{"id":298,"date":"2017-08-27T23:06:49","date_gmt":"2017-08-28T04:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/matt-long\/?p=298"},"modified":"2017-08-27T23:06:49","modified_gmt":"2017-08-28T04:06:49","slug":"birthday-reflections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/matt-long\/2017\/08\/27\/birthday-reflections\/","title":{"rendered":"Birthday Reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"

I will turn 30 on Saturday.\u00a0 Every year on my birthday I read Psalm 90, which has long been my favorite Psalm.\u00a0 It reminds me of the briefness of life, and encourages me to live each day in light of eternity.<\/h1>\n


\nPsalm 90:12 says, \u201cTeach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.\u201d\u00a0 Only when I remember that this life is not all there is, can I use my days wisely.\u00a0 Otherwise the temptation is to live for joy in this life.\u00a0 Yet this psalm points out the two problems with this.\u00a0 Psalm 90:9 says, \u201cAll our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan.\u201d\u00a0 The first problem in living for this life is that often this life is full of sorrow, which is a result of sin corrupting everything in this world.\u00a0 Psalm 90:10 days, \u201cOur days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.\u201d\u00a0 The second problem in living for this life is that even our best days are tainted with sorrow because we know that this pleasure is only temporary.\u00a0 Even the best most joyful moments will pass, and that is painful.\u00a0 Every parent knows this feeling of sadness as our children grow up.\u00a0 Everyone who looks back at \u201cthe good old days\u201d is missing that which once was.\u00a0 So what do we do with all of this?\u00a0 We look forward to heaven, when there will be no more sorrow, and joy will be permanent.\u00a0 Psalm 90:14 says, \u201cSatisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days,\u201d and one day, He will.
\n
\nWe\u2019ve had our share of joys and sorrows this month.\u00a0 Our baby nephew Peter was born, but due to some heart issues, lived only two short weeks before he passed away.\u00a0 One year ago this month, some friends of ours and their children were killed in a car accident on their way to missionary training.\u00a0 These things are not supposed to happen.\u00a0 Life is not supposed to be this way.\u00a0 Yes, God can and will use things for good, but this wasn\u2019t His original design.\u00a0 God designed us to live forever and be in perfect fellowship with Him.\u00a0 But ever since sin came into the world, everything on earth has felt the effects.\u00a0 There is death, disease, and sorrow.\u00a0 Even joyous things are now tainted.\u00a0 My parents came to visit us, and we spent a wonderful week with them.\u00a0 We are so thankful for that time.\u00a0 And yet, they had to leave, and we now are missing them.\u00a0 So where do we look for hope?\u00a0 If life is hard in the difficult times and the joyous times?\u00a0 We can hope because we know that this life is not all there is!\u00a0 Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, died for our sins, and rose from the dead.\u00a0\u00a0 He has promised that those who believe in Him will spend eternity in heaven with Him, where there is no pain, no death, no passing of time.\u00a0 We were made for eternity, so that is why we long for it.\u00a0 Let\u2019s not minimize our pain and call it unspiritual.\u00a0 Let\u2019s grieve when sorrows come, knowing that they remind us that we are not home yet.\u00a0 And then let\u2019s rejoice that our hope for heaven is real.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Till All Know,<\/span>
\nMatt, Karissa, Ty, and Wyck Long<\/span>
\n(Tribal Church Planters in Papua New Guinea)<\/span><\/p>\n


\nFounded in 1942 as New Tribes Mission<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Please Pray:<\/span>
\n– For our family, especially, Stephanie and Jason, Peter’s parents, as they grieve his passing away<\/span>
\n– For friends and family of the Pal family, who passed away a year ago<\/span>
\n– That when we grieve or when we get glimpses of heaven’s joy, it will point us to long for heaven<\/span>
\n–<\/span>
\nPraise God:<\/span>
\n– We got to have\u00a0sweet time with Karissa’s parents<\/span>
\n– He is in control, and we can trust Him to work everything out for the good of those who love Him<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I will turn 30 on Saturday.\u00a0 Every year on my birthday I read Psalm 90, which has long been my favorite Psalm.\u00a0 It reminds me of the briefness of life, and encourages me to live each day in light of eternity. Psalm 90:12 says, \u201cTeach us to number our days, that we may gain a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1074,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[448],"class_list":{"0":"post-298","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"tag-ethnos360","8":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/matt-long\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/matt-long\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/matt-long\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/matt-long\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1074"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/matt-long\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/matt-long\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/matt-long\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/matt-long\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/matt-long\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}