Number Your Days

watch as a watch in the night, thou carries them away as with a flood. They are asleep. In the morning they are like grass which groweth. In the morning it flourisheth and growth up. In the evening is cut down and witherth. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath, and we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath. We spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are three score years and 10. If by reason of strength they be four score, yet is there strength, labor, and sorrow, for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Who knoweth the power of thine anger, even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Now I chose this passage this morning for two different reasons. One is this psalm is the only psalm that was written by Moses and Moses wrote this song at about about 39 years into their wandering in the wilderness uh right before the 40th year when the rest of Israel got to go into the promised land. So I thought it was appropriate that he wrote this psalms this psalm after 39 years. And uh you know sometimes uh in the past 39 years I felt like we've been wandering in the wilderness uh not knowing what I was doing but God has blessed anyway.

And then the second reason I chose this is because verse number 10 it says that the days of years of our years are three score and 10. That's 70 years. And if by reason of strength they'd be four score years. And uh I I wrote that because this year in November I'm turning 70 years old. And I'm hoping to make it to that four score as well. The 80 years old as well. I hope we'll be here for the the anniversaries to come as well. But um I want to talk about numbering our days. About numbering our days. You know it seems like just yesterday we started Baptist Church and Psalms chapter 90 and verse4 it says for a thousand years and I saw ours but yesterday when it's passed as I watched in the night you know some things can seem like they take forever and some things seem like they just passed overnight and it would just went so quickly.

And uh and and verse number nine says, "For all our days are passed away. In thy wrath, we spread our years and our tale that is told." And before you know it, you look back and you say, "My life has already been told. It's already done. It's already at the end of that life." And and and I want to challenge you. We we started the church back in August of 1986. You say, "Well, why are you celebrating today?" Because we we started in August, but we officially chartered as a church in October of 1986. And in Philippians chapter 1 and:es 3-6, the Bible says, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine, for you all making requests with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of the very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Now, one of the problems here at Baptist Church, he talks about those that were with him from the first day. The only one that has been here with me from the first day is my wife. Uh, everybody else has left and gone on. Uh, I think that's cuz she's the only can put up with me for more than a couple years. I don't know for sure, but I I wanted to recognize her because this church would not be her if it weren't for her. There's a lot that I do, but there's a lot more that she has to do in taking care of me. So, I want to give her this leg and just thank her uh for being who she is and for being uh my support throughout this process as well.

Love you. But, you know, there's a a lot of people that have come and gone during that time. And I I'd like to just see real quickly if I could. So, how many of you uh have been here at least 5 years or longer at Ohana, including those downstairs? Go ahead and stand up. If you've been here at least 5 years or longer at Ohana, go ahead and stand up at this time. Uh there's a lot more probably downstairs as well, but go ahead and stand up, okay? And stay standing if you've been here for 10 years or longer. 10 years or longer. All right. And then stay standing if you've been here for 15 years or longer.

15 years or longer. And then how about for those at least 20 years or longer. Stay standing as well. All right. Marissa back here. And of course, Tufu and my wife and the packs there. Good. See you guys. And there's some others downstairs as well. You can all be seated now. Um, now let me ask you another question. And you don't have to stand up for this one, but you can raise your hand. You can be seated now. And you can raise your hand for this one. And that is how many of you weren't even born in 1986? Raise your hand. All right. Uh, okay. As you can see, a lot of folks as well. That makes me feel a whole lot older.

Um, Psalms chapter 39:es 4 and 5, the Bible says, "Lord, make me to know mine end and the measure of my days what it is, that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as a hand breath, and mine ages as nothing before thee. Verily, every man in his best state is altogether vanity. Cila, you know, when we started this church back in 1986, we could not have imagined what the Lord was going to do. And we cannot see into the future what God's going to do in your life in the years to come. But one of the things you need to remember is that you have a limited time. And even though it seems like it's a long time, I remember we signed the lease bill.

It seemed like be forever. I remember we started the church. It's going to be a long time, but it it happens so quickly. And we need to number our days. We need to realize how frail we are and how little time that we have. In John chapter 3 and verse number five, it says Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." See, many of you in this room were not even born when we started this church. But more importantly, have you been born again? Have you been born again? You see, born of the water, that's the physical birth.

But be born of the spirit, that's the spiritual birth. And have you come to know Jesus Christ as your savior? John 3:7 says, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, you must be born again." That it's not an option. You need to be born again if you want to have eternal life. If you want to go to heaven, you say, "Well, how can I be born again?" Nicodemus, a a very religious man, came to Jesus by night and say to him, "How can a man be born when he's old? How can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit." Nicodemus was a religious man, but his religion couldn't get him into the kingdom of heaven. He needed to be born again. Born again through the spirit of God, born again into God's family. In John chapter 3 and verse number 16, the Bible says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." And God loved you so much he sent his son to die for you. But you need to receive him. In John chapter 1 and:es 12 and 13, the Bible says, "But as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believed on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God."

And you need to understand that in order to be born again, you've got to receive the gift of God, Jesus Christ as your savior. You've got to receive his sacrifice. When he died, he was buried and rose again upon the cross uh after the cross. and and and you got to trust in him as your savior. And so I'd ask you the question, if I were to ask you right now, wh were you born? Uh, every one of you could give me a time and a place and a date. Now, you may not remember from personal experience. You may not have written that date down the day you were born, but I'm sure uh somebody did on a birth certificate a mom wrote down maybe in a Bible or somewhere.

And you know that you were born, but do you know that you've been born again? Do you look back in your life and remember that time and that place where you trusted Jesus Christ as your savior? Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse number five. When I called to remembrance the unfeign faith that is in thee that that which first dwelt thy grandmother Lois, thy mother Ununice, I persuaded thee also. Now his mom was saved, his grandma was saved. But Paul said, "But Timothy, you have to have it for yourself. It's not good enough that your parents were saved or your grandparents was saved.

It's not good enough that you've gone to church all your life. You need to be born again. You need to receive Jesus Christ as your personal savior. There was a day that this church started back in 1986. And there needs to be a day when eternal life starts in your life. And that when you trusted Jesus Christ as your savior, you need to be born again today if you're not. In 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse number two it says, "For ye ay he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted. In the day of salvation have I sucked thee. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation."

And you see, if you cannot look back into your life and say, "Here's when I got saved. Here's when I was born again." Then you need to make today the day of your salvation. Today is the day to receive Jesus Christ as your savior. to put your faith and trust in him for your salvation. Be to be born again today. Now, Moses wrote Psalms chapter 90 after they had been wandering in the wilderness for 39 years. Remember, they they they disobeyed God and God said, "Well, this generation is not going to be able to go into the promised land and they wandered in the wilderness for 39 years." In acts chapter 7 and verse 38 it says this is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount si and with our fathers who received the living oracles to give unto us.

Now back then it was not the church that we have today. Uh the church mean the congregation of Israel and that congregation wandered in the wilderness for 39 years. But you know you and I, God has given us a place, a home, a promised land as called a church. In Hebrews chapter 10 and verse number 25, it says, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching." And we need to be reminded that we don't have to wander by ourselves through the Christian life. that we have a family, that we have an ohana, that we have a place that we can come together with other Christians in the promised land of God to hear the word of God and the living oracles of God.

And I want to challenge you if you're not part of a church that that you would make that commitment to to be a part of a local church. So, we need to realize the first thing that we understand is that that um it just seems like yesterday that we started the church. But in Psalms chapter 90 and verse number four, it says, "For a thousand years thy sight are as yesterday when is passed and as a watch in the night." I want to challenge you to number your days. As I look back over these past 39 years and and the rest of my life as well, it it you know, when I was young, I seemed like I had forever, but now that I'm 70, I look back and it seems like it just went like that.

It it just uh that it's gone already. And you need to number your days. In second Peter 3 and:es 8 and N. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is with the Lord is a thousand years, and a thousand years is one day. But the Lord's not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but all should come to repentance. You see, God is patient, and I'm thankful for that. But we also realize that we don't have a thousand years. We don't even, most of us not even have a hundred years. If you're lucky, you may have 80 or some odd years around there, but at some point, this life is going to end.

And you need to be ready for when this life ends. And you need to realize that that you need to number the days that you have and use them wisely. In Psalms chapter 90 and verse number n, it says, "For all our days are passed away in thy wrath. We spend our years as a tale that is told." Now, I had a amazing illustration for you this morning, and uh I was going to use some money as that illustration uh to to illustrate our life. And so, I ordered $800,000 on Amazon, and I never got it. Now, some of you are laughing at me. I did order $800,000. It was production money. It wasn't real money, but I was going to stack up this money and illustrate for you.

So, you're going to need to use your imagination instead of Amazon. Okay? I'm mad at Amazon right now. They're not my favorite list is use your imagination and imagine if you were if every year was a dollar then at my age or if you lived to be 80 years old I'm sorry if you lived at 80 years old we would have a stack of $29,200 right here. Okay that's a lot of money. If somebody came up said here's $29,200. You'd say wow thanks. Okay. Now for those of you that are 20 years old how many here are 20 or right near that age right now? Okay. in the early 20s. All right, those of you that are in your 20s, your stack, if you were 20 years old, is $21,900.

Okay, so you still got quite a bit left to go. If you're 40 years old, how many you're around 40 years old? Let's be honest here. Okay. All right. If you're around 40 years old, your stack would be $14,600. That stack's gone in half. And if you're my age, I've only got $3,650 left before I've spent it all. Now, the illustration is this. Think of your life like you would of that money. Now, here's the thing. With money, you can save it. With time, you cannot. I can take that 20 $21,290. I'd take that a bank and invest it and have a whole lot more when I get to be 70. But I can't invest I can't save my life for another day.

The Bible tells us in Mark 8:es 35-37, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? You see, if I have a dollar, I can save that dollar. But if I have an hour, I cannot save that hour for another time. Somebody once put it this way. Yesterday is a canceled check. Tomorrow is a promisary note. Today is the only currency of time that you can spend. Use it wisely. See, we always talk about, well, I'll do this tomorrow.

But you can't save time for tomorrow. The hour you use today, it's gone. You don't have it to spend again. In Isaiah 49 and verse number four, the Bible says, "Then I said, I have labored in vain. I've spent my strength for not and in vain. Yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, my work with my God." You see, you're going to look back one day and say, "I spent all that time on things that did not matter. You can earn more money. You spend a dollar, you can earn more money." You know, I've got some money here in my wallet and uh I've got a dollar bill here. Uh anybody want to have a dollar bill?

Anybody around here want to have a dollar bill? Okay, Mrs. Nepu Noah, I'll give you a dollar bill here. All right. Now I can spend a dollar bill and and then I can go out and I can earn an extra dollar tomorrow. I could go get an odd job delivering groceries or driving people on Uber or whatever else. I can do that. Now I've also got my wallet here uh a $20 bill. And by the way, they're doing this downstairs as well. So anybody here want to have a $20 bill? Anybody? Whoa. A lot more hands going up here. Uh let's see here. All right. I'll give you a $20 bill. How's that? All right. All right. right now.

Again, it's not I mean, $20 bill is a lot of money, but I can go out and I can earn another $20. I've got my wallet a $50 bill. How many here want a $50 bill? I'm not going to go work for another $50 tomorrow. I'm sorry. You're out of luck there. You know, but here's my point. I can give you money and I go earn some more, but I can't earn any more time. Once I've spent it on video games or spent it on scrolling through the internet or once I've spent it on just sitting around doing nothing, it's gone. And I can't go tomorrow and earn that hour back or earn another hour. And that's what's important.

That's what he means by number your days. Because one day, like Isaiah, you're going to look back and say, "Look at all that time that I wasted. Look at all that time that I could have used for my family, for study, in the word of God, for God to serve him, and I wasted it because you only get one life and soon has passed. And only what's done for Christ will last." So if if I were to give you an extra day, let's say, let's say you could have an extra day. This happened in Joshua 10:3. So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and hastened not to go down about a whole day. So God gave them a whole extra day.

So if somehow I could give you an extra day this week, what would you do with it? You know, I'd sleep. I I' I'd spend the day at the beach. You know, what would you do with that day? Psalms 118:4 says, "This is the day which the Lord hath made. I'll rejoice and be glad in it." God may not give you an extra day, but he's given you today. Are you rejoicing? 1 Thessalonians 5:16, rejoice evermore. Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice." Psalms 96:2, "Sing unto the Lord. Bless his name. Show forth his salvation from day to day." If God gave you an extra day, would you rejoice in that?

Well, why not rejoice in the day he's given you? If God gave you an extra day, would you spend it in prayer? 1 Thessalonians 3:10, Night and day, praying exceedingly. 1 Thessalonians 5:17, pray without ceasing. Luke 18:1, "Men ought always to pray and not to faint." See, do you have time to pray? God has time to listen. In Jeremiah 29, we have time there, but he says, he says, "If you'll pray, I'll listen." And yet, we don't spend our days in prayer. In James chapter 4 and verse 2, the Bible says you have not because you asked not. If God gave you an extra day, would you spend that day in prayer?

Well, why don't you pray today? Martin Luther said, "I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer. When you get busy, the best thing you can do is pray." What would you do with the next day? Would you go to church? Psalms 84:10, "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. Psalms 122:1, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Verse 9 says, because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good. If you had an extra day, would you spend it in church?

You know, it amazes me when people get busy, one of the first things to go is church. I'm busy. I don't have time to go to church, but they got time to watch TV. They got time to scroll the internet. They got time to go out and play sports. They got time to do all kinds of things, but they don't have time to go to church. If God gave you an extra day, what would you do with it? Would you read and meditate on the word of God? In Psalms chapter 119 verse 97, "Oh, how I love thy law. It is my meditation all the day." Psalms 1:2, "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law do we meditate day and night."

Joshua chapter 1 verse number eight. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe you according to all that is written therein. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 1 Timothy 4:13, till I come, give attendance to reading to exhortation to doctrine. If you had an extra day, would you read your Bible? Did you read your Bible today? How about yesterday? How about the day before that? If you had an extra day, would you witness 2 Corinthians 6:2? Behold, now is the accepted time.

Behold, now is the day of salvation. If now is the accepted time for people to get saved, then now is also accepted time for us to tell them how to get saved. See, folks, we always talk about I don't have enough time. But time is the one thing that you cannot save for tomorrow. Time is the one thing that once it's spent, you can't earn more of it. And that's why it's so important that you number your days, that you evaluate that how you're spending your time, because God's not going to give you an extra day, but God did give you today. What are you going to do with it? You see, each day is a gift from God.

In James chapter 1 and verse 17, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the father of lights with whom there's no variable and it's either shadow or turning. The picture of that shadow turns like a sund dial. You know how the the shadow moves on that sund dial to remind us that every day is a gift from God. Every hour, every minute is a gift from God. The word variableness means unchanging. In Hebrews chapter 13 and verse number eight, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. In 39 years, our circumstances have changed, but God never has. There was a literally a time in our first year where we we were meeting a building over here where Kaiser is, just down the corner.

It used to be an office building. We were meeting in a college classroom in that office building. and they we've been there for just a few weeks and they called us on the phone on Monday and said you can't come back Sunday. They found out they couldn't subleasase. So we had to scramble to find a place to meet. We started meeting up at Wanalo High School, but they didn't want to commit to us. They said, "Well, it's week by week we'll make that decision." So literally, I would invite people to church. I say, "I'd love to have you come to church Sunday. We don't know where we'll be, but we'd love to have you there."

We've gone from building to building. We were at a time where we had less than 6 months to to a year to get out of one building. There was nothing open up. It came down to the wire and and and over and over again. How how did we do that? Because we have a God who is consistent. I'm thankful that no matter what the circumstances, we've had times we've had uh the military did riffs and we had bunch of people leaving. We said, "Where are we going to what's going to happen? We're losing all of our workers. We're losing all of our givers. What are we going to do?" and God continue to supply because we have a God that is faithful and we need to remember that he's faithful and each day is a gift from God.

Your circumstances may change and some of you today you're going through circumstances he's this is different than I've ever gone through before and those circumstances are difficult and they're tough and no matter what they are remember that your circumstances will change but your God never does. says there's no shadow of turning. Look over at 1 John chapter 1. I've made it easy on you, but I'll make you turn your Bible a little bit here. 1 John chapter 1 and look at verses 5-7. 1 John chapter 1, beginning with verse number five. This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light and is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses from all sin. Bible says there's no shadow of turning with God. Now why do shadows turn? Shadows turn because it changes depending on your relationship with the sun. Wherever I'm at with the sun, the shadow is going to turn as I move. But the sun doesn't move. And see, any variance in our lives, any shadow of turning our lives is not God moving. It's us. And God wants us to be in the light.

We have something very unique here in Hawaii. It's called Lahina Noon. How many ever heard of that? Lahina noon. Lahhina noon is that there's two times a year and it's especially prevalent in Lhina but it's all across the islands is there's two times a year when the sun is directly above and so when you stand you have no shadow there's no shadow at all and and that's the idea is that there's no shadow with God because God is consistent and when we are in the center of God's will there's no shadows but when you're out of God's will that's when the shadows come. Look at 1 John chapter 1 again. Look at verses 8-10.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his truth is not us. His word is not in us. Folks, if you don't want a shadow, that makes sure there's nothing between you and your savior. The shadows come when something gets between me and the sun. And the shadows in life come when there's sin between me and God. But I've got to confess that sin and get it right with God if I want the shadows to go away.

Matthew chapter 5 and verse 45 says, "It may be the children of your father which is heaven. For he maketh the sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust." The shadows change as the world moves. And the world is going to continue to turn. The world is going to continue to change. And the Bible tells us in Ephesians chapter 5 15-17, see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Wherefore be not unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. To walk circumstantly is the idea of to put God at the center of your life.

Because folks, if you're in this world, the world's going to change and all the shadows are going to come and go of this world. But God's light is consistent. And we need to walk in the light of God. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present. It's a present, a gift from God. And Psalms 118 verse 24 says, "This is the day which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." Somebody once said this, "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery, but today is your story. You can either live in the past history that you can't change, or you can live in the future of what you hope might happen, or you can choose to live in today in the story of God in your life.

See, yesterday is past." in Philippians chapter 3. Turn over to there if you would. Philippians chapter 3 and look at verses 12-4. Philippians chapter 3 and beginning verse number 12. Paul said, "Not as though I had already tamed, either were already perfect, but I follow after that I may apprehend that which also I'm apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth onto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. This church is an unusual church in that we have a constant turnover.

We lose about 150 people every year because of the military transfers. And so, we've got to constantly, we can't live in the past. We can't live in the past victories. We've got to say, we still got to see people saved. We still got to add people to church. We got to continue growing. We can't live in the past. And and and you need to realize that yesterday is past. And maybe you had some great victories of God, but that's in the past. Maybe you had some real challenges and real failures in the past, but that's in the past. God says putting the past behind you and reaching forth onto those things which are ahead because God has so much to offer you.

It's good to rejoice in past victories. In Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 32, but I call to remembrance the former days in which after you illuminated, you endured great fight of affliction. And it's good to look back and see the great things that God has done in your life. But don't forget the lessons that are learned as well. In Luke 22 31-32 and the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold Satan that desired to have you. They may sift you as a wheat, but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fell not and when thou are converted, strengthen thy brethren. Remember, Simon Peter denied Christ. And God said, "Peter, I've forgiven you, but don't forget the lesson you learned because you're not as strong as you think you are in your flesh."

And sometimes we forget the lessons of the past. See, God doesn't ask us where we've been. And God doesn't ask us where we're going. He asks us, like he did in Genesis 3:9, "Where art thou? Where are you right now? Are you saved? Are you living for me? Are you living the way I want you to? Look at James chapter 4, just a few more verses and we'll close. James chapter 4 and look at verses 13-1 17. James chapter 4, beginning verse 13. Go to now to go to now ye that say, "Today or the we'll go into such a city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain. Whereas you know not what shall be on the tomorrow.

For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appearth for a little time and then vanishes away. For you ought to say, "If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that." But now you rejoice in your boastings and all such rejoices evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth not, to him it is sin. See, too many people live in the past and all the things that happened to them have have stifled them and held them back. But there's also people that live in the future to say, "Someday I'm going to." But you don't know if you have another someday. You don't know what tomorrow's going to bring.

But you do know you have today. And that's the choice you need to make. See, tomorrow is too late to get saved if you die in your sin. Hebrews chapter 9 verse 27 is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment. You watch the news this week, there's been many people that died that did not expect to. It may be you. So don't wait for tomorrow to get saved. Do it today. Get right with God today. Hebrews chapter 4:7, it says again, he limits a certain day, saying to David, "Today after so long a time, as it said, today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." Right now is the time to get light right with God.

Tomorrow will soon be today. Somebody once said, "To fail to plan is to plan to fail." God doesn't teach us not to plan for tomorrow, but don't depend on tomorrow. In Proverbs chapter 21:5, the thoughts of the diligent tend only to plentiness, but of everyone that is hasty only to want. You see, if you're looking for tomorrow to get right with God, then you're looking at the wrong place. because it's today. It's today. I want to challenge you. This life will be passed quicker than you think. You got a big stack of bills right now, but they're going to start disappearing. Somebody once said, "Money talks." And mine does. It says, "Bye." And so does time. And you got that big stack of time that's going to be gone and you cannot save it. And once it's spent, you can't earn anymore. So spend it wisely.