriousness of human suffering and we don't ignore the responsibility to live morally and do right by all people and to love people unconditionally, but at the same time so many have used the pandemic racial issues for political leverage and now the politically incorrect so desirous to make sure that there is no racism me. They really gone beyond normal protocols to trying to police the soul in the heart of all people.

I just read in California that books like to kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee in Homer's Odyssey, books are being banned were experiencing more and more censorship in government control and really viewpoint discrimination in a perhaps well-intentioned but misguided quest to make the world fair and true and equitable for all people do you know what the closest the world has ever come to justice, equality and liberty for all.

Was the United States of America built on the Judeo-Christian moral foundation where we knew and we told our kids and grandkids look, you're accountable to God. Do right live right understand that all people are equal in the eyes of God.

And it's not the government that will be your judge and Redeemer.

It is God Almighty before whom we all must give an account and you know what the Bible says in Ecclesiastes Nicolette Ecclesiastes 1214.

Speaking of the judgment bar before which we will appear that God quote shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it be good whether it be evil. Lizzie Estes 1214 and so were living in a time when so many people are anxious about the future there lamenting the past because this has been a tough time and what makes it so tough is not just the hard things of life that inevitably come along in a fallen world what's made this era and certainly the year 2020 especially burdensome for so many people, myself included, really is because the answer to all of our problems and the hope for humanity is more of God and more of his word, not less of it and so I'm praying for America and I'm proud. I hope your praying for America and praying for the young people say late 20s and younger millennial's and younger that so many if you post something online so many will be quick to denigrate God and and I know just recently I was posting some spiritual insights on social media and people were mocking back and saying your your sky daddy isn't going to save you and that I will not repeat the mocking really sacrilegious words, they would post about the Bible.

It's been a decade and 1/2 maybe two decades building just as disregard of God in this this attitude of, there is no God. And even if there is we want to just, you know, tell him what's what and we need to understand that the only hope for this culture and ultimately for the world is the church.

The only hope for individuals is Jesus Christ. But as my friend, the late Chuck post was say the conscience of the culture is the church that's part of our job, so I want to read a little bit from Psalm 90 and talk about as the new year elapses that we would rise to the challenge of verse 12 of Psalm 90 and the Bible says Lord, teach us to number our days that we make apply our hearts to wisdom that's what want to do if God gives us more time another day, another month, maybe another year. We don't know none of us know how long we're going to live, but that we would not merely passively spend time but that we would use time now. Psalm 90 begins with the famous verse. It's very beautiful. It says Lord you've been our dwelling place for all generations before the mountains were created were you gave birth to the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Amen to that.

And thank God for that. But then it goes on and talks about the mortality of man. After pointing out the each analogy of God, the mortality of man turned man back into dust. You say return the children of men 4000 years in your site are like yesterday when it passes by, or like a watch in the night. So, for God eternity is brief because he is the I am God is we don't use past or future tense verbs when speaking of God, not God was her God will but God is now man lives a brief amount of time dies and returns to the dust.

But even if a person were to live first century. It's just like a blank verse five and six of Psalm 90 says that God sweeps people away like a fluoride, people fall asleep there like the morning grass that is sprouting and blossoming but by the afternoon sun turns dry and fades away now sitting because when we come back were going to talk about what the word of God says regarding our use of time and what you do, led by God, led by the spirit of the Lord and by his word to shape your future. Yes, you have a say in the future you'll experience in with God's help that can be a great future and one that counts for eternity. Stated interest for new generation is back after this. America today is like a patient struggling to live yet is being forcibly euthanized by her quote doctors, the life force within the patient fighting for survival is the honest citizens like yourself team of quote caregivers are the local and national leaders actually contributing to the demise of the patient economy is crashing crime is exploding.

The Constitution is being abolished the assault on America how to defend our nation before it's too late.

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Available now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and local Christian bookstores. Christians don't necessarily agree with one another when it comes to questions of religious pluralism, homosexuality, the role of government abortion and war.

Too often, we manage these disagreements by ignoring them, yet were called to engage the world for the sake of Christ. How can we be effective if we avoid society's most pressing questions 10 issues that divide Christians Alex McFarlane challenges us to drill down to the biblical core of 10 current issues such as social justice evil and suffering, photography, and environmentalism as he echoes the biblical invitation, this reason together only by engaging the Scriptures deeply thinking clearly and speaking truthfully can we, in God's family address our differences and discover the peace that comes with unity of purpose. 10 issues that divide Christians buying this book and many others@alexmcfarlane.com for apologetics, resources, books by Alex McFarlane and to find out where Alex is speaking to visit Alex McFarlane.com Psalm 93 and for how man lives a brief time returns to the dust and no matter how long man lives to the Lord is eternal dislike watching the night for a thousand years like a single day by Alex McFarlane. Welcome back to truth for a new generation were talking about time and how we spend time in just encourage you out regardless of how you feel about your past, and maybe are very proud of your past. Maybe you're grateful for wonderful memories or maybe you are hurt by your past, and maybe things that you experienced months, years, maybe decades ago. Maybe things like that haunt you and you would love to move on but you feel like you can't friend the past should not dominate you or control you.

The past should not break you and make your present and your future, to no avail. I will get to talk about that in just a moment, but II bring this up because it is significant that the beginning of a new year, but I think about in all the ministry gods allowed me to do over 30 years, meeting with people whenever I meet with oh people I don't know. Let's just say north of 50 and older, and middle-age late middle age elderly people they talk so much about time men especially, I listen to men really beat themselves up over opportunities squandered for the past week. We really romanticize the past. We make it so wonderful and we often times, whether it was good or bad. We make the past so huge that it seems to control our present and whenever something controls are present. It's definitely informing our future. So let's talk not about letting time expand our lives. Let's talk about how we can use time the word of God. In Psalm 90 it goes on and it talks about the judgment of God. God is holy and God is righteous, seven and eight talks about being consumed by God's anger and God's wrath in verse eight says you have placed our iniquities before you are secret sins in the light of your presence in our guilt before God is something that is very serious obviously but at the same time you need to understand that God loves you.

Billy Graham said God will forgive any sin.

He will overlook nine and you know our culture nowadays. Whether it's premarital sex or abortion or or lying or substance abuse or homosexuality all sorts of carnality, let me say this friend, God loves you all I could I could spend the next 10 years broadcasting just that message that God loves you and it is so needful that people realize that, however, no sin in the Bible has been declassified and and I really get the impression in talking with people. I think people feel like because so many people disregard holiness anymore. So many people do their own thing and they they ignore what the Bible says about repentance and purity. At that III think there is the assumption that that while God's just going to have to be cool with God just going to have to be okay with it and I want to say this while God loves you and you are valuable to God and he will forgive any sin if you confess and repent, but at the same time as Psalm 90 points out, God is a God of wrath. God is God of judgment. God sees our iniquities.

There are no secret hidden sins that God doesn't know about and God has not changed one single verse in the Bible everything the Bible did say it still does say and so it goes on and it says that our our life is is like labor and sorrow is not something hard work and then regret that that would be so sad if the story ended there and it says in verse and that even the pride of someone who lives 70 or 80 years. At the end of it all. Their life is but labor and sorrow for soon it is gone and we fly away says Psalm 90 verse 10. So who can understand this to fully comprehend fully apprehend what life is all about weight, we can't know it all. To understand all of the purposes of God. We don't know it all, but we can know the way to be saved.

We can know the way to prepare to meet God and not only to be ready for the judgment in the face God and to be saved and to leave this world confidently at peace knowing that our sins are under the blood of Christ. We've been washed new in our name is in the Lamb's book of life if you will simply believe in Jesus, we can have that piece but do you know what we can even have a meaningful, fulfilling, purposeful life here now all of that to bring us to verse 12 of Psalm 90 so in the word so means in light of all this, the brevity of life, the surety of standing before God.

One day, in light of all this. What we do. Verse 12 Lord teach us to number our days, that we may some translations say apply our hearts to wisdom alike that apply our hearts to wisdom. Some translations will say that we may present to you a heart of wisdom.

Can you imagine facing God and saying God.

Here's what I did with my soul. I was wise in a Billy Graham, the great evangelist once said that who we are is God's gift to us you're born your given life. But what we become is our gift to God. Now I want to unpack this verse a little bit. Lord, teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom friend. Life is brief.

Life can be fragile life can be gone so quickly because it is shown us that 2020 is shown is that young people die. People that are otherwise healthy diet life can be gone in the blink and so what we do, like Job, Job 7 verse six, Job said, my days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.

If you've ever seen the weaving of cloth that shuttle with a spool of thread goes back and forth. It blinding speed, making the tapestry friend days or going by.

Time is ticking a week is about a month goes by, you look up the year has gone by. Job is right are our days due flyby more quickly than the movement of a weaver's shuttle. What type of cloth are you crafting my dear friend what is the tapestry that's being woven by your days. But not merely by the time that sticking by but what is your life, representing in terms of your thoughts, your priorities will you act the way you react the care and feeding of your soul.

Do you know Jesus. And when we come back were going to talk about, not merely spending time using time and using time away that will not only honor God count for eternity but will bless you right now.

Back after this you know Alex is been writing for many years, and one of his classic book is still great.

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We got so many resources questions and answers. Right now we are working on an answer book. The top 100 questions from 10 years of exploring the word, which is the program that we do daily live on the American family radio network.

That book will be out in September of 100 of the toughest Bible questions and answers many of those questions are answered on the website Alex McFarland.com plus a calendar of my traveling, my speaking you know we had in 2020 something like 35 major events that were canceled but in 2021. We are going to do our utmost to be back on the road and speaking all over America sharing the gospel in equipping the church to defend the faith. Do you know what I give God the glory in spite of the challenges people are spiritually hungry every day. Literally every day of the week we get dozens of emails and letters people are asking how can I know the Lord. How can I be saved and and this or that is happened right done this and I can't seem to move beyond it. Is there hope for me and Celeste say as we get into Psalm 90 verse 12 that yes, there is hope more than merely some wishful thinking. I mean there is tangible reality in Jesus and so right now we want to say this, that Christ is disclosed buys a prayer and you can call on the name of the Lord and be saved. Right now you can say Lord I am sorry for my sins.

And Lord, I do believe you are the son of God, and you died for me friend on that cross 2000 years ago. He did that for you. The punishment was deflected onto Jesus. You don't have to suffer for your sins, you can say Lord I accept that you suffered in my place and if you will turn from sin. The Bible calls that to repent and that that simply means to turn the car around and drive away in a different direction. So you turn from sin to Christ and and part of that is to say Lord I admitted I'm a sinner. I'm sorry for my sins. Lord, please help me and and pray this and mean it.

Lord I do believe you are the son of God. I believe you paid my sin on the cross and rose again I ask you to save me, forgive me. Make me your child. The Bible says that if you believe in Jesus you will be saved. Confess your sin turn to Christ, put your faith in faith means trust your trust in Jesus and he will save you now let me talk about numbering our days.

Psalm 90 verse 12 says number our days, not how you do that. Maybe you think okay well on 50 I might live to be 87 got 30 years left. Okay that that's part of it because it there's implication to reckon an accounting where are you in life and where you hope to go think about that, but do you know what the word really means to number our days, it means to Destin. Our days at Christmas we sing that song have yourself a Merry Little Christmas incest through the years, we all will be together. If the fates allow I've never liked that line even though I do love that song because we don't have to trust in blind fate. Some roll of the dice willy-nilly know you have the ability God's word says it to Destin.

Your future now.

Step one make sure that your life is committed to Jesus Christ in your born-again and then order your life to live by his word. The book of Proverbs says that's the wisest thing you could ever do. Proverbs 17 is to begin to follow God's roadmap for life and a huge immeasurably large part of what God wants for every person is that you would forsake sin and live righteously or morally wise got so interested in moral behavior because he loves you so number your days Destin your days and then apply your heart to wisdom and you know what it means to apply it means to attack.

In other words, an army that was going to take a city that would apply themselves to the city. I mean, they attacked it with all of their strength. That's how you need to approach wisdom and what is wisdom God's word wisdom comes from God. Data information might come from the Internet content but more than mere data. God is offering you wisdom and so let's talk about time are you applying your heart to wisdom.

Are you not just letting life passively go by, but you're actively thanking God for life.

Understanding that each day is a gift, and God is giving you his son and his word and innumerable promises for his unlimited favor and grace you have quoted this many times. And ON first Chronicles 1232 the children of Issachar had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. We need people like that is called discernment is call commitment. It is called wisdom and it is called obedience man who understood the times to know what Israel ought to do friend. You need to understand the times in which we live and what you ought to do number one to be saved.

Number two daily to be growing, walking following hearing serving being used by an know the times as the Bible says now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed. Christ is coming back. The world is growing darker people waxing worse and worse. You can stand on the solid rock of God and his truth and that is the best use of your time may be right this moment to make the decision to live for Jesus. May God bless you in this day and in the new year.

As we were not used by time, but with God's help and for God's glory we faithfully fruitfully use the days that are given TMG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarlane ministry, PO Box 10231 is Burrell, NC 27404. That's PO Box 10231, Greensboro, NC 27404 call us at 877 yes God one that's 877 yes, God, and the number one.

Forgive online@alexmcfarlane.com while you're there, listen the program. Our guys read Alex's blog invite Alex to speak at your event or contact Alex with a question or comment, Alex McFarlane.com. Thanks for listening today and join us again next time. As we bring you more true for a new generation TMG radio