Time

In preparation for teaching during the Christmas Season, I have been studying TIME. One of the common tools sailors used through the centuries was an hourglass. Hourglasses were reliable for measuring time during the day and night, in stormy and fair weather. Hourglasses come in different sizes and “time” measurements. Some hourglasses are 12 hour, some 6 hour and others 1 hour. The time measured is dependent on the amount of sand and the flow between the upper and lower chambers of the hourglass. The hourglass is a great picture of life. No two people have the same amount of “sand” in their hourglass, and the flow from the upper chamber and lower chamber of their hourglass varies in each individual. Moses in Psalm 90 wrote, from his observation and experience, “Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty.” Psalms 90:10 (NLT) Of course many live less than 70 years and some live more than 80 years. (My Mom is 91 and we have a woman in our church that will be 103 in February 2022) The writers of the books and letters in the Bible encouraged people to handle “time”and life wisely. Moses prayed “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” Psalms 90:12 (NLT) Jesus’ brother James wrote: “Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.” James 4:13-16 (NLT) Solomon wrote: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.” Proverbs 3:5-7 (NLT) Jesus help us to trust you with every minute, hour, day, week, month and year. Help us trust you with the “sand” in our hourglass.

Mold Me and Make Me

One day, the Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah, saying; “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” Jeremiah 18:2 (NLT) When Jeremiah arrived at the potter’s shop, he found the potter working at his wheel, forming a jar. While he watched the potter working, the jar he was forming didn’t turn out the way he hoped it would. The potter squashed the lump of clay and began again to form a jar. Jeremiah’s visit to the potter’s shop and watching the potter at work illustrated God’s work in the lives of people. The Lord revealed to Jeremiah that He is the potter of Israel. Today, He continues to be the potter of Israel and He is the potter of the followers of Jesus. He is the potter of people’s individual live and corporately the church. I find the picture of God as the potter comforting. Some bristle at the idea that God is a potter, determining what kind of vessel He will make and the vessel's purpose. Who is God to determine people’s lives, future, and usefulness? I see the meticulous attention of the potter to the clay. The potters’ hands, sometimes gently, and other periods, forcefully working the lump of clay. The potter adds water, when necessary, varies the speed and intensity of the wheel and pressure on the clay to form the jar to his liking. The potter’s hands are closely engaged in every part of the process. His hands varying pressure and location on the clay. The master potter spins the wheel at variable rates to create the design of the jar. I am that lump of clay on the potter’s wheel. The wheel is the circumstances, pressures, and process God uses to shape and form me. The potter of my life is at work 24/7. I like His loving and persistent work on this jar. His work isn't always enjoyable, but I cherish it. The Apostle Paul wrote: “The Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT) The potter is working the clay of my life to make me more and more like Him. When I was a young follower of Jesus, we used to sing a Marantha Music “Change My Heart, Oh God. One verse said: You are the potter I am the clay Mold me and make me This is what I pray This is my prayer, Jesus!

How Great is Our Lord!

I have been meditating on the truth that God is significantly different than the people He created. Recently on my blog I noted these truths. God doesn’t see things the way people see things. God doesn’t count time the way people count time. God has no needs. God can’t be tempted and tempts no one. God doesn’t think or act like people. Here’s a few more truths. “God cannot lie.” Titus 1:2 (NCV) “There is no darkness in Him at all.” 1 John 1:5 (NLT) He does not change. “I am the LORD, and I do not change.” Malachi 3:6 (NLT) “He never grows weak or weary.” Isaiah 40:28 (NLT) “Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.” Psalms 121:4 (NLT) God has no weaknesses. “How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!” Psalms 147:5 (NLT) You might be thinking – “SO?” God repeatedly reminded His people to “remember.” Over and over, through the prophets, He said “remember.” In the midst of topsy turvy world and as creatures who function by our senses, it is easy to forget He is not like us. I’ve heard our forgetfulness as spiritual Alzheimer’s. If not spiritual Alzheimer’s then definitely spiritual dementia. I find great solace in worshipping, loving and serving God who is consistent, honest, never changing and never sleeping. I find peace in my soul knowing I’m regularly praying to my Heavenly Father, who is above all of that is going on and who knows what is best. He’s GOD, we’re not!

What Comes into Your Mind When You Think About God?

Pastor and Bible teacher A. W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." The creation account in Genesis declares God made men and women in His image. Too often, people have reversed that truth. Instead, we’ve made God in our image. God differs greatly from people. We have some resemblances to God. Someone has said that the difference between people and God is like the difference between people and ants. Here are a few ways that God differs from people and that people differ from God. God doesn’t see things the way people see things. “The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT) God doesn’t count time the way people count time. “You must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.” 2 Peter 3:8 (NLT) God has no needs. “Human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs.” Acts 17:25 (NLT) God can’t be tempted and tempts no one. “God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.” James 1:13 (NLT) God doesn’t think or act like people. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT) The Apostle Paul described God’s “otherliness” this way. “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” Romans 11:33 (NLT) People might be like God in some ways, but God is not like people. This is the truest and grandest reality in the universe. It has always been true, and it will always be true. He’s GOD, we’re not!

Working for the Peace and Prosperity of My City

Centuries before Jesus walked through Israel, the Babylonian army took thousands of Jewish people from Jerusalem and the surrounding region of Judea as captives to Babylon. The captives found themselves living in an unfamiliar culture. The language, food, dress, philosophies, music, and religious practices were all different. They were “strangers” in a “strange place.” The prophet Jeremiah, who was still in Judea, wrote a letter to the captives. The letter was “a word from God" to those strangers in a strange place. God could have used Jeremiah to pen a similar letter to me as a “temporary resident and foreigner.” Jeremiah’s letter has served as a guide for me. I’ve taken it to heart and tried to apply it to my life and leadership. I am a “temporary resident and foreigner.” (1 Peter 2:11 NLT) I’m instructed to “Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors.” 1 Peter 2:12 (NLT) This is what Jeremiah’s letter said: “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: ‘Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.’” Jeremiah 29:3-7 (NLT) One of the most salient parts of the letter for me is “work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you” and “pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” As a “temporary resident and foreigner” to Whidbey Island, I’m directed to work for peace and prosperity and to pray. I want Whidbey Island to prosper. I want Whidbey Island to experience peace. The welfare of Whidbey Island is perpetually in my heart. Applying and obeying God’s directive through Jeremiah is “Loving God” and “Loving my neighbor.” It is likely that many of you are also “temporary residents and foreigners” in the area in which you live. Will you join Jesus and the Holy Spirit and work for “peace and prosperity” and “pray to the Lord” for “the city where He has sent you?”