he times and the seasons keep changing. We may still be blazing hot this latter part of August, but we know that north breezes will blow. Swimming pools will grow quiet, gardens will get put to bed and lawn mowers will be retired for the time being. Has anybody seen a snow shovel recently? If the Lord tarries we will see snow again. It won't be long till security will be a light in a window and a good fire. We'll look back at summer and wonder where it went.

The times in our lives pass much like the seasons. Some times we are so preoccupied with living that we don't even notice. It is easy to just observe our lives rather than live them. God calls us to do more than just remain on the planet for our allotted time. He made us and knows that mere animals can pull that off simply with instinct. He calls His best of creation to be like Him. People can live victoriously through knowing and surrendering to Christ. Our temptation is to think living is all about us and never look God's way. No wonder so many are frustrated and don't value their life or another's very much. That is a waste that doesn't have to be. There is a better way.

Last Sunday at Hillside Christian Church we studied from Paul's letter to the church in Rome. He describes in chapters eleven and twelve how God has provided disobedience and mercy as the means by which we can begin to love Him as He originally loved us. It is all about God and His desire to have a personal relationship with the people He created. The last verse of the chapter reminds us that everything is from, through, and to God. The fact is that we are totally dependent on Him for life itself. No one has ever chosen to be born or what their abilities would be or whether they would be able to form their very next thought. We didn't make the air we breathe or the dirt we stand on. Even the basic laws of physics we take for granted were no one's idea but God's. Have you met the guy or gal who builds gravity? The idea of trying to live life in God's creation without seeking His kind guidance is ludicrous.

Paul writes in chapter twelve verse one that we are to live lives of worship to God. That's not demanding, that's only natural when we regard whose planet we live on. We are the ones who can get totally out of step with all creation when we choose to live in defiance of the One who sustains us. It is silly to wonder what is wrong with life while we ignore the One who made it. Meaningful life requires a meaningful relationship with the Originator of All Things. At Hillside we love to learn from Him through His Word and praise the One who matters most. Living that way is "Life @ its Best".