Time and Seasons

Tempus Fugit…time flies, and it seems to many that the older we get the quicker it goes. Our lives are filled to the brim with activities which consume time. When we take a pause to ponder, we wonder… where did it all go?

In the past few weeks, I have attended three funerals – or celebrations of life as many are calling these memorial gatherings. Lori Voges, Janet Peterson, and recently Steve Menke each were summoned into the presence of our Lord, leaving a wonderful wake of memories in the hearts and minds of families and friends.

Where did it all go?

I have tried to instill wisdom in family members and grandchildren. Initially, it was about resource allocation. To grandson Reed at age 21, I urged him to give to the Lord at least the first 10% of his earnings, store away 10% for a rainy day, put at least 10% in a retirement plan, diligently live within the 70% remaining, and do not rack up debt on credit cards, etc. He is doing that. He saw the wisdom of preparing for times and seasons in his young life.

Beyond financial plans, I urge every believer to see how the Lord has a life plan, too. That plan is to give ourselves in service to Him. Service can be reflected in so many ways. If we were to try enumerating them, we could fill volumes. Suffice it to say that prioritizing how we give ourselves makes a huge difference in the lives of all whom we meet.

As we end the year of Covid and enter a new year, what will we do in The Apple of His Eye that makes a difference?

As the Lord wills, we will continue advocating for our core mission statement: Boldly declaring Y’shua as Messiah to Jews and Gentiles; Urgently equipping the church to do the same.

Twenty-six years ago, we crafted that vision and continue to use it as the measuring stick by which we evaluate all we do – direct evangelism, literature creation, on-line and in-person teaching of the Bible, building networks of partnerships to give and receive in our sphere of influence, and pray, pray, pray for the salvation of the Lost Sheep of Israel as we go and grow with the eternal message of salvation.

We thank you, our friends, prayer partners, and sustaining mission supporters, who enable us to do all this and more now in our 26th year of front-line mission service. May these coming times and seasons bring great joy and fruit through your labors in Christ, too.

Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that’. (James 4:13-15, NIV)

Steve Cohen is the founder of Apple of His Eye

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