A Novel Idea!

Friday morning, November 30, 2007
As you well-know, tomorrow is December 1, the beginning of one of the busiest times of the year for Christians and, especially, for those who serve as church staff members. In light of this, and also realizing that I will probably be considered a heretic, I am going to make this bold suggestion: With the exception of Sunday morning worship services, let us cancel all church programs for the month of December and encourage everyone to purpose to return to the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus. Now, I seriously doubt that the leadership of your church will agree with my suggestion and cancel their Month-of-December programs; however, that doesn’t mean that you can’t take the month off for the purpose of returning to the desire of your heart—the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
I will take the lead and tell you that we at Grace Christian Fellowship have no programs planned for December, other than our Sunday morning worship services (and they are simple, uncomplicated, and free from fluff) and I am praying that each of us will enjoy the break and truly seek to return to that secret place in the cleft of the Rock, that place of intimacy with Him, that place where things are simply, simple.
To be honest, I do not know which is doing the most damage to the Christian community—the organized church or Wall Street. You can rest assured that Wall Street is overtly doing everything it can to make this Christmas season an economic success, and in so doing, it has distracted almost everyone from what is really important and, I might add, it could care less. Sadly, during the month of December, the organized church does an even better job than Wall Street at accomplishing its somewhat covert purpose (attracting the masses in order to receive more money in order to finance its many programs) and, even more sadly, it does it in the name of Christianity. Oh, I know what “they” say, but please don’t be so easily deceived. Is every local church guilty of this? Of course not but many are and that is obvious fact. Put your church to the test by suggesting that all programs be cancelled for the month of December in order to provide its members the much-needed opportunity to return to the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus, and this fact will become obvious to you.
Better yet, let your church know that, with the exception of Sunday morning worship services, you are taking the month of December off and tell the leaders why! I promise you that doing so will not keep you out of Heaven, that God will still love you, that He will still be very proud of you, and in all probability you will find a place of intimacy with Him that, otherwise, you would never have known. If I am correct in this, you will be mighty thankful that you chose to abandon all the “fluff” of Christmas and to return to the simplicity and purity of devotion to Him!
After all, He is the reason for the season, and He wanted me to remind you. You really do not have to follow the crowd and, truthfully, you probably need a break from doing so. Yes, I am a renegade, not a crowd-follower—never have been and have no plans to become one.


Blessings!
Mac

A Matter of Prayer!

Sunday evening, November 25, 2007,
Although today has had no more hours than any other Sunday, it has been a long day and, to be honest, I am glad it is almost my bedtime. For some reason, the older I become, the earlier my bedtime comes. Maybe it is true that old folk need more sleep than younger folk, but I have always believed that I could do most of my sleeping after I am dead (my physical body, of course!). I guess you could say that I am having to do a bit of adjusting—emotionally and physically—to this old age stuff. Regardless, I am really looking forward to a good night’s sleep!
Now, on to the reason for my writing this “perspective” at this time of the day: I really need your prayers, as I will be speaking at the memorial service for a lady I have known for many years, who died very unexpectedly sometimes during this past Friday night or early Saturday morning. Normally, I do not ask you to pray for me when I speak at funerals, as I do so very often and, consequently, I am rather accustomed to doing so (I did not mean for that to sound arrogant or conceited!); however, this one is different. Please allow me tell you why.
I first met David and Nancy (the now deceased lady) many years ago, when they became members of Benevolence Baptist, the church I served as pastor for some 14 years. At this time, their children were very young but, as you know, time flies and they are now adults, and then some. Sadly, about seven years ago, their daughter was involved in an auto accident that left her paralyzed and, as you might imagine, her mother, Nancy, became her sole caretaker, a tremendous undertaking, even for a mother. Only God knows the bond that was created between this mother and daughter during the past seven years.
One night this past week the family was at home doing their normal routine, when suddenly Nancy fell to the floor—a massive heart attack. She was rushed by ambulance to the Medical Center, where a heart catheterization was done, only to learn that the damage done to her heart, as the result of the attack, meant that she was not a candidate for by-pass surgery. The Docs dismissed her on Wednesday of this week with appropriate meds, and she went to her Mom’s home here in Macon, to spend several nights, and hopefully to recuperate.
In the middle of all of this, David had to have his daughter transported to the Medical Center, where she remains, as of tonight. Early Saturday morning, he had to carry out the most difficult task of his life—tell his daughter that her Mom had died.
It is one thing to learn that your Mother just died but it is quite another to learn that your sole caretaker has also died. Because of her size, David is unable to take care of her; consequently, she is going to have to live the rest of her life in a personal care home. As you might imagine, this is more-than-difficult for this entire family, but only Heaven knows the difficulty this young lady is experiencing; sadly, she will be unable even to attend her Mother’s memorial service. How in the wide-world will this young lady ever be able to adjust to this loss and to her new life?
Anyway, I really do need your prayers because 40 years worth of experience speaking at funeral services does not prepare me for this one. The fact is if He doesn’t come through, well you know the rest. This family really does need to hear genuine words of encouragement, and your prayers just might bring them forth. I am, certainly, counting on them!

Blessings with thanksgiving!

Black Friday or Good Friday?

Friday morning, November 23, 2007 [32 days until Christmas!]
My morning routine is probably not what most expect from a preacher (no comments from the peanut gallery, please!). Upon awakening, I walk to the kitchen and turn on the coffee pot (usually just after attending to a personal matter or two), then make my way back to my bathroom, where I brush my teeth, shower, and then dress for the day. Then, as if I am driven to do so, I walk outside and retrieve the morning paper (I really do not know why because most of it is, well, it is not worth reading), make my cup of coffee and my bowl of cereal, and then I sit down at my kitchen table to eat, drink, and read, not the Bible but the paper. As I am writing this, I am also wondering why I even read the Telegraph; now that I think about it, I think I do so just to be sure that I am not in the obituaries. Obviously, my name was missing this morning, which is a good thing because I have several things I want to do today, not the least of which is direct a funeral for someone else (“someone else” being the operative words).
Anyway, this morning, the paper reminded me that today is Black Friday, and when I said it reminded me, I mean that it did so in a not-so-subtle-manner; there must have been five pounds of advertisements from every store imaginable stuffed into the paper, along with several articles about Black Friday, scattered throughout the various sections. After I finished my morning routine and walked into my office to begin this “perspective”, I heard someone on the TV talking about Black Friday. OK! I get the message; today is Black Friday all over the good ole USA!
Just in case you haven’t figured this out, as of yet, I thought I would tell you that the “black” in Black Friday really means that the retailers are doing everything they can (surreptitiously, of course), to sucker you and me into bailing them out of the RED and putting them into the BLACK! They REALLY want today to be BLACK Friday, and I cannot say that I blame them for that. (Just before I finished writing the previous sentence, someone in another state called me, and in the conversation, told me that she arrived at Penny’s at 3:30 this morning, to get-in on those incredible bargains. She even told me how happy she was to have saved so much money (I never have understood how one saves money, while spending it!), so I guess the retailer’s scheme is working—BIG TIME!
Now, I am NOT attempting to be a “scrooge”, nor am I attempting to put a “damper” on your holiday shopping experience, especially if you are planning on buying me nice (expensive!) gift; however, I am attempting to remind you that there is an enemy, who will be doing everything that God will allow Him to do , in an effort to distract you from the “simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus.” And, I might add, he will push the envelope to the limit, and then some, if he can get away with it (thankfully, God has him on His leash!).
My intention with this “perspective” is to remind you that Jesus really is the reason for this season (and every season for that matter), and in doing so, to encourage you not to get caught-up in the commercialization of the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The truth is this: He never has been for sale or for rent, and everything He has is already ours—free of charge to us—and He has promised to meet all of our needs according to His riches in glory!
To be honest, this is the season for us to focus on the “simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus” and to refuse to be distracted by the Wall Street’s desire to be in the BLACK!
To heck with Black Friday; for us, it is another GOOD FRIDAY! Hallelujah!

Thanksgiving Day--2007

Thursday morning, November 22, 2007—THANKSGIVING DAY
Earlier today, I was reading the story of the frustrated disciples; you remember it, I feel sure. A father had asked Jesus’ disciples to cast the demon out of his lunatic son, and try as they might, they could not get the job done. Now that I think more about the story, I would guess that the father was more frustrated than the disciples; after all, he had to deal with his son every day, and from his perspective, things just continued to worsen—regardless of what he did to get the boy healed. I have to believe that he saw this encounter with Jesus’ disciples, as his last real opportunity to see his son healed and, when they failed to produce his desired results (and theirs, for that matter), he was probably overcome with that dreaded and all-too-familiar sense of hopelessness.
Well, he was until Jesus approached them and the disciples told Him of their dilemma and He responded with such incredibly powerful words, words that, obviously, overcame the power of evil and released the power of God. Listen to them: O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me. And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once (Matthew 17:17-18). As you are probably already realizing, this father’s sense of hopelessness immediately turned into a most incredible sense of joy and thanksgiving! I mean this is good, as in very good; it is the kind of good that everyone of us longs to see.
It does leave me with a question or two (which is not unusual for me): (1) What would this father’s response have been had Jesus been unable to cast out the demon (or had He simply chosen not to cast out the demon); (2) Why do we so seldom see this kind of instant healing (I guess I should have put that in the first person singular, since I have never seen it, not even one time!)?
I would like to think that this father would have been able to say something similar this (and really believe it): “Jesus knows what is best for me and for my son and I am content, simply, resting in His best for us. I know that He always causes all things to work together for good for those of us who love Him, and that is enough for me.” The truth, however, is this: I think he would have been very, very disappointed and walked away very frustrated with the entire notion that Jesus and His disciples were pushing—Christianity, for lack of a better word.
Jesus’ probably answered my second question, but something is still lacking, at least for me. Listen to what He said in response to the disciples asking him, virtually, the same question I have just raised: “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (vss. 20-21). I could be incorrect, but I have the strong feeling that, even though they were elated at the boy’s healing and the father’s joy, they walked away very, very frustrated, not only with their own lack of power, but also with their lack of understanding, especially regarding what Jesus said to them. I mean, a grain of mustard seed IS small, for Pete’s sake! How small was their (and my) faith? And His “nothing shall be impossible to you” line is really hard, as in HARD—DIFFICULT!
Yes, I do know that good Christians, especially preachers, are not supposed to be frustrated, especially with understanding the Scriptures (they surely should never admit it), but this one is—often—and, ironically, he really wants to “get it” because I know some folk (me, for example), who need “instant” healing, at least from my vantage point!

Is Darkness Overcoming the Light?

Wednesday morning, November 21, 2007
This morning, I am at home, sitting in my new office, looking out the windows at some of the most beautiful Fall colors one could ever see. The sky is a beautiful blue; the shadows that are strewn around on the earth’s floor, along with the reflections of the Fall colors in the small lake, create a most impressive sight. And the stillness, the quietness! How could it get much better?
It is a strange kind of beauty, however, because, as I enjoy it, I cannot help but think of those who for whatever reasons are not enjoying it—never have and probably never will. Somehow, the beauty of God’s creative abilities completely escapes them; they seem to be totally lost in the darkness of the soul—a darkness in which some of them live, as the result of their own foolishness choices and in which others live, as the result of no fault of their own.
To be honest, I have lived the vast majority of my life, basking in the beauty of His incredible love, mercy, and grace—completely smitten by the beauty of not only His creation, but also of His Person. For reasons beyond me, I have been able to experience the wonder of His glorious creation and Person, even in the midst of some of life’s very difficult experiences, so much so, that it has been my privilege to spend most of my adult life attempting to help others see beyond the darkness of their own souls into the light of His glorious beauty and splendor. Honestly, it has been an incredibly rewarding journey for me—one that I could have never deserved—a thing of mercy and grace, indeed!
This past year has, however, taken me down some paths that I would have never chosen to travel, none of which should have even shaken me, but the sum of which have not only shaken me, but shaken me in the depths of my soul. There have been some moments when the “darkness” seemed to be overtaking the “light” and, I might add, perception is oftentimes what we believe is reality. There have been some moments, when the battle has been so fierce, that I wondered if God had forgotten or reneged on His commitments and promises!
One of the things that has made this so intense is the fact that He called me to preach—Sunday after Sunday after Sunday. To be honest, there have been not a few Sunday mornings when the notion of having a hot dog stand on the beach sounded like a good idea! You see, when it seems that the darkness is overtaking the light, preaching is not easy (and preaching is usually very easy for me—the passion of my soul!).
If I have learned nothing else, I have learned that when I am weak, He is strong! I might even paraphrase that and say this: When I am aware that I am not just weak but dead, He somehow manifests His life in a way that I can better understand.
There is a piece of me that wants to be able to tell you that I would relive all of the painful events of this year, just to learn what I have learned; however, there is another piece of me that wants to tell you that I have NO desire to relive this year, regardless of what I might learn during the rerun.
The good news is this: He loves me enough not to concern Himself with or to be influenced by my desires, especially those that enable my foolish notions that the darkness is overtaking the light, especially His Light!
Yes, I will know Him because He is determined that I know Him, as in really know Him; in other words, He is determined that I walk in the Light that He is—regardless of my perception of how bright it might be shining!

As If I Really Need Reminding!

Tuesday morning, November 20, 2007
The following is a response I received from the “perspective” I wrote on November 18, just a couple of days ago: “I thought I would copy these words over again, just to remind myself (as if I really NEED reminding) that these monsters have just about overwhelmed me this year as well: stress, worry, distraction, pain, frustration, and disappointment. To bring you up-to-date.....remember the teaching job I told you about with such excitement? Well, it seems it is coming to an end due to the poor planning and truthfully, gross mismanagement of funds by the board of directors. In short, as of December, they will not have the money to pay me. Teaching these snotty-nosed 7th - 10th graders has been a complete joy for me for the past few months. So to say that I am disappointed would be an understatement. Frustrated? And how! Distracted? Yes, to the point of not being able to concentrate on teaching my classes. Stress, worry? You bet, because now I have to return to full-time work and really have no clue how to get back to that. And yet, I come home, turn on my computer, and read that you say that this is all because of His relentless and reckless, determined pursuit of me and my knowing Him intimately. As of this VERY moment, my first response is, ‘Then, would You PLEASE stop this??’ Because the pain factor just becomes too great at times. And then I look at what you wrote more closely and this is what strikes me . . . ‘You mean He loves me THAT much? Really?’ And I hang my head when I realize that I just need to re-focus on that amazing, UNRELENTING love that will not let me go. THAT'S what I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving. And it's all your fault for reminding me. :)
His UNRELENTING love—love that will not let us go, ever! Settled forever in Heaven! To be sure, each of us is very thankful for His love (where would we be without it?) but SOMETIMES we, like my friend, at least want to say, “Would You please stop this?” When we do, I really do not think we want Him to stop loving us; instead, we want Him to change the way He is showing His love to us. We would much-prefer that He use a method that is less stressful, worrisome, distractive, painful, frustrating, and, yes, even disappointing. Well, maybe you don’t but I, often do (just for the record).
Now, the truth is this: I have journeyed with Him long enough to know that I REALLY do not want Him to do anything but what He deems best—I really don’t—but sometimes I would appreciate a bit of anesthesia. As my friend said, “At times the pain factor is just too great!” and I will add, “especially for old folks!” One would think that He would “go easy” on those of us who have one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel BUT He doesn’t. For some reason, I get the impression that He thinks He made us out of tougher “stuff” than He made the younger generation. Maybe He did, who knows?
Anyway, it is kind of neat to hear that someone was smitten by the fact that He really does love her THAT much!
Blessings,

Thankfulness!

Sunday afternoon, November 18, 2007
Earlier, when I was contemplating my message for today, thinking particularly about Thanksgiving, and specifically about the things for which I am most thankful, I found myself thinking of things like food, shelter, clothing, transportation, health, family, insurance, pensions—the things that make life easy and comfortable—and I am thankful for these things (very thankful!), don’t get me wrong; however, it didn’t take Him long to remind me that my “thinking” needed an oil change.
Once again, I do not want to be misunderstood and have you thinking that I am not grateful for EVERYTHING He provides for me that makes life comfortable and easy; the fact is I like “comfortable and easy” much more than I like the alternative . I have noticed, however, that He seems to be more interested in my knowing Him than He is in my living an easy and comfortable life, and I have also noticed that those who seem to know Him best are not among those who live easy and comfortable lives.
Now that I have had time to think about it, when I mention “easy and comfortable” I am really not thinking so much about enjoying things like sleeping between clean and warm sheets, or driving a nice car, or living in a nice house; instead, I am thinking more about being free from stress and worry and distraction and pain and frustration and disappointment—those things that seem to have the ability to make life anything but comfortable and easy.
Yes, I know that “good Christians” ought never experience stress or worry or pain or frustration or disappointment, even be distracted, which tells you what kind of Christian I am (according to the religious definition), which means (I suppose) that I just need to “get my life right with God” and, thus, end this perspective.
You might find this a bit strange, but my life is “right” with God (I am absolutely sure of this because Jesus did for me, what I could not do for myself), and I do have many of the things that most people believe will make their lives comfortable and easy—I am presently healthy, I live in a nice house, I drive a nice car (truck), I sleep between clean, warm sheets, I have insurance (life and medical), I have an incredible family, our pensions are in place, and I even have a house in the mountains of North Georgia—HOWEVER, I am NOT free from stress, worry, distraction, pain, frustration, or disappointment! The truth is this: over this past year these things have almost consumed my life.
Maybe you do not know this, so I will tell you: When these things consume your life it is not easy to enjoy the things that you thought would make your life comfortable and easy, which is probably why He brings them into our lives and causes them to consume us. He really is very interested in our knowing Him and finding ultimate fulfillment and pleasure in Him, and, I might add, He is relentless and reckless (at least in my opinion) in His determined pursuit.
It is not easy to write these words (it scares me to death, to tell you the truth), but here they are: At this Thanksgiving, I am most thankful for His determined and reckless pursuit of my knowing Him!
I find it interesting that Paul finally came to the place where he could say (with integrity) that it was his determined purpose to progressively become more intimately acquainted with Him (Philippians 3). All I know is this: He took Paul through some really tough times before these words became words of his heart—his passion (see 2 Corinthians 11:24-30).

Many Servants but Few Friends

Thursday morning, November 15, 2007
As I was finishing my second “read” of Malcolm Smith’s book, “The Power of the Blood Covenant” this line jumped off the page (284) at me: ‘He has many servants but few friends.” How true and how tragic, especially in light of the fact that He redeemed us, not to be His servants but to be His friends. This is what Jesus said: “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends” (John 15:15a).
In my opinion, it has been the teaching of most local churches that has robbed us of even being aware that Jesus desires our friendship; instead it has taught us that we are here to serve Him (as if He needs our service!), so as to help Him get everyone saved, even if in the nick of time. The real tragedy lies in the fact that we have been so naïve, as to believe it!
Now, don’t misunderstand me: it is quite the privilege to serve Him, BUT our service is not what He desires; He desires US—you and me! Take even a brief look at the
Song of Songs (Solomon) and I think you will find plenty of evidence to support this.
Folks, Jesus did not die because God need some helpers, people who could help Him accomplish what He could not accomplish on His own; instead, He died because God wanted intimate relationship with you and with me. Sadly, however, most believers spend their lives diligently attempting to be His servants—people who have no idea what He is doing (or so Jesus said in John 15:15).
Obviously, I cannot speak for you but I can tell you that I want to know what He is doing; I want to be in His inner circle of friends. Granted, this is not something I can achieve but it is something I can receive; HOWEVER, I can receive it only as I am willing to stop living as His servant and begin living as His friend.
Somehow, we need to begin to understand, to know, to really KNOW, that He is not interested in our being His slaves (servants), not at all; instead, He is interested in our being in intimate relationship with Him, so much so, that He has done everything, as in EVERYTHING, in order that we are free to spend our days (and nights) living in intimate relationship with Him. Please, please, cease striving and begin to enjoy intimacy with Jesus; after all, His desire is for you (or so the Song of Songs tells us!).
Did you get that? HIS DESIRE IS FOR YOU! Remember: He already has many servants, but He has few—very few—friends! Maybe, just maybe, you could take some time off from your diligent efforts to serve Him and, like Mary (Martha’s sister), spend some time just sitting at His feet, just being with Him, waiting and watching and listening. It really is OK for you to do; you might be nervous at first, but He has His very own way of making His friends feel right at Home!
Have a great day with Him, just being His friend!

Blessings,

Mac

What Good Thing Must I Do?

Monday, November 12, 2007
On one occasion, a rich, young man came to Jesus, asking Him a question that was certainly worthy of an accurate answer—”What good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” Obviously, he was thinking in much the same way as the religious of today think—”What good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” I love Jesus’ response to him: “. . . if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Just for the record: this is the only accurate answer Jesus could have given to one so self-centered, as to believe that there was some good thing he could do that would enable him to obtain eternal life. Of course, His answer was “baited” and, as you might expect, the young, rich man took the bait, with his response: “Which ones?”
Which ones? Does this sound like the religious of today, or what? Most of those who call themselves Christians today truly believe that God grades on the curve, that 6 out of 10 really impresses God. The really sad thing about this young man is that he actually thought he was doing great, probably 10 out of 10; however, Jesus made it crystal clear that he hadn’t even made it past the first commandment—You shalt have no other god’s before Me! There is no telling just how often we think we are doing really well at keeping the Commandments, when in reality, we haven’t even made it past the first one? If God were to reveal to anyone of us the number of idols we worship, it would bring us to our knees in true humility.
Anyway, Jesus’ way of revealing this young man’s idol was quite powerful: “. . . go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me.” From what I can see, it didn’t take this young man long to recognize his idol and, tragically, he chose to reject Jesus in favor of his idol. Before you are too quick to judge this young, rich man, ask yourself this question: How would I respond to the same opportunity? Of course, your answer depends upon how much you value your idol, and, I might add, yours might be different from his. Of this I am certain: when He presents you with this opportunity, He will “hit the nail on the head” and you will be faced with. . .well, you will be faced with a decision of some magnitude.
You see, eternal life is a gift, not just any gift but God’s gift to His elect, and there is no good thing that you or I can do to obtain it, even if we sell all of our possessions and give every last penny of the proceeds to the poor. The truth is had this young man actually sold his possessions and given the money to the poor and returned to Jesus with a receipt from the Salvation Army, he would have come up short of obtaining eternal life. How do I know this? Easy! Had he done it, his possessions would not have been his idol.
I really hope you can see this: If Jesus should ask you to do anything to obtain eternal life, He would be purposely asking you to do something that you CANNOT do; otherwise, He would not be asking you to do it. Take heart! He does this in order to show us that our being blessed with the gift of eternal life is His doing, not ours—His indescribable gift!
I wonder what would have been Jesus’ response had this young man simply said, “Jesus, I really want this eternal life that You offer but, in spite of my efforts, I cannot keep the commandments; I have tried and tried but I always fail. Do you have any suggestions for me?
Better still: Maybe we just need to come to Jesus and be quiet and allow Him to do the talking.

It's About Time!

Thursday morning, November 8, 2007 (9:15AM),
As I begin writing this “perspective”, I am also waiting for the phone to ring; a Mrs. Bloodworth with the Social Security Administration was supposed to call me at 9:00 to assist me in scheduling the January arrival of my Social Security benefits. Since I have been waiting only 65 years and 10 months for these checks to begin arriving, one would think that waiting the past fifteen minutes would be a piece of cake, and it would be, if I didn’t have so many other things that I need to accomplish today. As you might imagine, however, I am choosing to give this call a place of very high priority (for some reason, I have this strange sense of urgency about having these monthly checks deposited into my checking account; it is as if I think the fund might run out of money before I begin receiving them!), so I will wait—probably not so patiently, but I will wait.

Saturday morning, November 10, 2007 (10:54 AM),
Well, I begin again after having been completely distracted for the past 48 hours; however, I did receive the aforementioned call at 9:30 on Thursday morning and, believe it or not, my first Social Security check is scheduled to be deposited into my account on January 16, 2008! Now, that is worth at least one HALLELUJAH!
Anyhoo, have you noticed how much time we spend waiting? Someone goes to the doctor to have a simple test done, and rather than immediately giving him the results (which they usually have), he is told it will be 10 days or 2 weeks before he hears back from the Doc. Or one goes to the grocery store and waits 15 minutes for the person in the front of the line at the checkout counter to fumble through her pocketbook, searching for the money to pay the cashier (Doesn’t everyone know that you have to pay at the cash register?). Or one is “running late” for an appointment, only to arrive at the railroad tracks and find that the slowest and longest train on the planet is barely moving past the cross arms, providing opportunity for a “patient” wait. Or a couple is expecting a baby on March 10th but it comes April 3rd! Or a couple is scheduled to meet another couple at a local restaurant at 7:00 but the wife is just stepping out of the shower at 6:45 and the restaurant is 25 minutes away. Or the Social Security representative is supposed to call at 9:00 but calls at 9:30, acting as if the time you spent waiting was of no value whatsoever. Or someone schedules a counseling appointment for 10:00 AM with Kevin but shows up at 10:20.
Someone once said this to me (out of their frustration with a subcontractor, who was late for a job): Time is money! In his case, this was surely true and, I might add, this is often the case; however, time is more than money, it is precious. Maybe you have forgotten but God has numbered your days: “Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Thy book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them” (Psalm 139:16).
Maybe, just maybe, we should be better stewards of our time; it is my guess that doing so is much more important than being stewards of our money (which is very important!). How much time are you wasting? How much of the time of others are you wasting by your own irresponsibility regarding your time?
“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven” and maybe it is TIME for you to become more responsible regarding the time that He has given to you.
Amen? Amen!