By definition "time" is only a corollary of space and matter/energy and is part of God's creation; therefore God is sovereign over it, not bound by it, nor defined, or limited by it--it is irrelevant to Him! Let's perceive reality from the divine viewpoint! That is to say: Put God in the equation! You don't see the Big Picture apart from Him!
I used to like the TV show of that title in the '70s and it is a valid philosophy even for unbelievers--psychiatrists would acknowledge this too. I'm not saying that reminiscing has no place in our lives, but where our daily focus is. Remember the TV series "Happy Days?" People tend to think of the olden days as the good old days, and Solomon warned us against doing this in Eccles. 7:10 saying: "Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?'" God has "set eternity in the heart of man" (we have the unique ability that animals don't have to anticipate the future, but a side-effect is that we also can worry about it!) but we are not meant to live oriented only for the "here and now." "Where there is no vision, the people perish," according to Proverbs 29:18 and we must look ahead in making plans, but not in presumption or preoccupation. ("Commit whatever you do to the LORD, and He will establish your plans.") "There is a proper time and procedure for every purpose under heaven." "He makes everything beautiful in its time," so it is said: Go by God's timetable, not yours!
"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). The older we get, it seems like time is more of the essence (Ernest Hemingway said, "Time is the thing we have the least of."). Time goes faster and the birthdays even are a blur. Tempis fugit (time flies). The Bible says, "As thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deut. 33:25). Our life is but a "vapor" that vanishes! Like the grass that withers!
Depression is rampant today: It is mainly caused by people living and dwelling on the past; misinterpreting the present; and anticipating the future. But we should always remember the words of wisdom: Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not yet given to us, so why not live today! We get ahead of ourselves and make plans thinking that tomorrow is guaranteed, but we are to live one day at a time and commend the future to God's care. "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Proverbs 27:1). Jesus taught us to pray to "give us this day our daily bread" for a reason. Psalm 118:24 says: "This is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Some people do the extreme of just living for the "here and now" and "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die [quoting 1 Cor. 15:22, ESV, cf. Isaiah 22:13]." This philosophy dates back to antiquity and Democritus who espoused us to seek "man's fulfillment in the here and now of this world." We are to live each day to the fullest, but in light of eternity, doing God's will--which is revealed one day at a time, i.e., we don't know God's will for our whole life like a rolled-out revealed agenda. "My times [future] is in thy hands" (Psalm 31:15).
We trust God for the future and make our plans "but the LORD establishes [our] steps" (Prov. 16:9). Since we are given one day at a time and live it one day at a time let us heed the advice of Matthew Henry: "Live each day as if it were your last." If you aren't prepared to die, you are not prepared to live; for it is in the fear of death that the devil holds people captive to do his will. No one is guaranteed tomorrow! However, seeing the spiritual dimension gives you a whole new outlook.
Providence is manifest: "A man's steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?" (Prov. 20:24); "I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps" (Jeremiah 10:23); "Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established" (Prov. 16:3). God is never frustrated and we do not ever interrupt His plans according to Ephesians 1:11 which says: "[We are being] predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will." Daniel 4:35 says: "...none can stay his hand, or say to him, 'What doest thou?'"
God orchestrates history and "...he does whatever he pleases" (Job 23:13). From God's perspective there is no time element; for He is outside, not defined, nor limited by the time-space continuum which He created for us: This means He is all-wise (pansophic) and we must trust Providence and not try to think we can predict or see the future. Hindsight is always 20/20 and we are all geniuses at this, so we shouldn't feel guilty and regret the past as believers.
It is time to take inventory and assess our way of life: Are we getting what we expected and what we want out of life--life is empty without God in it (enthusiasm means putting God into it). Nature abhors a vacuum and boredom indicates a lack of purpose and fulfillment and humans are known for this propensity whereas animals aren't. Socrates said that the "unexamined life is not worth living." The Latin saying carpe diem or seize the day is pertinent! In summary: There is no Plan B, but everything is going according to God's glory and being cognizant of Providence gives us great faith and patience in everyday events. Soli Deo Gloria!
I used to like the TV show of that title in the '70s and it is a valid philosophy even for unbelievers--psychiatrists would acknowledge this too. I'm not saying that reminiscing has no place in our lives, but where our daily focus is. Remember the TV series "Happy Days?" People tend to think of the olden days as the good old days, and Solomon warned us against doing this in Eccles. 7:10 saying: "Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?'" God has "set eternity in the heart of man" (we have the unique ability that animals don't have to anticipate the future, but a side-effect is that we also can worry about it!) but we are not meant to live oriented only for the "here and now." "Where there is no vision, the people perish," according to Proverbs 29:18 and we must look ahead in making plans, but not in presumption or preoccupation. ("Commit whatever you do to the LORD, and He will establish your plans.") "There is a proper time and procedure for every purpose under heaven." "He makes everything beautiful in its time," so it is said: Go by God's timetable, not yours!
"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). The older we get, it seems like time is more of the essence (Ernest Hemingway said, "Time is the thing we have the least of."). Time goes faster and the birthdays even are a blur. Tempis fugit (time flies). The Bible says, "As thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deut. 33:25). Our life is but a "vapor" that vanishes! Like the grass that withers!
Depression is rampant today: It is mainly caused by people living and dwelling on the past; misinterpreting the present; and anticipating the future. But we should always remember the words of wisdom: Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not yet given to us, so why not live today! We get ahead of ourselves and make plans thinking that tomorrow is guaranteed, but we are to live one day at a time and commend the future to God's care. "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Proverbs 27:1). Jesus taught us to pray to "give us this day our daily bread" for a reason. Psalm 118:24 says: "This is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Some people do the extreme of just living for the "here and now" and "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die [quoting 1 Cor. 15:22, ESV, cf. Isaiah 22:13]." This philosophy dates back to antiquity and Democritus who espoused us to seek "man's fulfillment in the here and now of this world." We are to live each day to the fullest, but in light of eternity, doing God's will--which is revealed one day at a time, i.e., we don't know God's will for our whole life like a rolled-out revealed agenda. "My times [future] is in thy hands" (Psalm 31:15).
We trust God for the future and make our plans "but the LORD establishes [our] steps" (Prov. 16:9). Since we are given one day at a time and live it one day at a time let us heed the advice of Matthew Henry: "Live each day as if it were your last." If you aren't prepared to die, you are not prepared to live; for it is in the fear of death that the devil holds people captive to do his will. No one is guaranteed tomorrow! However, seeing the spiritual dimension gives you a whole new outlook.
Providence is manifest: "A man's steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?" (Prov. 20:24); "I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps" (Jeremiah 10:23); "Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established" (Prov. 16:3). God is never frustrated and we do not ever interrupt His plans according to Ephesians 1:11 which says: "[We are being] predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will." Daniel 4:35 says: "...none can stay his hand, or say to him, 'What doest thou?'"
God orchestrates history and "...he does whatever he pleases" (Job 23:13). From God's perspective there is no time element; for He is outside, not defined, nor limited by the time-space continuum which He created for us: This means He is all-wise (pansophic) and we must trust Providence and not try to think we can predict or see the future. Hindsight is always 20/20 and we are all geniuses at this, so we shouldn't feel guilty and regret the past as believers.
It is time to take inventory and assess our way of life: Are we getting what we expected and what we want out of life--life is empty without God in it (enthusiasm means putting God into it). Nature abhors a vacuum and boredom indicates a lack of purpose and fulfillment and humans are known for this propensity whereas animals aren't. Socrates said that the "unexamined life is not worth living." The Latin saying carpe diem or seize the day is pertinent! In summary: There is no Plan B, but everything is going according to God's glory and being cognizant of Providence gives us great faith and patience in everyday events. Soli Deo Gloria!