Cedarville Magazine Spring 2018

CHAPEL NOTES There are two things I want to draw out of Ecclesiastes for you to see. First thing, if you’re going to be joyful at some future time in life, you’ve got to be joyful now. God wants you to be joyful. It’s God’s desire that you live life to the fullest, that you learn to delight in the good things of the world and the good things of life. God loves it when you appreciate the beauty in a sunset. God loves it when you savor delicious food and when you linger over a great cup of coffee. We glorify God when we find pleasure in the things that He has made. We see some of this in Ecclesiastes 11:7, “Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.” The author is speaking about the days of youth in this picture of a sunrise. With every sunrise lays a new day before you and it asks, “What will you do with this day?” There lays a whole lifetime before you and it asks, “What will you do with your life? Who will you be in this life?” There’s a second thing the author wants us to see: If you want to be godly, then be godly now. Chapter 12 verse 1: “Remember your creator in the days of your youth.” Remember your Creator today. Remember Him while you’re still young. Remember Him before you get old. And don’t just remember Him like “bring Him to mind,” but do something about Him. Commit yourself to Him. Acknowledge Him and live as if He’s real. Live as if He’s created you; live as if He really does have a claim on your life. The Lord wants the best of your life, not what’s left over once you’ve lived your way, and it’s all falling apart. How many people have put it off thinking, “I’ll turn to Christ tomorrow”? Tomorrow never came. Grab ahold of these days, because a day will come when your mind will begin to fade. And your strength will begin to fail. And your most productive days will now be behind you. Before this time comes, remember your Creator. Before your mind starts to grow dim with age and with all the cares and concerns of a difficult life, you want to live well. You’ve got to learn to live well. You have got to learn to be godly. Now. Tim Challies is a pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto, Canada. Remember Your Creator The following is an excerpt from a February 6, 2018, chapel presentation by Tim Challies. Listen to his full remarks at cedarville.edu/chapel . The Lord wants the best of your life, not what’s left over once you’ve lived your way, and it’s all falling apart. March 29 Staley Lecture Series Ryan Anderson Senior Research Fellow The Heritage Foundation Washington, D.C. April 4 Living Water Apologetics Conference Rosaria Butterfield Speaker and Author, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert Durham, North Carolina April 5 Living Water Apologetics Conference Sam Allberry Visiting Professor, Cedarville University Speaker, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries Maidenhead, UK Cedarville Magazine | 27