Take the Time - February 7, 2010

Good Sunday morning! The schedule said Dr. Charles Stanley was on, the television picture said something different. A man was talking about his experience with one of the new workout programs. He said that at the first he couldn't do 20% of what the models on the screen could do. The man kept going though and eventually accomplished the weight loss and fitness goals he set for himself. We tend to make fun of those videos and infomercials, but they do have one thing in common - setting realistic goals and putting forth a steady effort. We are right not to believe the claims of extreme weight loss or getting fit in just a few days. Both activities take time and effort over the long haul. However, we then turn around and expect to become great teachers and missionaries for Christ in the same short amount of time.

If you set out to write the next epistle to the Romans tomorrow, you may find that your letter doesn't quite measure up to what Paul wrote. After Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he spent time in study and prayer, about 3 years if I recall correctly. Paul ministered in many places first and participated in many discussions. According to the Bible timeline, Paul first knew Jesus around A.D. 35, but didn't write his great letter to the Roman church until around A.D. 57. With all of his education and training in the Law, Paul still didn't do his wonderful writing for many years. Imagine if Paul had begun writing his letter to the Romans immediately upon regaining his sight on the street called Straight.

We would have a rather different letter I suspect, one in which a very young Christ-one was still working out his faith, and had many more questions than answers for the Romans. We too need to spend the time and put forth the effort to grow in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus. We may not have 20 years or more to put into it as Paul did, but we have Romans, the Gospels, and many other books in the our Bibles to study. We don't have to write Romans, we study and learn. We don't have to wait for Jesus to speak the Sermon on the Mount outside our towns, we can read it in Matthew. Time is short, as Jesus noted many years ago, and the harvest is ready. We have the Bible to study and a certain urgency to motivate us along as the end times close in. However, time will never escape God's control. Take the time to study and learn about God; enjoy a quiet walk with our Lord Jesus, and work out your faith in God's good time.

Praise God for the Bible, His holy Word!

Bucky