The last line of Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and verse 11 says “time and chance happneth to them all.”

The New Life Version of the Bible states the verse this way “Again I saw under the sun that the race is not to the fast and the battle to the men of war. Bread is not to the wise and riches are not to the men of understanding. Favor is not to able workers. Time comes and goes and things happen for no reason to them all.”

In this world, even to Christians who are a saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and filled with His Holy Spirit, sometimes things just happen. There is not always a reason for everything. There is not always a purpose in everything.

I believe the Bible clarifies this in Ecclesiastes 3:1 when it says “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”

There is time to every purpose, but not necessarily a purpose to every time. Time and chance happen to all, sometimes without purpose.

However, those who have surrendered their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ, find liberty and ability to bring purpose into every time, season and chance. We don’t have to depend on what happens to us to bring some purpose with it. Instead, we can have the power to make everything that happens to us conform to, and further fulfill, His purpose in our lives.

Purpose is not found in what happens to me, true purpose is always found in the Lord Jesus Christ. I enable that purpose to be realized by holding onto Him through the instances of time and chance. When we find that there is no real purpose to a situation, this can be difficult and discouraging. However you and I can bring purpose into those trying times by calling on Jesus Christ. He will come to those who call on Him, and with Him comes the purpose of God.

The New Testament epistle to the Ephesian church says in chapter 3 and verses 11 – 12:

“According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:”

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.”

We may not be able to find purpose and reason in all circumstances of this life. This doesn’t mean that those “times and chances” have to remain void of purpose or reason. On the basis of what Jesus Christ did for us all on the cross, we now have access to His eternal reason for anything that occurs in our lives.

Not all things are good, and not all things that happen have purpose. However, the God we serve is powerful and loving enough to bring purpose into every moment in the life of His precious sons and daughters.

Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

May God bless you as you seek Him and allow Him to perform His purpose in all things pertaining to your life.

“I indeed have baptized you with water: but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.” (Mark 1:8)

When I was a teenager the Lord was drawing me to Him. I wanted to know what the truth about faith and life was.

At one point, while searching through many religions and philosophies, I prayed saying, “God if you’re real, and you have anything for my life, please show me for myself.”

I did not want to believe something on the word of another person, and also had no interest in a God who seemed to have no interest in me. It was important for me to know that God had not just put us on this ball of clay to try and do our best, and then have nothing to do with us again until we died.

God was faithful to not only hear that prayer, but also to answer me directly just like I requested. He put a classmate in my junior year geometry class who was a Holy Ghost filled Christian. This friend told me about being born again. We actually discussed many topics concerning faith, but what was of most interest to me was the experience of being filled with the Holy Ghost.

In the New Testament the book of Acts 2:4 says concerning the disciples “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

I had seen this scripture before in my searching for the truth about God, and was fascinated that this could be real, not just for those men and women a couple thousand years ago, but for us today also.

I went to this friend’s church for a Wednesday evening service, and heard a Gospel message that was unlike any I had heard before. God was speaking to me about my life. This was not an impersonal communication about a God who was afar off showing little interest. No, this message carried with it the very presence of God’s love, and conveyed the Lord Jesus Christ’s concern for me, who I was and what I was going through.

I turned to Jesus with all of my heart, repenting of my sins and accepting Him as my Lord and Savior. The peace of God that came when I said the name of Jesus in prayer was tangible, like a blanket of warmth that covered me inside and out.

I understood from the scriptures that the next step was to be baptized with water in Jesus Christ’s name, if I was to continue on this road of faith with Him.

Another great passage concerning this is found in Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

On February 12th 1995 I was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. The presence of God that touched me that night was incredible. I greatly desired to be filled with the Holy Ghost, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, just like the Bible says.

This did not happen for me that night, and I was a little discouraged over this. I am thankful that I had good Christians around me who always encouraged me that God’s promise was for me as much as anyone else.

Once I settled in my heart that He loved me and was going to be faithful to do what He said in my life, I experienced the same thing that the great apostles of the Bible experienced! When in church one night , while standing by myself and singing to the Lord God during a wonderful song service, Jesus filled me with His Holy Spirit. I began speaking in tongues in praise to God as that Spirit gave utterance!

“While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.”

“For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.” (Acts 10:44&46)

In that moment no one was praying for me, and I wasn’t aware of anyone else, it was just Jesus my Lord and me, and I will never forget it. If you’re desiring to be filled with the Holy Ghost like the Bible describes, please don’t be discouraged, because God is faithful to His promise. Everyone’s experience with God, though He is for all and to all, is unique and individually precious. The Lord Jesus Christ will fulfill that promise to you as you continue to seek Him with all of your heart.

Jesus taught in Luke 11:13 saying “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?”

May God bless you abundantly today!