One particular day

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 10-12

TO CHEW ON: "And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt." Exodus 12:41

Here was the fulfillment of what God had told Moses would happen (Exodus 3:8,10; 6:6; 7:4). It's comforting to read words like "… at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass." Israel's days of slavery in Egypt had a definite ending, a point in time when they were finished.

The Bible speaks of human activities in time as within God's knowledge and control. A phrase that is sometimes used to describe this is "the fullness of time." That's the title of one of the chains of verses in my Thompson Chain Bible. "The fullness of time" is defined as "God's appointed time when everything is ready" - NKJV Thompson Chain Bible, p. 1771.
Some fullness-of-time verses:

• There was a definite moment in time when Joshua and the Israelites had followed all God's instructions to conquer Jericho "…and it happened" (Joshua 6:16, 20).

• John the Baptist preached "The time is fulfilled" (Mark 1:15) just before Jesus arrived on the scene.

• Paul explained Jesus' life on this earth in those terms: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His son…" Galatians 4:4.

• He also speaks of Jesus' return still to come "… which He will manifest in His own time" - 1 Timothy 6:15.

God doesn't have a fulness of time for only the big theological events of history, but also for our lives. David talks about this in Psalm 139:

"You comprehend my path and my lying down
And are acquainted with all my ways…
You have hedged me behind and before
And laid Your hand on me…
And in Your book they all are written.
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them" - Psalm 139: 5, 15, 16 (emphasis added).

We can trust God with His "fullness of time" for us. Whatever trial we're in of sickness, difficult circumstances, money troubles, family issues, He knows and will help us through them until we come to the very day our trial will pass.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your knowledge of my times, and how You have brought me through hard stuff in the past. Help me to trust You to bring me through the things I face today. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 20

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God's view of TIME

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Peter 3:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." 2 Peter 3:8

The Advent season is one in which we are exquisitely aware of time. Our seasonal customs of gift-giving and celebrating with food and drink have us counting shopping days till Christmas. Advent calendars deliver anticipated treats to children every morning. Our agenda books are full of commitments to attend banquets, concerts, and gatherings.

Even when we slow down to ponder the meaning of the season, the issue of time is still there in the yearning voices of the prophets. They saw the coming of Messiah and salvation but from a distance. They didn't know when it would happen.

Our reading today reminds us about how our concept of time differs from God's. A thousand years is one day? One day is a thousand years? But it makes sense when you're the God of forever past and present, to express one day in such incomprehensible-to-us units. It brings to mind other mentions of time in the Bible and we ask, what aspects of time matter enough to God to include in His Word? Here are some:

Our time on earth is brief:

"Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths. And my age is as nothing before You. Certainly every man at his best state is but a vapour. Selah" - Psalm 39:5.

There is a fullness of time—God's appointed time when everything is ready. This was true about the coming of Messiah—Jesus:

"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law" - Ephesians 1:10.

This is also true of the end-of-earth aspect of filled-up time that Peter talks about in our reading:

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise etc.…" 2 Peter 3:10.

There is a right use of time.

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time…" - Ephesians 5:15,16 (emphasis added).

There is an acceptable time, favourable for seeking God.

"For He says: 'In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation" - 2 Corinthians 6:2 (emphasis added).

However, we readily presume that time and opportunity will continue.

" 'Come,' one says, 'I will bring wine, and we will fill ourselves with intoxicating drink. Tomorrow will be as today and much more abundant' " - Isaiah 56:12.

Procrastination is our temptation.

"Now as he (Paul) reasoned about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, 'Go away for now; when I have a convenient time, I will call for you.' " Acts 24:25.

But James warns us about how little time we have:

"…whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." - James 4:14 (emphasis added).

What about us? Are we living on God's time wavelength? Are we conscious of life's brevity? Are we watching for signs of the fullness of time? Are we taking advantage of the acceptable time we're living in? Or do we put off for tomorrow those decisions and actions we know we should attend to today? Let's put ourselves into God's time-frame, adjusting our lives to His thoughts about time in whatever way they apply to us.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to view my time on earth realistically. Give me wisdom for how to use well the time I have today. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Enduring legacy

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 90:1-17


TO CHEW ON: "And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,

And establish the work of our hands for us;

Yes, establish the work of our hands." Psalm 90:17

Does it seem to you that the seasons are changing faster than they ever did? That Christmas, another birthday, your  anniversary is always just around the corner and that they keep coming at you faster than they ever did when you were a child?I don't know what it is about getting older that makes time seem to fly. Perhaps it's the realization that it's running out. The top of the timer is only half full, one third full, one quarter full...

The theme of Psalm 90 is the brevity of life and the stewardship of time. What vivid pictures the writer, Moses, paints to show how short life is:

To God a thousand years are like yesterday (before you realize it, only a memory), and a watch in the night (a few hours on duty) - Psalm 90:4.

To us life is like a flash flood, a sleep when time passes without our awareness, grass that grows in the morning but by evening is cut down, as slight as a sigh - Psalm 90:5-6,9.

Other Bible passages add paintings to the "Life is Brief" gallery:

• "Our days on earth as as a shadow" - 1 Chronicles 29:15.
• "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle" - Job 7:6.
• "My life span is gone, taken from me like a shepherd's tent; I have cut off my life like a weaver. He cuts me off from the loom" - Isaiah 38:12.
• "You have made my days as handbreadths" - Psalm 39:5.
• "He comes forth like a flower and fades away" - Job 14:2.
• "For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" - James 4:14.

In the setting of such fragility and brevity, Moses' request seems almost brash: "...establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands."

[Establish = kun means to be firmly established, stable, secure, enduring, directed aright, fixed aright, steadfast.]

Isn't this what we all want—to do something significant, to leave something that endures past the span of our short lives?

Just over a month ago we celebrated the sixteenth anniversary of 9-11. I would suppose that the men who designed those twin towers thought they had left a multi-generational legacy in the massive structures. Yet they came down in mere hours. What everyone celebrated on the anniversary was not the memory of those buildings but the acts of heroism, self-sacrifice, and love performed by many who died that day and how they made a lasting difference to lives.

Our love for people, as it works itself out in a hundred different ways, is also the best legacy we can leave. It is an investment in never-dying souls. Let's concern ourselves with leaving such a legacy especially as it involves introducing those souls to Jesus, the giver of eternal life.


PRAYER: Dear God, Moses' prayer is my prayer today: 'Let the beauty of the Lord my God be upon me. And establish the work of my hands for me. Yes, establish the work of my hands. Amen.


MORE: a poem...

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God's answers in real time

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 12:29-51

TO CHEW ON: “And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD when out from the land of Egypt …. And it came to pass on that very same day that the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt …” Exodus 12:41,51

When the day of freedom from Egypt finally came for the Israelites, it was a big surprise—to them at least. For we read that they had made their usual night-time preparations for the next day (mixed dough to which they usually added leaven in the morning). But then came the tenth plague and they were “driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves” (Exodus 12:39).

It was no surprise to God, though. The writer of Exodus (most likely Moses) even points out that the date of their leaving was a significant one—the 430th anniversary of their arrival.

The phrase “on that very day” occurs twice in this account, as if to emphasize the fact that God’s decisive action came in the real time of human history.

I take comfort form this for my life. God is still able and does answer our prayers on a particular day in time and space. I am looking forward to the day I can point to a date on the calendar and say, on this very day the project I bathed in prayer was completed, the healing occurred, the prodigal came home… Do you join me?

PRAYER: Dear Father, I love the fact that You know my upcoming days as if they had already happened (“And in Your book they were all written, / The days fashioned for me, / When as yet there were none of them” - Psalm 139:16). I know You will answer the things for which I have been burdened to pray in “that very day” that you have foreseen they will occur. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

In the nick of time

Abraham Climbs Mount Moriah - Schirmer

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 22:1-19

TO CHEW ON: “And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham … Do not lay your hand on the lad.’” Genesis 22:10-12


I like to plan things and know beforehand what to expect, how things will go, and what I will say. I am challenged by stories like Abraham, Isaac, and God’s nick-of-time rescue of Isaac from Abraham’s knife.

However, we could say, I think, that God is very much a God of the last minute.

• When the Israelites faced the Red Sea after leaving Egypt, the Egyptians were nipping at their heels when God opened a way before them to cross to the other side - Genesis 14:10,13,21-23.

• Again when Israel was about to cross the Jordan into Canaan, only when the priests carrying the ark entered the overflowing Jordan did its flow stop so the people could cross - Joshua 3:15-17.

Such last-minute events happened in the New Testament too.

• Peter was delivered from prison the night before Herod planned to bring him out (supposedly to execute) Acts 12:6-9.

• Jesus told His disciples to expect the Holy Spirit to give them on-the-spot answers when they would be questioned about their faith in the near (Luke 12:11,12) and distant futures: “'Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist’” - Luke 21:14,15.

God's nick-of-time ways are not, I believe, that He figures out what to do so late in the game, but His “fullness of time” way of testing our faith even as we learn by experience how very faithful He is.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to trust You, not my own devices, as I listen to You moment by moment. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Party time in heaven

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 15:1-10

TO CHEW ON: "'I say to you, likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.... there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.'" Luke 15:7, 10


The occasion of someone's repentance may or may not be a reason for a party on earth. If you are celebrating the return of a long-prayed-for-prodigal, it surely would. But in many cases, an individual's moment of turning from a self-directed to God-directed life is a pretty low-key occasion. In some countries, people keep it a secret because the decision to accept Christ is dangerous to life.

But it is cause for celebration in heaven. The angels, aware of the hugeness of what has just happened, throw a party (or however they express their joy) over each individual who repents.

Imagine, such a simple decision on earth, yet it has the power to spark a heavenly celebration. It's cause for angelic joy, and right up there with what the shepherds witnessed at Jesus' birth (Luke 2:13,14), and what John saw in visions of the exaltation of Christ (Revelation 5:9-10), the gathering home of the saints (Revelation 14:1-3), and the triumph of God as King (Revelation 19:6).

It makes me want to pause and reevaluate my priorities. It causes me to ask myself, do I value the things that heaven values? Am I spending time and effort on what will bring joy there?

PRAYER: Dear God, please make me aware of heaven's value system. I want my life to contribute to heaven's joy. Amen.

MORE: Roses on the stage

"There are fifteen roses in the vase this week," said the officiating pastor at the church we were visiting. I was puzzled when his statement sparked a round of applause. Then he explained. Each rose signified that someone had come to Christ through the witness and outreach of that congregation during the preceding week.

What ways have you heard of to celebrate people coming to faith in Christ?

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.

A time for down-sizing

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TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven: …
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away." Ecclesiastes 3:1-6

I love the catalogue of times in Ecclesiastes 3:1-9. It helps us view the ebb and flow of life's activities philosophically. However, that perspective can be negative or positive.

Negative:
It's easy to view this list fatalistically, coming as it does, after the Preacher's depressing observations that he will have to leave his hard work to the man who comes after him (Ecclesiastes 2:18); that the person who doesn't work gets the benefit of it (Ecclesiastes 2:21); and his sum-up complaint "This (all the above-mentioned and more) also is vanity and grasping for the wind" (Ecclesiastes 2:26). We're simply going through the motions of a life whose end is already fixed.

Positive:
Or we can read these verses as the Preacher's answer to the question about life that he's already raised. As the Asbury Bible Commentary puts it:

"Since all has been determined by God, life has purpose and meaning. Since God has set a time for everything, a sense of security results. The continual movements of life do not need to be viewed as meaningless.

'Instead of changelessness, there is something better: a dynamic, divine purpose, with its beginning and end. Instead of frozen perfection, there is the kaleidoscopic movements of innumerable processes, each with its own character and its period of blossoming and ripening; beautiful in its time and contributing to the over-all masterpiece which is the work of our Creator' (Kidner, 39).

From this perspective, then, God's actions are not simply arbitrary, but appropriate, and not simply confining, but releasing." - Asbury Bible Commentary, accessed through Biblegateway.com  "Study This."

I like this perspective, especially the quote within the quote which I've bolded.

The reason I chose to focus on the last part of Ecclesiastes 3:6 today is because I'm currently (and perpetually, it seems) downsizing—thinking about what to keep and what to throw away. Hard decisions must be made in this season of life. It helps to know that what I'm doing is biblical. It even becomes poetic.

The saving of all my stuff was the blossoming. The keeping and storing of it for years and years was the ripening. Now it's time to harvest—to decide what gets to stay, what is chaff, and what others will have a chance to own.

PRAYER: Dear God, I'm so glad that You're in charge—not only of my life but the world. Help me to trust You with my times. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.