"There is a tide in the affairs of men.

Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;

Omitted, all the voyage of their life

Is bound in shallows and in miseries.

On such a full sea are we now afloat,

And we must take the current when it serves,

Or lose our ventures."

Julius Caesar Act 4, scene 3

    This famous line from the writing of Shakespeare is usually referenced to seizing life, or the oh-so-famous term "carpe diem." The sense with I am going to relate it to is a life with or without Christ.

     I shall first clarify the quote for the ones reading this who loathe Shakespeare. But for the people who love it, like myself, bare with me. This quote is said by Brutus, in conversation with Cassius, about the ending of their civil war. They are trying to decipher which way to go about it. Cassius is saying that they stake their land, regroup,and take a breather. While Brutus, a fighter, says why not now? The army will only grow by day, so today, lets conquer. Today, lets take the bull by the horns and defeat.

So, how does this relate to our daily walks with Christ? Let me start with the first line. "There is a tide in the affairs of men." When you think of a tide is it something bad or good? Strong or harmful? With or without purpose? I take this as a tide, a reoccurring unbelievably strong force in which comes so often it must have reasoning. And the affairs of men, is the daily life of men. Or the daily happenings. This followed by the next line:"Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." This one is pretty self explanatory. Still, i need to relate this to our daily walk. A verse from Psalm:

Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreath; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it. 
- Psalm 39:4-6

 This particular passage really shows the shortness of our life here on earth, that we have to live each day for him. "each man's life is but a breath." Wow, who needs Shakespeare when you have Jesus Christ? The lord put us on this earth for a reason. I believe we all  have a purpose, that we are not made to just sit around and watch the tide come in, because, it is a constant. In this aspect the lord is the tide. The lord is our constant. always there. and always wanting us to take hold of him, and be his fruit bearing children like he created us to be!

    "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that sinful nature desires"- Romans 8:5

People who don't take the tide as it comes, the lord and his love, continues to live a meaningless life. BUT the continue to think that their life is just wonderful without him. "Omitted, all the voyage of their life, Is bound in shallows and in miseries." If you do not live your life with a heart for the lord, it will be shallow and miserable. That is why the tide continues to come in. Everyday, moment, and second. 

Everywhere in the bible, it describes the Lord's love as abundant, overwhelming, and overflowing! "On such a full sea we are now afloat." If we choose to give over the sails to the lord, we will be on a smooth riding sea.

"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."- Romans 5:5

"and we must take the current when it serves, and lose our ventures."

THIS! Right here people! Although it is Shakespeare writing it, it still means the same thing! Take the love, worship the lord. We need to stop living for ourselves, "lose our ventures", and start taking the current when it comes, and serve the lord. 

So however you want to say it:

CARPE DIEM!

SEIZE THE DAY!
TAKE THE TIDE!

Step out in faith, grab the tide, and start living for the lord in an EXTRAORDINARY way!

In him.

Marley