TIME - A Meditation on God's Most Precious Gift - Season 2 Episode 28

On today's episode of Jesus, You Take Over, we reflect on one of God's greatest and most precious gifts...TIME! Every heartbeat, every breath, and every new day is a gift of His love and mercy, inviting us to draw closer to Him. Together, we'll discover why today is the day to pray, forgive, repent, and trust in Jesus, embracing each moment as an opportunity to prepare our hearts for eternity. May this reflection inspire you to surrender your life completely to Christ and never take the gift of today for granted.

Thank you brothers and sisters in Christ. God bless you all. In Jesus' name I pray. 😇🙏❤️

Transcript

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My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Thank you all for joining me for another episode of Jesus You Take Over. Today I want to invite you to reflect on something, something that we all often overlook. Yet it is one of the greatest gifts that God has ever given us. A gift that He has given us all equally, and that is time. God doesn't see time the same way that we do. God's timing is always perfect. Remember that. There is something that every king, every billionaire, every saint, every child, every sinner, every rich person, and even every poor person has received. And that is time. Not one of us knows how much of it remains. One heartbeat, one breath, one sunrise, one more opportunity to love God. The psalmist prays, Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Notice that he does not ask God for more years. He asks for wisdom, because a single day lived for God is worth more than a lifetime, lived apart from him. How often do we live as though tomorrow belongs to us? We say I'll pray tomorrow, I'll forgive tomorrow, I'll go to confession another day, I'll read scripture when life becomes less busy. I'll return to Jesus when I have everything together. But my dear friends, tomorrow has not been promised. Tomorrow may never come. Only this moment has come. And the moment is now. And this moment is holy because God is present within it. Every second that passes is a gift flowing from the loving hands of our Heavenly Father. Every heartbeat is sustained because He wills it. Every breath is a reminder that His mercy continues. Every sunrise is another invitation to begin again, another opportunity to love, another chance to forgive, another moment to repent, another opportunity to become more like Christ. How many people who have already left this world would give everything they ever owned for just one more hour, one more chance to tell someone that they love them, one more opportunity to ask forgiveness, one more holy communion, one more sincere confession, one more rosary, one more act of charity, one more prayer whispered from the heart. Yet here we are, still alive, still breathing, still loved, still being called by Jesus. Do not overlook that gift, because it is precious. The fact that you are listening today is itself a sign that God has given you another day, not because he needs anything from you, but because he loves you. Because his desire is that every one of his children come to know him. Saint Peter reminds us the Lord is not slow about his promise, but he is patient with you, not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should reach repentance. Think about that. God is patient. Every day he waits with love, every day he invites, every day he calls, not because he delights in judgment, but because he delights in mercy. Yet one day our earthly journey will come to an end. Scripture tells us in Hebrews chapter nine verse twenty seven, it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment. Now these words are not meant to frighten us. They are meant to awaken us. They remind us that our earthly life is not endless. Our time is precious precisely because it is limited. God does not reveal this because he wants us to live in fear. He reveals it because he wants us to live wisely. All wisdom comes from God. He wants us to cherish every opportunity to love Him, to receive His grace, and to become the people that He created us to be. This life is the time God has given us to freely respond to His love, to repent, to forgive, to receive His mercy, to worship Him, to love our neighbour, to grow in holiness. One day our earthly pilgrimage will be complete. That is why today matters. This moment matters. This very heartbeat matters. The devil would like nothing more than for you to believe you have plenty of time, that there will always be another opportunity. But Jesus tells us to remain watchful, to keep our lamps burning, to be ready. Not because he wants us to be anxious, but because he wants us to remain faithful. So perhaps someone listening today has wandered far away from God. Maybe years have passed since you last entered a church. Maybe you carry wounds that no one else knows about. Maybe shame has convinced you that you are beyond forgiveness. Please listen carefully. That voice is not from God. God never stops calling his children home. Jesus Himself says, Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Notice his words there come. He does not say become perfect first. He does not say earn my love. He does not say prove yourself worthy. He simply says Come. Come with your wounds. Come with your failures. Come with your addictions. Come with your broken heart. Come with your fears. Come with your tears. Come with your doubts. Come just as you are, because no sin is greater than his mercy for the one who sincerely repents. How beautiful is our God. He knew we would stumble, he knew that we would fall, yet he established the sacrament of confession so that his children would always have a place to encounter his mercy. Every sincere confession is another miracle. The chains of sin are broken. The soul is cleansed. Peace returns. Heaven rejoices. The Father embraces his child once again. So never allow embarrassment to keep you away from the confessional. The priest has heard every kind of sin, but more importantly, Jesus is waiting there, waiting not to shame you, but to heal you, waiting not to condemn you, but to forgive you, waiting not to reject you, but to restore you. The cross stands forever as proof of that love. Saint Paul writes in Romans chapter five verse eight God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Think about those words while we were still sinners, not after we became holy, not after we deserved his love before Jesus willingly carried the weight of our sins. He accepted the nails, he accepted the crown of thorns, he accepted the cross out of love. The cross is the very place where heaven kissed earth. It is where justice and mercy met. Every drop of Christ's precious blood proclaims you are loved. You are worth saving. I have not abandoned you. Come home. So perhaps today you feel weak, remember Jesus knows. Perhaps today you feel ashamed. Jesus knows. Perhaps today you feel exhausted. Remember that Jesus knows. And nothing about your life surprises him, and yet he still loves you. He still calls your name. He still waits with open arms. So do not run from him, run to him, for there is no safer place than the sacred heart of Jesus. And I truly believe the best thing a person can do in this life is to give that life to Jesus. My dear brothers and sisters, many people believe that if they are simply kind, honest, generous, and decent, everything will be fine. Now certainly kindness matters, mercy matters, forgiveness matters, love matters. The Lord commands us to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. But our hope is not in our own goodness. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. No amount of human goodness can save us apart from Jesus Christ. We are saved by God's grace through faith, working in love. When Christ lives within us, our lives begin to bear the fruits of love, mercy, holiness, and good works. Jesus says in John chapter fourteen six, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. These beautiful words are the invitation of our Savior. He alone opens the way to the Father. He alone conquered sin. He alone conquered death. He alone gives eternal life. Without Him we cannot save ourselves. With Him nothing is impossible. This is why every day is precious, every sunrise is another opportunity to say yes to Jesus. Every heartbeat is another invitation to surrender our lives to Him. Every moment is another chance to allow the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts. So perhaps today you have fallen into sin again. Do not remain there. Perhaps you have become discouraged because you keep struggling with the same sins, the same weaknesses, but do not lose hope. The Christian life is not about pretending never to fall, it is about refusing to remain on the ground. Repentance is not something that we do only once. It is the lifelong turning of our hearts toward God. Every day we surrender again. Every day we say Jesus, I belong to you. Every day we place our lives at the foot of His cross. Every day we ask Him to remove whatever separates us from His love, and every time we fall, by His grace we rise again. Scripture tells us in Proverbs chapter twenty four verse sixteen, Though the righteous fall seven times they rise again. That is the life of every disciple, not perfection, perseverance. Saint Paul understood this well. Near the end of his earthly journey he wrote I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. Paul did not speak as a man who never struggled, he spoke as a disciple who persevered by God's grace. He finished the race because he remained faithful to Christ. My brothers and sisters, we too are running that race. Every day is another step toward eternity. Do not give up. When you fall, rise again by his grace. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and continue the race that he has set before you. They trusted his mercy more than their failures. They believed his grace was greater than their weaknesses, and that same grace is offered to you today. Never think your past is stronger than God's mercy. Never think your sins are greater than Christ's precious blood. Never think heaven has forgotten your name. Jesus still calls you, the Holy Spirit still invites you. The Father still waits with open arms. If your heart has grown cold, come home. If you have stopped praying, come home. If it has been years since your last confession, come home. If guilt has become too heavy to carry, come home. Jesus has never stopped loving you, his mercy has not run out. His sacred heart is still open. His hands still bear the wounds of love. His voice still calls your name. Today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow, not someday. Today, my brother, my sister, today you can repent. Today you can pray. Today you can return to the Father's house. Today you can receive the mercy of Christ in confession. Today you can receive His body and blood in the Holy Eucharist, but one day your earthly time will be complete. There will be no more tomorrows to postpone the invitation of God's love. That is why every heartbeat is precious, every breath is a gift, every moment is an opportunity to become more like Christ. Just imagine standing before the Lord at the end of your earthly journey, not before a stranger, but before the one who created you, the one who formed you in your mother's womb, the one who counted every tear that you have ever cried, the one who remained beside you even when you thought he was silent. The one who loved you before you took your first breath. On that day, money will not matter. Fame will not matter. Popularity will not matter. The opinions of the world will not matter. Only one thing will matter. Did I know Jesus? Did I love him? Did I trust him? Did I allow his grace to transform my life? Did I love others as he loved me? Time is precious because every moment can become an act of love, a quiet prayer, a hidden sacrifice, a word of encouragement, a sincere act of forgiveness, a visit to someone who is lonely, a rosary prayed with devotion, a holy communion received with reverence, a visit to the blessed sacrament, a heart that chooses kindness instead of bitterness, a soul that chooses Christ over sin. None of these moments are ever wasted. Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter twenty five verse forty, whatever you did for one of the least Of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Every act of love echoes in eternity, every hidden sacrifice offered with love is seen by the Father. Every prayer whispered in faith is heard. Nothing done for Christ is ever forgotten. The greatest tragedy is not dying. The greatest tragedy is reaching the end of life without ever discovering the incredible love of Jesus Christ. Do not let that be your story. Use the time God has given you wisely. Pray with your whole heart. Love your family, forgive those who have hurt you, read the Word of God, receive the Holy Eucharist with faith and reverence. Go to confession whenever you fall. Serve the poor, comfort the lonely, encourage the discouraged, be patient, be humble, be merciful. Above all, stay close to Jesus, because one day time will give way to eternity, and if you have walked faithfully with Christ, if you have trusted in his mercy, if you have remained close to him even through your weaknesses, you will finally see the face you have longed for your whole life. The face of Jesus and what joy will it be to hear him say Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master. My dear brothers and sisters, do not waste the gift of today. Do not postpone your return to God. Do not wait for a better moment. This moment is God's gift to you. Love him today. Trust him today. Follow him today. And if today you hear his voice, do not harden your heart. Instead surrender everything to Jesus at the foot of the cross. Let him carry your burdens, let him forgive your sins, let him heal your wounds, let him fill you with his Holy Spirit, for the one who gave his life for you will never abandon you. May God the Father hold you in his infinite love. May our Lord Jesus Christ draw you ever closer to His sacred heart. May the Holy Spirit fill you with wisdom, courage, holiness, perseverance, and peace. And may every moment of your life become a beautiful yes to the God who loves you beyond all measure. May God bless you all. In Jesus' name I pray. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.