His Time

Driving home tonight a song came on the radio that I'm quite familiar with. I know the words. I love the words. But do you ever find yourself caught by some aspect of a song you didn't realize or recognize was there?


The song is "What Life Would Be Like" by Big Daddy Weave. If you aren't familiar, you can listen here.


Anyway, I was just driving along, listening and singing, and a phrase struck me: "He opened blinded eyes to see that the sun rises on His time, yet He knows our deepest desperate need."


What awesome truth is captured in those words! I paused for a moment to savor it. How often, in the midst of life, through joy and sorrow, in laughter and tears, do we lose sight of the fact that this life is not our own? Time is not ours to plan down to the very minutiae of the day. Rather, each day is a gift, each moment a treasure. God is gracious to us not only to give us this life but to give us the opportunity to glorify Him with all that we are, including the time that He has blessed us with.

I don't ever want to forget the implications of that simple phrase:


"The sun rises on His time."


Time is His to give and His to take away. Who am I to question God's plan? Does He not know infinitely better than I do? Can He not see all of time and, regardless of my extremely short sighted ideas, choose the best course for me? All I have to do is trust! And in return, I am to glorify the Father with all that I do and say.


I don't know about you, but apart from salvation that is one of the most comforting and reassuring truths I could ever attempt to wrap my heart and mind around.


Does it seem like everything is going wrong with your life? Does it seem like everything you try to do fails? God knows. God sees. And He sees how those disappointments and failures are going to eventually bring about His own glory. All you have to do is trust Him.


Does it seem like everything in your life is perfect? Maybe all the pieces have fallen into place without you even trying? Good. God sees and knows that too. But in the midst of that blessing don't forget that God is due the glory and praise. And He will get it, even at the expense of your pride.


You see, it's His time. It's His plan. It's His will. And I am reminded tonight that nothing happens in this world that is not first sifted through His hands. So, in my valleys I will praise Him. And on the mountain top, I will glorify His name. Because His is the name that is above every name. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


Paul says it best, "Indeed, to me living is Christ, and dying gain."


What better way to live than in the shadow of the cross?

Pride

What do you take pride in? Where are you the strongest? The nations of the ancient Middle East, the ones prophesied against and about in the Old Testament, found their strength in sea and sword, trade and religion, even personal beauty.


I suppose its not any different today. Perhaps the most prevalent and debilitating vice, at the heart of every war, sex scandal, or child abuse story, is the issue of pride. Mankind is so proud. We think we're better than everyone else, even God, and we attempt to assert that power over countries, cities, people and even ourselves. Even at the heart of the fall of Satan and man was a pride which said, "I can be god of my own life." I know I think that way sometimes...


It seems there really is "nothing new under the sun," as Solomon puts it...


So, I was reading through Ezekiel and all of his prophecies against the many nations surrounding Israel (and even Israel themselves at times), and all of the sudden it hits me. The picture that Ezekiel describes, the reason why the nations are to be held accountable to God, is not really any different than the world today. It's old news, so to speak.


Here's what rings true over and above everything else. God is better. And stronger. And truer. God is all, and no matter how much we may think we have under control, we don't. And we never will. If anything, Ezekiel should put us in our place, the whole book should humble us quite a bit.


Over and over God says to Ezekiel, "Then they will know that I am the Lord God." (There are more references than I can list here. Go read the book and underline every time that phrase comes up. It's overwhelming!)


But why? Why does God say that so much? Because Ezekiel didn't get it the first time? No, I don't think so. I think God is extremely emphasizing (though maybe not so extremely considering how slow I am to understand this) that He is God! Over all! And we are not! Over anything!


So, what do you take pride in?


Is it your physical beauty?
Is it your personal strength?
Is it your religious piety?
Is it your skills and abilities?


I've heard it referred to as time, talents, and treasures. Or passion, possession, position, and power. Whatever you want to call it, the question is this:

What is taking priority in your life and in your heart over and above God?

More importantly, how are you using the gifts of God to further His kingdom and spread His gospel?


You can be a great singer, or athlete, or educator, or photographer, or preacher, or actor, or student, or businessperson, or whatever it is that you do. You can be passionate about things that are in this world, things that bring joy and excitement to people.


But the gifts of God should not result in pride in our accomplishment alone. Rather, they should produce humility before an awesome God. When we come to realize that rather than destroy us in our sin He made a way for us to be rescued from our sin, it brings humility of the deepest kind. When we truly grasp the depth of our sin and trespass against the Holy God, it brings gut-wrenching conviction. When we really get a hold of that idea, it radically changes how we think so that instead of seeking stuff from God we seek out what we can give back to God. 


So, this thing you're proud of? Is it something that you use to glorify God and proclaim His Truth to the world? Or are you using it to glorify yourself instead, to be the god of your own life?


God gave each of us good gifts to glorify Himself and I'd say it's high time we started living that way.

Checking Out

Have you ever been so focused and excited about what God has planned for you in the future that you lost sight of what God had for you in the present?  It's like we mentally check out of our present and cease to be aware of how God is working around us because our minds have honed in on and focused solely on the future.


This subject keeps coming up in my conversations - partly because I see other people doing it, but mostly because I feel convicted about it myself.  Then, of course, Scripture has something to say about it.  And, yet again, it comes up in my daily time in the Word (proof that I need to be consistently reading the Bible).  This morning was a reading of Matthew 4, the predominant story of which is Jesus being tempted in the wilderness.  The devil tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread, to call on the angels to catch Him from falling, and even to bow down and worship him.


It's interesting to me to read this story in the mindset that I've been in lately because my response is not typical, for myself at least.  My first thought upon reading this passage today was, "What if Jesus had checked out?"


Think about it.  What if He had?  Would Jesus, being starving and tired from a 40 day trek through the wilderness, have responded the way that He did to the first temptation of meeting his own physical needs?  I know I wouldn't have.  I'd be so focused on my physical need that I would probably be happily munching away on some newly created bread before I even realized I'd given in to temptation!  And yet, how did Jesus respond?

And he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (vs. 4)

My point is this:  If Jesus - knowing that He was going to eventually go up to heaven and be seated at the right hand of God - still focused on each day as a chance to glorify His Father in heaven, shouldn't we follow His example?


Yes, God has a plan for your life and your future.  Yes, it's exciting where He's taking you and what He's going to do through you to further His kingdom and glorify Himself.


BUT, if you get so caught up in a good thing that's coming that you miss out on great opportunities in the present to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ - what good is it?


It's a challenge for us all.  Don't check out!  We can't afford to miss a single chance to show Christ to someone in how we live today.