TIME

What is time? It has been said before that time is money. But that is not the kind of definition I am speaking of here. In its essence, what is time? Let me help you out a little here. If I were to take all watches and clocks away from you and put you into orbit around the earth in a space ship of some sort, what would time be then? Sunrise and sunset would lose much of its earthly application. If sunrise and sunset were removed from our present understanding of such, what would a day be? What would a week be? What would a month or even a year be then? You might would argue that a year is the time it takes for the earth to complete a revolution around the sun. Okay, let us back our spaceship a little further into space, let us say, outside of the Milky Way and let us re-ask ourselves the previous questions. Time, as I understand it, is very earth and sun relative. Even baking cookies with modern equipment is dependent upon this earth/sun relationship. You can set a timer and your coffee might be waiting for you when you wake up. You can set your alarm and you can make it to the doctor’s office “on-time”, whatever that means. Never-the-less, time as we know it, is very earth centered.

Try this on for size now. Outside of our “world”, does time even exist? Or maybe from another angle, is time, as we know it, in the big picture even relevant? There will be no night in heaven. Heaven is for eternity. Time, seems to me, would sort of lose its relevance at that point for sure in the broader scope of things.

Jesus, when speaking to the Jews, made this incredible statement. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”(John 8:58) A statement that speaks of his deity as much as his eternality, both ideas being mutually inclusive. And yet we cannot overlook the implication that time does not constrain God. God does work within the time construct. He moved the sun back a few degrees in the Old Testament. Surely time was affected. He stopped the sun from going down for Joshua. Surely time was affected. And yet Jesus’ statement speaks that he is so much greater than time itself.

I surely have just begun to embark on my personal journey of attempting to understand something I am sure only God fully knows. But none-the-less, it does have at least one spiritual, practical application. God is never early, never late and dare I say never even “on time”? Why? Simply because God is! My comfort is not that God is going to show up, but that God is ever present. If He chooses to reveal himself through visible activity, that visible activity should not become the expression of my comfort but rather the affirmation of my comfort. Why do I say this? Because so often, we construct scenarios in our minds that God has to show up when we say or ask him to show up. Should not it be enough to acknowledge that He has always been there (and will be) even when Balaam's donkey does not speak.

Luke

PROVERBS 17:14

The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.

It is kind of like trying to eat "just one" cookie. When I was little, we used to get our slingshots and look for wasp nests. Needless to say, some things you just have to experience to understand when we say, you just shouldn't go around messin' with certain things.

Blog land is kind of like that dammed up river or even the wasp nest. Some things/posts are just better left untouched. Otherwise, might I suggest that you either have your life jacket or some benadryl handy.

May God give us wisdom indeed to be a voice for righteousness and truth in cyberspace.

Luke

SATAN'S SMORGASBORD

Have you ever gone looking into the pantry or cabinets for something to eat? You were starving and you had to feed that empty pit in your belly. No matter where you looked on the shelves, everything was appealing you were so hungry. It was simply a matter of deciding which particular shelf to raid.

I wonder sometimes if that is how Satan views our churches. I wonder if he considers us as nothing more than a big pantry. The difference, I suppose, between our rummaging through the pantry and his is that he is willing to destroy the whole pantry while we usually just take the item or two we are interested in. I suppose another difference as well is that we can be satiated, if but for a few hours, while he, who is destined for the bottomless pit, has an insatiable desire, a bottomless pit for a stomach, to devour even after just devouring something/someone else.

The problem however lies not so much in that he is insatiable when it comes to destruction. Rather, the problem is our lack of vigilance. You see, he can be resisted. You can avoid being devoured by Satan. You can avoid being the entree or even the dessert. Satan desires to catch you unaware. Charles Stanley has pointed out that this can be when we are tired, sick or even celebrating a great success in our lives.(Heard from a sermon on the radio) We are to be ever watchful and keen of vision if we truly desire to avoid being Satan's next meal. (I'd even go so far as to say that a "SALTY" Christian is undesirable to Satan as well.) To avoid being on the menu, Peter writes:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are int he world.

Are you what's for supper?

Luke

WHAT A WEEK!

VBS/Day Camp, the SB Convention, a garden, 3 nephews and a broken refrigerator. Oh yes, by the way, two sermons for Sunday morning(Father's day of all things) and a Sunday School lesson. Someone asked me, "Aren't you tired?". I replied that I was simply glad the week had passed. Here is a short recap of each.

VBS/Day Camp
Our church does things a little different. In order to reach children who would otherwise spend their day in a daycare, we have what is called day camp. We allow children to be dropped off between 6:30 AM. We take care of them until VBS starts at 8:30 AM. At 12:00PM, when some children leave, we have the rest of day camp until 5:30PM. Many of our church's children stay as well for the activities we have planned for the rest of the day. We feed them lunch and then have recreation, crafts, snacks etc. all without cost to the parents. We like the time to teach them about Jesus as well as enjoying time with other children in a safe, Christian environment. The younger children love Duck, Duck, Goose. Needless to say, I made many a circle around those children chasing them or being chased. I also had the opportunity to teach 3 and 4 year olds a song. It is amazing how fast they can pick up on the words. As one little boy said thought when Friday rolled around, "this is the saddest day of VBS. It is over after today." While I am honestly glad that the "responsibility" is over, I too am sad that all of those little children won't be in church here this morning.

The Southern Baptist Convention
I tried to keep up with the events. I was able to watch a 10 minute live segment. I was able to read a few blogs to follow the events as well but only at short intervals and very few intervals at that. I do not think in any way that it was as defining as some thought it would be but I do see that it has begun a new era in discussion about precisely what SB's are going to claim as specifics for cooperation amongst ourselves and others. Though quite honestly, NO ONE, and I emphasize no one has been able to demonstrate very effectively yet for me how we are going to qualify different "tiers" of doctrine.

A Garden
Beans, squash and cucumbers do not stop growing just because it is VBS week. I tended my garden late in the evening under the cover of rain twice. For you gardeners, during the rain is the ideal time to squish bugs. They seem to move a lot slower during the rain. I think the cooling effect on their bodies slows them down.

3 Nephews
In order that 2 visiting nephews could spend time with the third, I had them over to our place for the evening. I recently acquired Bug's Bunny cartoons on DVD and we watched them as we waited for the 3rd to arrive. They had lots of questions for Uncle Luke but none more important as to exactly when the 3rd would arrive. Upon his arrival, we ate supper. Yes, I can cook. My daughter then took the boys outside to swim in our above ground pool. They had a blast but she continually reminded me that she had not signed up for that. I was tending the garden at that time. Waking them up the next morning was a riot. I woke them up earlier than normal so that we could be at Day Camp on time. 3 nephews, all sitting up on the sofa bed, hair going every direction trying to figure out how it is that 6 O'clock comes twice in one day.

A Broken Refrigerator
What a disaster. We came home from a long day of VBS and the fridge was not frigid. In fact, it was very tepid. The ice had melted, the hamburger patties were mush, the ice cream was liquid foam and the butter was no longer in block form. I checked it out and determined that the compressor had croaked. My cousin then came and checked it and he said that one of the coils had stopped up somewhere and that is what had caused the problem. Basically, buy a new one he said. Someone at church the next day offered my wife a used one. I called them that night to ascertain the facts about that frig but no one was at home, so, I hopped onto the computer and began price checking. I did not have the cash but I do have a credit card. I really did not want to charge it but I saw no other way. We were busy with VBS and my wife suggested that since we were not home much during the week, I could just take care of it on Saturday. Good suggestion! I thought about it all week, wrestling about how to afford either a new or used one. I determined that I was not going to charge it but that God was going to provide if I would take Him at His word. Well, wouldn't ya know it. God CAN be trusted. Through a family member, we were GIVEN, NO MONEY, NO CHARGE a refrigerator. Not brand new mind you but ironically, one that had originally been ours. A little bit of soap, some sawing on the cabinets to make the hole size amiable and viola, we now have ice again. Thank you Lord for providing.

I am SO GLAD that Monday is here. But looking back over the past week, God provided a safe VBS/Day Camp, no one was slain at the Alamo(SB Convention), I really enjoyed watching my garden grow, my time with the nephews was priceless, and I did not have to go in to debt to own a refrigerator. I wonder what God is going to do this week?

Luke

SATAN'S WORST NIGHTMARE

Sounds kind of funny to type that title considering that Satan thrives on spreading fear wherever he goes. But have you ever imagined that there is something that just really makes Satan quake. And, this very act that makes him quake is that which he tries to drive away and prevent from taking place in the life of God's children. Once learned by the child of God, this very act has the spiritual power to exalt the Lord, encourage the believer and exile the deceiver. What is it you ask?

It is important that we know why "Lucifer" fell from heaven. Isaiah 14:12-17 and Ezekiel 28:11-19 From these texts, we learn that pride was his downfall. But what explicit attribute of pride was it that he exhibited. He, Lucifer/Satan, wanted to be worshiped above the LORD. And since he could not be worshiped, he sought to destroy and defile the true worship of the LORD. Thus, he set his sights on God's creation in order to deprive God from what He(God) desires and deserves. Satan wanted to deprive God of worship.

With that in mind, what is Satan's worst nightmare? Psalm 100 is the answer. It is the believer entering into the presence of the King of Kings with thanksgiving and praise, with joyful noise coming from the heart. The moment Satan gets you to the point that you cease to give praise and thanksgiving, he derives his pleasure and power. You see, it is not so much you that he is after, but God himself. You are a pawn in Satan's eyes, simply a means to an ends. He cares nothing for you or about you except that whatever you do, he does not want you worshiping God. So quit your griping and groaning and moaning and start thanking and praising God. How can one resist the devil? By becoming his worst nightmare. Become a child of thanksgiving and praise. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Let your heart speak of the mercies of the Lord. Let His praise ever be upon your lips.

Luke

TAKING REQUESTS

To the readers of this blog, are there any particular issues that you personally would like to see addressed? Or perhaps, any questions that you would like a different perspective on?

That being said, a thought for today. Last night as you lay sleeping, Jesus was awake. Yesterday, as you grew hungry for your supper, Jesus was not growing hungry. Yesterday, as you anxiously awaited news whether for good or bad, Jesus was not anxious. Yesterday, as you sat puzzled and confused over your situation, Jesus was neither puzzled or confused. The tears that stained your pillow or your prayer place, Jesus watched.

Not a sparrow can fall to the ground without the knowledge of its Creator. "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." Matthew 10:31 Take comfort in the fact that you are under the ever watchful eye of your Savior and that He will provide all that you need if you will seek His kingdom first. Matthew 10:33.

Have a blessed and grace-filled weekend...

Luke