Spent as he sees fit

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed. Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people. (Amos 5:14-15)

We all face the enemy, but he doesn't always use the same attack for each of us. His attacks are all aimed at the same thing - getting us to turn our backs on righteousness. James 4:7 reminds us to "...humble ourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from us." Amos tells us to actually run from evil - either way, we are supposed to put some distance between us and our enemy! It is this 'distance' that can give us the time to regain right perspective in the midst of the battle. Without the 'distance', we could be overcome by the chaos of the attack!

How do we 'create distance' in our lives? If we are always living so close to the edge of making the right choices God desires of us and choosing to go our own way, we haven't created enough 'distance'. We need 'room' to think what our actions should be, but thinking through actions isn't going to work well if we do all our thinking 'in the moment'. This is why it is good to have time apart with Jesus each day. To give him our best and first. Then when we need time to 'think through' some decision to pursue one course over another, we have already had some groundwork prepared for that 'battle decision'. 

Hate evil and love what is good. The only way to develop the proper perspective about what is 'evil' and what is 'good' is to ask Jesus for that clarity - not just in the moment of temptation, but in those quiet times we set aside to learn from him. Does Jesus get your attention more than just during church service? If we aren't getting into the Word daily, we won't have the ammunition to fight the battle at hand during the week. Satan doesn't just attack on Sundays - he is right there with all of his 'evil intent' every day! We need to prepare for battle on a daily basis.

When I first tried to spend time each day with Jesus, there were lots of distractions that stole my attentiveness. I found myself giving into those distractions too often - the phone, the TV, the computer, the reminders on my calendar. I found that those distractions had to be 'managed' if I was to actually take even five minutes with him. My time with Jesus started as just that - five minutes in the morning. For those of you getting all 'judgy' on that one, don't! Five soon led to seven, and seven to fifteen. Now I don't even watch the clock. God manages my time - I just spend it as he sees fit. How about you? Just askin!

The clock is ticking

Nine-tenths of wisdom is being wise in time. (Theodore Roosevelt)

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. ...Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11)

How do we use our time? Is it wisely, or a little too frivolously? Colossians 4:5 reminds us to make 'wise use of our time' - influencing all those who are 'outsiders' to the faith. Grace isn't something this world is accustomed to receiving, so when we reveal grace in and through our lives, we are being a positive influence on this hurting world. James reminds us we don't know what tomorrow will bring, so we had best be doing what God asks of us today, for none of us is assured a tomorrow. For everything there is a season. What season is upon you right now? I think God wants us to learn to take every activity, submit it to him, and then make the most of those activities.

God takes the things that happen within the space of time we call today to use them for many a tomorrow, regardless of whether we see tomorrow or not. We can be assured when we seek his plan for our day, then walk within that plan, those 'things' we accomplish will lay a foundation for what will happen tomorrow. We may not see the impact of a life lived well until much, much later. Every action we take today has an influence. Obedience isn't always going to be easiest choice, but each step God asks us to take today is meant for today, not tomorrow! We may think we can procrastinate with the things God asks us to do - yet there is no compromise in God's timing. 

Time is a fleeting thing - we don't hold it, nor can we make it last any longer. We may have one moment to make a right decision but feel ill-prepared for the decision at hand. Maybe this is why God emphasizes the importance of making time for him first - so we will be better prepared. If we get into God's Word, spend time in prayerful meditation upon what we have read, and just take a wee bit of time to listen to what he may want us to do, we might just redeem time a bit. God may ask us to 'do' something, but he could very well ask us to 'give' something. When we listen to his voice in this moment in time, we may just find his direction actually makes for a wise use of time indeed. Just sayin!

Are you getting the most out of it?

I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love. (Galatians 5:4-6)

I bet no one will be surprised to know that I spent a great deal of time trying to be holy by completing various religious 'plans' and 'projects'. I'd fast for a day, not really knowing why I was doing it, but someone told me it would 'make me closer to God'. I'd read a certain number of chapters in the Bible every day, not really getting much out of it, all because someone told me I needed to make a 'plan' for reading through the Bible every year. I'd go to church every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday night - not because I always felt like it, but because it was 'expected'. How many of us have been in the same boat - going about 'doing the plan', but not really getting much out of it?

Truth be told, as I have grown a bit wiser, I find myself happy to simply 'ingest' a few verses every day, thinking upon them, seeing what God wants to tell me about how to make wise decisions, find peace, or get my life in order somehow. I attend church, listen online, or just celebrate God out in nature while out of town, not out of obligation, but because I enjoy being taught as much as I enjoy teaching others. What made the difference? I guess it was listening to God's 'small voice' deep inside asking why I did these things - what purpose were they serving in my life. When I really stopped to consider the 'exercises' in faith, I realized they were simply 'religious exercises' that weren't really accomplishing the intended purpose!

Once I asked God to help me be less 'religious' and 'pious', do you know what happened? I fell in love with him! I enjoyed my time that I regularly set aside for the two of us. I found he spoke to me very clearly and that I actually listened to what he told me. It wasn't a magic formula that brought me closer to God - it was a yielded and obedient heart. Did the change happen overnight? Nope, but it happened! Did it change the way I acted? Yes, now the actions are genuine and without second thought. They are purposeful and life-giving. Do I still find myself in kind of 'mulligrub' spiritual moments where it doesn't seem like I am getting much from the time I am spending with him? Yup, but they are usually because I need a little attitude adjustment, not that I need to engage in anymore 'spiritual rituals'. 

How about you? Have you been going through the motions, but not really connecting with him? Have you settled into a place of 'activity', but not really 'pursuit'? Is your heart in it? If not, maybe it is time to ask yourself the 'w' questions. Why am I doing this? Who am I doing this for? What is the purpose behind this action? When I 'perform' this activity, what is the outcome? Answering those tough questions honestly could just give each of us a little bit of insight into how committed our heart is to getting the most from our relationship with him. Just sayin!

A life healed and whole

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole. (I Peter 1:3)

This was one of those verses I'd remind mom of anytime she'd worry over her many aches and tremendously haunting neuropathic pain. We'd just sit for a bit and imagine her walking upright, without pain, able to see perfectly once again. She had a hard time imagining it, but she held onto that promise time and time again - life healed and whole. Sometimes all we have is the hope - we cannot let go of it no matter how long the answer may be delayed - because the day is surely coming! I don't know what you delay may be, but trust me on this one, the day is coming!

Too many times we think the 'future' begins at some point in the distant 'future', but as God reminds us - the future starts now. God's plans for us may not be at the point of fruition yet, but if we hold onto the promise of his purpose in our lives, we won't be disappointed. His plans will always come to pass - hold on. Whenever I feel like my 'hopes' are dipping a bit, I remind myself how blessed I am to have a God who loves me enough to fulfill his promises. I also remind myself that timing is everything - God's timing is way more important than mine. I may not see the things I am hoping for as evident right now, but is that any reason to doubt his plan? No, in fact it is a reason to ask God to help me continue to have my faith built up, made solid and sure, leaning heavily upon his arms as I wait.

Plans don't just 'happen' - they unfold. That is the nature of a plan - it is laid out, orchestrated, then put into action. I don't plan a vacation by just getting on the road and heading somewhere, who knows where. I plan the lodging, route to take, things I might do while there or along the way. Then I know the day I will leave, but I don't settle on the time to leave until closer to that day. I plan my wardrobe based on the weather forecast for that time away, but don't pack until the day before the trip. Plans in our real, ordinary, everyday life unfold - little by little. Why would we think God's plans would be any different? The future begins now, but the culmination of the thing we hope for so much may take some orchestration by God - and that takes time. Time for us to be ready. Time for the things that need to be put in place around us to be complete. Time - the four-letter word we have the hardest time reconciling! No matter the timing, a life healed and whole is my goal. How about you? Just askin...

Take some time

The best time of year to enjoy some of the fruits of the season varies, doesn't it? The melons are juicy and sweet in summer, but almost non-existent in winter. The grapes are colorful and tasty right from the vines during summer. The strawberries boast luscious enjoyment and a sweet scent, but come fall and winter, they just don't taste the same. Fruit has a way of satisfying our senses - both internally (our taste buds) and externally (sight and smell). There is another kind of fruit we might enjoy a little better if we realized we might just "eat it" at a later time! The fruit I refer to is our words - they can be satisfying in season, not so sweet out of season, and sometimes totally non-existent!

Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach; good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest. Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose. (Proverbs 18:20-21)

Good talk - fruit for our souls, nourishment for our minds, and health for our bodies. Now, there is a harvest we could find benefit in! We all have experienced the times when we say something without thinking, or get caught up in responding before we really take time to listen. The end result is usually some form of words that could seem a little "bitter" and with a tendency to "repeat" on themselves! 

Truthfully, words are either poison or fruit - the choice is ours! We have a choice about the words we speak as much as the words we DON'T speak. Words have much more power than we give them credit for - like fruit fueling our bodies - words can do things like fuel our worries and ignite our frustrations!
Words produce a harvest, in season and out.

Those spoken without thought are equated to those words spoken from the mouth of a fool. "Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse; all they do is run off at the mouth." (vs. 2) Words often show just how much judgment a person exercises! A fool is one who lacks judgment - therefore, when words are spoken without prior thought, they are equated to being "foolish". Those coming from an inner place of rest and peace are often equated to being as refreshing as an artesian well in the middle of a hot desert. "Many words rush along like rivers in flood, but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs." (vs. 4) I had to look up what an artesian well really was because we don't have them in my neck of the woods. An artesian well is first of all covered by impermeable rock. The water that rises from this well comes forth "under pressure" - it rises to the surface because their is pressure exerted that lifts it to the surface. The water finds a path of release. It seems to defy gravity. There is no need to manually bring it to the surface, as with a traditional well. In fact, it passes through so many filters, it is very sweet when it comes forth! When we allow time for the "pressures" to give rise to the words through a path which seems impenetrable, there is an opportunity for them to pass through the filters which might just purify them a little more!

Those of us who speak first and think later often would do better with a gag in our mouths! "The words of a fool start fights; do him a favor and gag him." (vs.6) Wouldn't it be nice to have an invisible hand placed over our mouths whenever we would begin to speak something unwholesome, or cutting? Well, guess what? We have such a "gag" at our disposal - he is called the Holy Spirit! People who speak before listening produce "sourness" much like we experience when we bite into fruit that has not fully ripened. "Answering before listening is both stupid and rude." (vs. 13) We have a tendency to jump to conclusions - don't we? We want to jump in with both feet - sometimes into issues that are not our responsibility, or will not be benefited by our involvement. It is both stupid and rude to just jump in. Okay...I used the "s" word! It really speaks volumes here. It means to be mentally dull, foolish, and senseless! Words that don't have much prior thought often reflect just how "dull" we can be in our thinking. Words spoken in haste are indeed foolish - they bring out our worst, not our best. Words that are without some kind of "covering" are indeed senseless!

We choose the harvest that is produced - we choose our words. We can allow pressures to create some supernatural filters in our lives, so words take some time to get to the surface, or we can give full vent to them with the dullness and senselessness of a fool. The choice of our words determines the enjoyment (or misery) of the harvest! Just sayin!

The reward is in the time

It is easy to get distracted when it comes to anything like a little quiet time with God. Taking time with my best friend is hard enough, but time alone with God is sometimes harder. Why is that? I think it might just be because the enemy of our souls knows exactly what happens when time is spent together with our mighty Savior! He knows the power that is given and the settling of uncertainty that comes. He doesn't want either to occur, so he puts up as many smoke screens and mirrors to distract us from this exchange as much as possible. Create the right environment and you can eliminate a few distracting forces. Allow the wrong ones and you will find time alone with God becomes harder and harder.

"When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don't make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won't make you a saint. If you 'go into training' inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn't require attention-getting devices. He won't overlook what you are doing; he'll reward you well." (Matthew 6:16-18)

Jesus points out that there should be some times (periods) in our lives when we will set aside some time and energy toward really "concentrating" on God. We may think of these times as going to a retreat, choosing a time to fast and pray, or even just a few days set aside with limited interruptions from the outside world, such as camping in the outdoors or fishing by a cool stream. The purpose of the "set apart" time is to focus on God. It is to have some 'alone time' with him and to allow him to really settle into the space we have created for him by enjoying the space he has created for us! In the process of "concentrating" on God, we are bringing all our efforts, activities, and attention to one central place. We are moving from being very scattered in our efforts, activities and attention, to being very focused. When we are concentrating on something or someone, there is a tendency to come to a place of "convergence" - we become in sync with each other.

For example, my mother is at a stage where she loves some time now and again to just tell me something - sometimes about anything that comes to mind, while at others it is a more concerted effort to share something she was wanting to tell me about. In that "talking time" she sometimes doesn't make a lot sense because word-finding can be difficult at a hundred years of age! Yet, when I take the effort to really concentrate on her (putting aside all other distractions), I find that she is really trying to connect with me, figure something out, or share some very meaningful experience she has had that she needs me to know about. If I miss the chance to concentrate on her and what she is sharing, I miss the chance to connect with her where it is she needs me to make that connection. It is vital to make that connection - in her eyes and in mine.

When we are in the process of concentrating on something, we are coming to a place where that object becomes clearer, stronger, and more intensified. It is like turning up the power on a microscope, with each lens serving to intensify the view we have of the object within our focus. Jesus reminds us that we need those times when we are concentrating on him - not because he 'needs' to be the center of our attention - but because we gain something in the time of examining him this closely.

It was no big production to take time to listen to my mom. All it takes is a little time, effort on my part to concentrate, and a heart desire to get something out of the encounter. That is what God says he will reward. Not a big show of religious activity - just the simplicity of a heart focused on knowing him better. So, don't miss out on the times of "concentrating" on God. The ability to focus on him, the desire to have him "intensify" himself in us, is really a matter of us making the time and effort of really getting into the encounter with him. Just sayin!

Meet my true need

As you serve the Lord, work hard and don’t be lazy. Be excited about serving him! 

(Romans 12:11 ERV)

The late Peter Marshall said, "The measure of life is not its duration, but its donation." Let that one take hold for just a moment, then ask yourself what it is you have "donated" to the lives around you this week. What are you "giving" of yourself in the relationships you have around you? How are you meeting the needs of those who rely upon you or look to you for assistance? Some will answer that they went to work, provided food on the table, and gave them a roof over their heads. Others will say they wrote a check, made a donation, or joined an organization that supports a cause. I'd have to ask if we are really making that much of a donation in our relationships or toward our "causes", though. There is nothing more important than you giving of yourself - not just your funds.

Doesn't our passage tell us to work hard and not be lazy? Yes, but don't take it out of context - for the context lends to the passage invaluable evidence of being invested into the lives of those we walk alongside. It begins with us allowing God to change us from the inside out - affecting the way we process information, find satisfaction and fulfillment, and interact with each other. To this, Paul adds the importance of not seeing ourselves more highly than we should - for no one can serve when they have their heads in the clouds, or are too "good" for that. Being many, with differing abilities and gifts, we are to serve one another - utilizing those abilities and gifts to build up and not tear down.

I think this is the hardest lesson to really get our hands around, for time seems to trick us into thinking we don't have enough time to really "serve" as we should. We do a very cursory job of "serving" each other simply because we believe the lie that "time" isn't available or is more urgently needed in order to accomplish "something else". The time it takes to just meet the need of another seems "wasted" to some, but to the one receiving that gift, it means the world. We watched a little movie over our holiday weekend about a wealthy, really driven man who had pretty much destroyed two relationships and ignored his two children - one from each relationship. He was sent into a coma as the result of an accident and his life's "spirit" was placed into a cat.

That cat became the companion of the daughter he had ignored for so many years. In those days that ensued, with his family wondering if he'd make it off life-support and arouse from the coma, he had to learn the lessons of life through the eyes of a cat. Now, this is kind of a far-fetched story, cute in its own way, and a little bit sappy, but you get the moral of the story right off. We cannot ignore those we are given for what it is we might get. We don't learn to serve at the top of the ladder - we learn to serve by being the ladder by which others may ascend to their places of greatness in this life.

We all have those moments when another stands in need - may we be sensitive to meet that need with ourselves, not just our resources. Just sayin!

Time isn't everything - timing is

Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God. For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours. (Psalm 90:2,4 NLT)

Most of us don't really understand how a thousand years can be like a day to God - as brief as a few night hours. In fact, if you have ever spent a sleepless night, awakened by some noise, then unable to fall back to sleep again, you know how "slowly" those hours pass! The important thing for us to remember is that God's time-continuum is different than ours - his economy of scale is huge compared to ours. This is so very valuable for us to learn, because we tend to think in the here and now, with maybe a little look into the future now and again, but God sees the bigger picture long before it ever happens! The above passage begins with, "Lord, through all the generations you have been our home." This is the pivotal point of all the psalmist is saying - before anything ever was, even after what we know today is gone in some tomorrow, God's presence has been and will forever be our home!

Just a little later in this psalm, the psalmist asks God to "teach us to realize the brevity of life, so we may grow in wisdom." (vs. 12) The "brevity" of life is evident all around us, but are we growing in the midst of the realization of this brevity. As a youngster, I went through growth spurts - shooting up, filling out, needing larger clothes and discarding shoes when they became too tight to any longer squeeze my toes into. In a spiritual sense, we also grow in spurts - shooting up sometimes to new heights, getting a broader perspective on life at other times, and sometimes even having to leave behind stuff we had become quite comfortable with in the process. As a young teenager, I know I saw others "maturing" around me at a much quicker pace than I was - making me envious of their growth and development. It isn't uncommon for us to do exactly the same thing in a spiritual sense - envying others who seem to be growing by leaps and bounds.

God isn't after the "quickness" of our growth, but the lasting integrity of that growth. There are just some lessons easier to learn or "adapt to" than others - especially when it comes to issues of trust in a life where trust may have been violated by others on more than one occasion. It may seem like it is taking "forever" for us to learn to trust, but in reality, that "forever" to us is like a blink of an eye to God. He knows the exact time it will take for us to get to the place of fully trusting in him, trusting him for who he is and then relying less upon our own "fixes" to fix our fixes. God is intent on us learning the "brevity" of our lives (complete with all the messes we get ourselves into) and the "vastness" of his care, love, and grace. 

The closing words of the psalm bear reading because they speak of the psalmist's desire to be satisfied with God's love - nothing compares to the love of God and nothing satisfies us quite as effectively as that love. Maybe we could make this our prayer this morning, for nothing would please the Lord more than for us to trust his timing, look to him for our sustenance, and allow him to replace what was once broken and battered with that which is most beautiful and whole!

Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory. And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!

Just sayin!

Let the skies declare...

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. 

Romans 1:20 NLT

I was up this morning in time to gaze into the pre-dawn sky with my oldest grandson in search of the Lyriad meteor shower. We captured two brief moments of shooting stars, but not much more. Needless to say, the time with him was what mattered, not so much that we were dazzled by shooting stars or meteors in the sky. As we repositioned from time to time to catch a different glimpse of the sky, I was amazed at how much this thirteen year old boy has not only grown in height, but in intelligence! He has this awesome app on his phone, points it toward the sky, takes note of the key stars in the constellation and speaks of the stars and their path across the night sky as they moved from horizon at sunset to their present position high above us in the early morning hours. His passion for the stars is impressive - for he is speaking of the Creator and the majesty of his dwelling!

While we didn't see huge displays of shooting stars, we did capture some of the beauty of the outdoors and the things our God has created for us to enjoy. There were the fluttering moths captivated by the street lamps and the crowing rooster in the farms nearby that gave announcement one upon another that a new day was settling in around us. The grass prickled under our bare feet and the moon held a beauty all its own as it shown with utmost clarity in the southeastern sky. The stars were radiant in the clearness of the springtime sky and the trees held that ominous shadow in the hints of light from neighboring houses and street lamps aglow. We made out shapes and forms, but some things remained hidden, yet in it all, we felt peace and listened with intent at the quietness of the early morning dawn. In all, we took in God, for in all we saw God.

How can anyone declare there is no God? After all, there is so much that bespeaks a Creator, for there is way too much that is way to complicated to have just "exploded" one day! It is these small moments away from the hectic movement of life that recenter each of us and help us remember the awesomeness of the one who holds us so close to his heart. It is these small moments he has prepared uniquely for us, so that we can connect with all he has made, enjoying it with grateful and contemplative heart. In the busy-ness of life, take time. Take time to consider the desires of a young man's heart, as he shares his passion for the stars and the Creator's heavens. Take time to listen to the repeated stories of an elderly woman, intent on sharing something, but not always able to easily recount the details of what she wants to share. Take time to sit at the bedside of a loved one struggling to make sense of a disease that ravishes her body, but intent on living. 

The beauty of the Creator is experienced in so many ways, but it is most easily experienced when we just take a moment or two and center on the things that matter most! Just sayin!

It is later than we think...

As I was driving by a local funeral home the other day, I took notice of this large clock and thermometer display sign they have. I don't usually travel this way t work, but took this route as an alternative since I was running a little later than usual and it would help me avoid some traffic. I was struck by the time on the sign as it said it was later than I perceived it to be. Now, at first, this provoked a little reordering of thought and recalculate on in my path to work, but when I noticed the smaller clock on the dashboard, that time was closer to the time I believed it to actually be.  I think there are times in life when we perceive it to be one time, but may not realize it is later than we think! Maybe this was the message from the funeral home...consider the time, for it may be later than you think.

For everything there is a season, a time to every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. (Ecclesiastical 3:1-2)

We may perceive time to be endless, especially in our youth, but as we age a little, we see just how quickly it passes. I dreaded summer vacation off of school as a kid because I liked the mental stimulation of school. A couple weeks of break and I was ready to go back! Time seemed to stand still as those three months passed! Now, a week can be gone in the blink of an eye! What once seemed unending now appears quite limited.

In life, we have opportunities which come our way at a particular time in our life. They may not come our way again because they are more or less "time sensitive". I would have to say relationships are one of those things. We can twitter away fragments of time without ever realizing it, all the while believing we have time, neglecting the important things within that relationship. It may be God is asking us to pay attention to that time a little today - like he is calling us back into focus. Whenever he does this, it isn't to punish us, but rather to help us recognize the true time, for we never really know when it will be "later than we think".

"How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?" (Dr. Suess)  The age-old question: How did it get so late so soon? Define for me what the difference is between late and so late. Some might say the difference is being able to meet a deadline or be there just on time compared to totally missing the deadline or the timing for whatever needs to be done. Regardless of how we define it, the time we hold in our hands today will be gone all too swiftly and we know not if we are guaranteed more!

We want to imagine things as endles, but in reality God is the one in control. He counted out the grains within the hourglass which fall all to quickly to the bottom of that glass. All we can do is manage well what we have been given today and ensure we don't miss the opportunities to show someone how much we love them, or how precious their relationship has been to us as time has passed. Someday all we will be left with are the memories of how we used our time. We all want those memories to amount to a legacy. Don't squander those moments...it is later than you think! Just sayin!

Time is...

Henry Van Dyke is quoted as saying, "Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity." There is a lot of wisdom in those words of this author and clergyman! This is taken from his poem, "Time Is", and has often been the selection to be read at some funerals, inscribed on plaques in remembrance of those lost in battle, and simply shared in a moment of tender reflection with one we might love. 

I have seen the kinds of tasks God has given each of us to do to keep one busy, and I know God has made everything beautiful for its time. God has also placed in our minds a sense of eternity; we look back on the past and ponder over the future, yet we cannot understand the doings of God. I know there is nothing better for us than to be joyful and to do good throughout our lives; to eat and drink and see the good in all of our hard work is a gift from God. I know everything God does endures for all time. Nothing can be added to it; nothing can be taken away from it. We humans can only stand in awe of all God has done. (Ecclesiastes 3:10-14 VOICE)

All things are made beautiful for their time - almost all things I can imagine fade in beauty as time passes - except the wonder and grace of God's love!  In fact, his love grows in beauty with each day - we must stop to consider its beauty, though!  God has placed in our minds a sense of eternity - even if we don't fully know or appreciate him yet, having not committed our lives to him, yet there is this sense of eternity. We don't have to fully understand how God works or even know fully who he is to know he exists!  We can see him in the beauty of creation around us - but we can discover that beauty of his creation within us, as well!  As Van Dyke said, "...time is eternity," not because we exist in it, but because of the discoveries we make within it!  Time can be both our friend or our worst enemy - for it passes through our fingers like grains of sand, often unnoticed and not fully appreciated until it has gone completely from us.  It would do us well to learn not to squander the moments God has prepared for us each and every day - moments of joy, some laughter, and even a little sorrow on occasion.  

We don't know the moments in time when things will change, putting us into a tailspin of sorts.  It could be the loss of a job, the terror of hearing those words announcing a diagnosis not easily embraced, or the sudden loneliness and agony of heart caused by the loss of a loved one.  We also don't know the moments when joy will abound, laughter will resonate, and fear will flee because we are dancing with joyful anticipation and determined heart.  I've tried to "add to" my life - how about you?  I think this is a practice we humans think we can somehow master - "fixing" our lives by "adding this or that" to it.  We add relationships, but fail to take care to really make sure they grow, then wonder why we are miserable in them.  We add consumables, but fail to consider when they are old and worn they will no longer bring us such joy.  We add one pursuit after another in an attempt to fill some emptiness within, but fail to recognize the empty place is really the place God seeks to dwell.  

Time is too slow for those who wait.  Yet, God's plan includes us waiting "on" and "for" many things which will become great blessings in our lives - simply because of what is accomplished in the "wait".  Time is too swift for those who fear.  Yet, when fear is finally released, it as though all of time slows to a reasonable pace and we begin to appreciate the moments taken in each step toward the place God has designed for us to be at that very moment.  Time is indeed way too long for those who grieve.  Yet, a heavy heart is made light in the presence of a loving God who binds up the empty places, bringing strength and goodness out of the fondness of memories tucked deep within.  Time is too short for those who rejoice.  Yet, the heart is filled, the body is renewed, and the spirit is energized in those moments of ecstatic celebration of the greatness of a God who cares for each of our needs.  Time is indeed eternity for those who enter into his love!

Nothing can be added to his love.  Nothing can be taken away, either.  Unlike human love, his love is unending - like a continuous circle, there is no "break" in his love.  In fact, his love is best expressed in his grace - removing our sin from us as far as the east is from the west.  Think on that one a little and you might just see God's love in a new way - for anyone who loves us enough to remove those things which have hurt us and done us harm that far away from us cares deeply for our every need.  To Van Dyke's words I might just add, "To those who don't know God's grace, time matters."  It is this passing moment which might just change the view we have of eternity.  It might just be this moment when sin's hold is broken and the distance between its shame and guilt is made so great we are free to celebrate and rejoice freely in the presence of the one who made that distance possible!  Just sayin!

Time is not in a bottle...

Nelson Mandela fought against apartheid in South Africa - the mission of his term in office as their President focusing strongly on racial reconciliation in their country. One of the quotes he is known for is also one of my favorites: "We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right."  Time is a fleeting thing - it is easy for it to get away from us, like water passing under a bridge, we often don't recognize the millions of seconds just frittered away. The time is always "ripe" to do right - there is no "wrong time" for doing right.  It is quite possible that what may be accomplished in this day may never be regained - so we must learn to appreciate the moment, embrace it, and then "do" what needs to be done in that moment.

Don’t you know that as long as you do what is right, then I accept you? But if you do not do what is right, watch out, because sin is crouching at the door, ready to pounce on you! You must master it before it masters you. (Genesis 4:7 VOICE)

God is in conversation with Cain, one of the children born to Adam and Eve.  Cain was in bitter disagreement with his brother, Abel, over which "sacrifice" was actually "better" in God's eyes.  One was a farmer - the other a herdsman.  The one brought the first-fruits of the field, the other a lamb. From what is recorded in scripture, God really found favor with Abel because of that "blood sacrifice" - a symbol of how God was foretelling the "means" of reconciliation between man and himself.  It is kind of a long story, but to put it bluntly, the brothers were at odds with each other because of what they chose to sacrifice.  Cain forms some bitter feelings toward his brother and before long, we find what God warned against in our passage above became the reality in his life. 

God's warning - master sin's urging or it will come to master you!  Sin or compromise always has some kind of urging with it - something perhaps not very "big" at first, but if given into long enough, it becomes the thing which masters us. Mandela may have said it another way, but he was really reflecting the message God gave to Cain all those years before - the time is always "right" to DO RIGHT.  God may have been just giving us a little warning about the "passage of time" when it comes to dealing with those little compromises we make over the longer course of time - they lead to drift and drift leads to us being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, doing the wrong things!

Psalm 11:7 reads: "The Eternal is right in all His ways; He cherishes all that is upright. Those who do what is right in His eyes will see His face."  The time is always right to do what is right - and it comes with huge rewards!  When we take notice of the time, we are more likely to be attentive to it, aren't we?  When you know a deadline is looming such as having a brief prepared for a meeting you need to be in attendance at in about thirty minutes, you focus on putting the finishing touches on that document, don't you? You proof it one last time, edit here and there so as to bring clarity and make it as thorough as possible.  Why? You want the finished product to reflect the time and effort you have put into it. Why should our lives be any different? Shouldn't we want them to reflect the time and effort we put into them?

If we fritter away the time we are given within relationship, we may be disappointed by the results we see at the end of that relationship - maybe even bringing it to an early end as a result of our inattention!  If we fritter away the time we are given in worship, we may never feel the presence of God, hear his voice, or know the guidance he so urgently wants us to receive.  Somehow I think we treat time as the sand in the hourglass.  It slowly makes its way through the tiny opening between the two sections of blown glass, until it is all gathered at the bottom of the glass.  I think we might just count on being able to turn that hourglass over and over again and again, without the sand ever coming to rest! Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth - for time is not in our hands, nor is it able to be "restored" by simply hitting the "reset" button!

James 4:17 reminds us: "If you know the right way to live and ignore it, it is sin."  The time to do right can be frittered away.  We often find the "frittering" is really just us ignoring the reality of something right in front of us.  I am as guilty of this "frittering" as the next person.  Ignorance is definitely not always bliss!  Ignore a dripping faucet long enough and you will eventually endure a night of sleeplessness while you listen to the incessant dripping!  Life is filled with "right time" moments - we just have to learn to be attentive to them, focused on making the most of the time we are given - learning to "do right" within those moments before they pass us by.  We never really know when the time will suddenly be lost to us, making it almost impossible to "get back" what we frittered away in the process.  Just sayin!

More than an app....

I saw this cute quip on Facebook this morning: "There is no app to replace your lap - read to your child." It was a sign prominently displayed over the doorway to a bookstore, so it made all the sense in the world to me. It also spoke to me of something even more important - the idea of coming fully into God's lap and allowing him to open his Word to us. Sometimes I think we kind of want to replace the "time" just nuzzling close to each other with whatever can be found in the "Bible Verse of the Day" delivered to your email or Twitter feed. No app will ever replace the moments had on the lap! Sorry, but it is the cold, hard truth and I just thought I'd put that out there!

Immerse them in the truth, the truth Your voice speaks. (John 17:17 VOICE)

Jesus is about to be taken from this earth, leaving those who were called his disciples and followers in a place of potential harm.  He knew the only way to protect them was to leave them something which would help to guide their continued growth - the Word of God. He says:  "In the same way You sent Me into this world, I am sending them. It is entirely for their benefit that I have set Myself apart so that they may be set apart by truth." (vs 18-19) We are given the Word, not because we needed the "nice stories" ABOUT Jesus, but because they reveal to us who he is, how he acts, what he loves, and why people are so important to him.

He asks his Father to immerse us in truth - the truth which comes directly from the throne room of God.  I remember hearing my dad call out on occasion for me to come home for supper - usually because I was off wandering in the desert around the house, or maybe riding my bike up and down the street.  As kids, we were all "tuned into" that "bellow" from the doorway announcing it was time to end our hard day of play.  That far off voice was beckoning me home - calling me into the place of protection and provision.  It would have been growing dark outside - a time when harm could come my way unsuspected and unwelcomed.  It was also a time when my body needed "refueling" for the next day - through food and rest.

Dad's voice was clear when he called, but it was clearest when we sat close to each other at the table, on the sofa, or just hanging out side-by-side on a hot day by the cool waters of a running brook.  His voice took on clarity, not because he shouted from the doorway, but because I drew near enough to listen intently to every word he spoke.  The same is true of our heavenly Father - draw close enough and you will be able to hear not only the words he speaks to you through his Word, but even the beating of his heart as you nuzzle right on up into his lap for a little while.  You don't get that from an app!

To immerse is to saturate.  Do something for me.  Take a totally dry sponge and pass it quickly under the running faucet.  Did it get wet?  Yes, it likely did.  It expanded a little, showing it had capacity to take on what it received, right?  Now, take that sponge and sit it in a bowl of water which totally covers the thickness of that sponge.  Give it a minute or two. Now, remove that same sponge from the bowl.  What is different this time?  It is the saturation of the sponge's every nook and cranny, isn't it?  The sponge was immersed in the water and as a result, it reached a point of saturation - it was full to capacity and now dripping wet.

When we immerse ourselves in the Word of God, it is as though we are saturated not only to capacity, but so as to be oozing the truth of God from every pore of our being!  The sponge could have done the job of maybe wiping up a few spills on the counter top with just being quickly passed under the water of the faucet, right?  What more can the sponge do when it is fully soaked in the water?  It becomes pliable in the hand of the one using it, doesn't it?  It has the ability to be bent this way and that, getting into this spot and then the next, until all the "service" that sponge can provide is fully performed.  We don't recognize the value of being immersed in his Word more than when we see the results of how "clean" our lives can be made when we are pliable in his hands.  Just sayin!

Give me some space and time, here!

Do you ever overlook the obvious - believing instead there must be something more to what you are seeing or hearing?  I guess this is human nature - we see or hear one thing, then immediately jump to the conclusion there must be some other meaning - either because we don't think things can be THAT simple, or we believe others just could not MEAN what they are doing / saying.  I think this is some defense mechanism on our part - protecting us from some things we just don't want to deal with right now, or attempting to believe the best about another just because we don't want to think it possible they could behave that way.  In some respects, this is what we do with God at times - we overlook the obvious.  He spends time revealing himself to us in  a particular manner, then we try to analyze what he is doing so much we overlook the extremely "obvious" in his actions!  The problem is - we NEED the obvious to make the "obscure" clearer!

Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.  (2 Peter 3:8-9 MSG)

The "obvious" actually lends clarity and context to the "obscure".  Without the obvious, we don't have the foundation for the obscure.  I think this is why Jesus worked so hard for his disciples to see the obvious in his actions and those of others, but then took them one step further to see the obscure in these same actions.  A man was healed of his blindness (the obvious) - he was healed to reveal the Son of Man's power (the obscure).  A grain is a seed (the obvious) - it only accomplishes it purposes when it dies (the obscure).  A cross may be the means of death (the obvious) - but the same cross which brought death to one brought life to many (the obscure).  What the obvious lends in us seeing and understanding the obscure is important.

So, Peter says we need to be careful not to overlook the obvious as it applies to God's timing.  In context, he is dealing with those who were rising up saying Jesus was "late" in his returning to this earth.  Jesus had promised his return - where was he?  There intent was to discourage the believers - poking holes in their hopes and faith.  But...Peter points the believers to the obvious.  The delay is for a reason!  The obvious - the "lateness" in his return - is for a more obscure reason - he's giving everyone space and time to change!  Space and time to change - the obscure purpose in the waiting.

That said, let me just say how glad I am God gives us both space and time to change.  I know for myself, I have needed a lot of space.  When we ask someone to "give us space", we are really asking for both the flexibility and the freedom we need.  God is not a constraining force - he knows we all have a unique personality - he created us that way!  We each "work through" things in our own ways - so God gives us the "space" to get to the root of the matter in a way which fits with our unique personality.  Some of us need quiet time away from others - like a retreat to the woods.  Others of us need to get some good worship music cranking, centering us on him, and then we can get down to business with him.  Regardless of the "space" we need - he gives it to us with enough flexibility and freedom to discover what it is we need to do and how we need to respond.

To this he adds the time to change.  Not only does he give us the "space" (freedom and flexibility to recognize the change process is underway within us), but he gives us the time to change.  Not only does he give us the element of time, but he exercises the perfect timing in doing so.  We overlook the obvious - we need space and time!  He doesn't overlook this when he is after the obscure in us - the realness of our heart dedication.  

I don't know about you, but I have needed some time to work through things in my life.  After my divorce, I needed time to work through my bitterness.  I wanted to hold onto the hurt - he wanted to give me space to let go of what would only serve to hurt me further.  In the space "between", God was at work, revealing the bitterness which was there and then showing me how to release it to him.  This is only one example of how God uses both space and time in our lives.  In change, both are necessary.  None of us have a magic wand - immediately and completely transforming one character trait into another with a wave.  In fact, we all require this "space" and "time" thing.  So, if you are in the "space" between the old and the revelation of the new, don't lose heart.  God's allowing both the space and the time because he has that change clearly in his view - and he knows exactly how much space and time you will need.  Just sayin!

Not another budget talk!!!!

Spend:  To use up, consume or exhaust.  The other night, I heard something in a movie I was watching which caught my attention.  The actress was being asked how she wanted to spend her life.  She made some mention of using the term "spend your life" as though life was a commodity of sorts.  In just that one fleeting moment in the movie, I began to take pause to consider the idea of "spending our life" and how we actually do this.  In fact, I began to see the idea of "using up" or "exhausting" our "resources" much quicker than we might actually imagine.  We treat life as though it has endless renewable resources, but I wonder if we ever realize the source of those resources?  

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.  (Matthew 6:33 MSG)

As I considered this idea of "spending our lives" in some pursuit or another, I began to draw some parallels to those who live by a "budget" and those who "spend willy-nilly".  Now, if we think of life as an endlessly renewable resource, we might just live like the latter.  If we count each new day as a blessing, we might just live like the former.

So, how is it a budget has anything to do with how we spend our lives?  Glad you asked!  Let me ask you this:  What does a budget do for us?  Don't we make a budget to get an idea where we are spending our resources?  In fact, probably the first reason we actually make the budget is because we have more demands for our finances than we have finances!  So, by creating the budget, we get an idea what our finances have to cover - so we don't run out of finances when there is still month left!

There are several things creating a budget does for us in the literal sense:

* It centers our attention.  In putting the numbers down on paper, we begin to see just how our monies are spent.  I think there is something amazing about beginning to keep a diary of how we spend our physical resources.  Maybe there is some value to us also keeping a diary of how we spend our "non-renewable" resources such as time!

* It helps us prioritize.  When we outline our spending plan, we usually put things at the top such as rent, utilities, groceries, gasoline, and the like.  One of the most common things people find is that once these priorities have been listed, there is often a lot less "left over" for the "fun stuff" like entertainment and clothing.  Even car insurance and medical insurance come before these, huh?  In focusing our attention on how we spend, we also must come to the place of ordering our priorities with what we spend.  I don't think this is a bad lesson to learn in our spiritual lives.  It certainly is a good lesson for us to learn in our relationships!

* It shows us the gaps.  As we outline the "needs", we clearly see if there are going to be any "gaps" in meeting those needs.  In other words, when we add up the anticipated expenditures, we might just come to a place of realization about how significant some of the perceived "needs" really are - especially when the amount of funds we have to spend does not equal what we see as our "needs".  As we focus on the budget a little, we often see things come to mind we might have forgotten to "factor in" - like car repairs, the renewal of our car's registration, etc.  These "gaps" present a challenge, don't they?  We have to figure out a way to "balance" the "needs" so the gaps are evened out.  Maybe this doesn't seem significant to you, but it is often in the "balancing" process where we make the decisions between "need" and "want".  

So, a budget in the natural sense really can be an example of how we could look at how we "spend our life" in the literal sense.  Relationships are often most impacted by how much attention we give them, the ways we prioritize those people in our lives, and just how well we do identifying the real "needs" from the simple "wants" of our hearts.  The same is true in our spiritual life.  When we begin to "inventory" and "itemize" our time spent on things which really matter, we might just find we are a little top-heavy on the "fun stuff" and a little deficient in the "most necessary" stuff.

Maybe the question posed by the actress was a good question.  Understanding life is not just an endlessly renewable commodity may be the very thing which makes us sit up and take notice of how much we have given priority to the things in life which really don't amount to much in the end.  Perhaps we see a gap between how we are spending our lives and how God would desire us to use them for his purposes.  Spending is really a means of exhausting - fulfilling the desires of another is a means of renewing!  Just sayin!