The Gift of Today

There is something extra special about today. If we are following our regular schedule, most things, people, and places are familiar to us because we have seen them before; we are accustomed to them. Yet it is this routineness and familiarity that often cause us to lose appreciation for today. Have you ever stopped to consider that it is a day like no other day? That is because though we may be familiar with all that is around us, we have never seen today. Yesterday was another day and so will be tomorrow and that makes today rather unique. Once the clock strikes midnight, it is gone and can never be reclaimed or relived. Therefore, it stands to reason that with each passing day we are writing history. The things we say and do will be the legacy we leave behind. 

But there are some wonderful consistencies that accompany each new day. We can borrow the words of the Psalmist when he declares, "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24, KJV). Amidst the hustle and bustle of our day and the various challenges we have to deal with, we are often jaded to this reality. Being blessed enough to have woken up every morning for the number of years each of us has been around, it is easy to take today for granted. Each day is a gift from God, one to be celebrated, and like the Psalmist we too should "rejoice and be glad in it." 

Our obligation to have such an attitude to today becomes clearer when we realize, "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Not only are we beneficiaries of God's mercies every morning, but of spiritual blessings as well. Psalm 68:19 reminds us, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation." In other words, we have been blessed "with all spiritual blessings, with an abundance of grace, as well as with temporal mercies, for which He is, and ought to be, praised day by day." And just in case we are not aware, today we can see God all around us for "the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world" (Psalm 19:1-4).

As you make your way through today, take some time to reflect on this wonderful gift. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is nothing but a promise; the only "real" time we have is now. What attitude do you bring to it? Are you using it wisely? What legacy are you leaving behind?

The Value of Time

It was one of those chain e-mails, author unknown, which landed in my Inbox. Friends who forward them along know the kind of stuff they can send to me and this one was good! 

It said:"To realize the value of one year, ask a student who has failed a final exam. To realize the value of one month, ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby. To realize the value of one week, ask an editor of a weekly newspaper. To realize the value of one hour, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet. To realize the value of one minute, ask the person who has missed the train, bus, or plane. To realize the value of one second, ask a person who has survived an accident. To realize the value of one millisecond, ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics. Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have. You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special."

There is a lot of truth in that poem. Though we may not think of it in those terms, time has value; a value that we should endeavor to use wisely. It does not mean that every waking minute must be spent immersed in activities, but we should have an awareness that time lost cannot be regained. Author Henry David Thoreau reminds us, "It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?" For professing believers, we are to be good stewards of our time. Paul reminds the believer, "Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16, Amplified).

To truly live and to live purposefully means that we will live fulfilling the purpose that God intended for us. To do so means we have to see ourselves the way He sees - living lives of purpose - and resolve to using our time to achieve that goal. M. Scott Peck, noted psychiatrist and author, was right when he states, “Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” Paul encouraged the Ephesian church to "make the very most of the time because the days are evil." How much more evil are the days now? 

Let's not be like the man who said, "If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done!" Instead, let us use our time wisely and effectively. God, our Heavenly Father, expects nothing less.

Quality Matters!

Have you ever thought about the quality, yes, the quality of what you are giving to God?  For some of us, we take great care in making sure the things we give to others meet a certain standard. If it is someone we truly love, we aim for the best. The reverse is also true. We are offended if we receive a gift that is of questionable quality because no matter the size of the gift, we regard the quality of the gift as an indicator of the giver's feelings towards us. That's because quality matters. If we feel that way, how do you think God feels?

These thoughts came to mind as I reflected on Proverbs 3:9, "Honor GOD with everything you own; give Him the first and the best" (The Message). While this admonition may have referred to certain Old Testament practices, the practical applications extend to and beyond our times. It is worth remembering that everything we own, our money and other possessions, really belong to the Lord. We are simply stewards - people who manage property or other affairs for someone else - of those possessions.  The psalmist reminds us, "The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" (Psalm 24:1, KJV), and from the Chronicles writer, "Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all" (1 Chronicles 29:11).

It stands to reason that if we are giving back to the Owner what is rightfully His, then the quality of what we give matters.  Beyond our own logic, however, is the fact that this is what He requires.  When we offer something to God, He pays attention to how we offer it and the quality. To the dishonouring priests of the day, His rebuke was unmistakable: "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? . . . And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts" (Malachi 1:8, KJV).  In other words, if the governor would not accept what was offered, why would you think it good enough for Me, the LORD? Instead of offering God the best, they offered Him what they did not want and the leftovers. His response included this indictment, "I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand" (v. 10). Clearly, He was not amused!

Jesus affirmed quality when He said to the enquiring lawyer, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment" (Matthew 22:37). Notice He used the words " with all" in the three domains - heart, soul, and mind. Loving God this way involves offering the best of ourselves, our substance, and our service. It is what He requires and He accepts nothing less. "Honor GOD with everything you own; give Him the first and the best." How are you doing in this area? What is the quality of what you are giving back to God?

Do You Know Jesus?

The disciples were in a state of despair. Jesus had previously told them He would be leaving them (John 13:33) and after a bit of going back-and-forth between them, during which He assured them that He was going to His Father and would prepare a place for then before returning, Philip said unto Him, "Lord, show us the Father and then we will be satisfied" (14:8, Amplified).  According to the narrative, Jesus said unto him, "Have I been with you for so long a time, and you do not know Me yet, Philip, nor recognize clearly who I am? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father?'" (v. 9). 

From Jesus' perspective, Philip did not get it. Though this disciple had followed Jesus, saw Him perform miracles, was instructed by Him and His ministry, he did not know who Jesus was.  As Bible scholar John Gill puts it, Jesus was saying to Philip, "Surely you cannot be so ignorant as this comes to; as you have seen me with your bodily eyes, as a man, you must, know that I am God by the doctrines I have taught you, and the miracles I have wrought among you." In other words, this disciple saw Jesus with natural eyes and not with the eyes of his understanding and so his request for Jesus to "show us the Father" betrayed what Gill refers to as "great weakness and understanding." Jesus was not done with Philip for He continued, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you I do not say on My own initiative or authority, but the Father, abiding continually in Me, does His works [His attesting miracles and acts of power]" (v. 10).  What Philip was asking for was right before His eyes, yet He did not know it.

Jesus' question at the start of His exchange with Philip was a piercing one: "Have I been with you for so long a time, and you do not know Me yet, Philip, nor recognize clearly who I am?" As I reflected on this question, it occurred to me that some of us may be standing in the same place as the disciple.  We hang out and spend time with Jesus and some of His followers, we read and listen to His words, we see or hear of demonstrations of miracles, and we listen to testimonies of His work in the lives of some of those who trust Him. Yet none of this means that we know Him.  We can have a head knowledge of Him and know the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, yet none of this means that we know Him experientially, intimately, or that we understand (know and comprehend) who He is. 

To purpose to know Christ requires commitment on our part to pursue that as a goal. For sure, it is God through the Holy Spirit who opens our understanding to the person of Christ.  A shallow or passing knowledge is not good enough as it is impossible to experience the joys that come with having a personal and intimate relationship with the Saviour. In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul spoke of his resolve and the sacrificial steps he willingly took "so that I may know Him [experientially, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with Him, understanding the remarkable wonders of His Person more completely]" (Philippians 3:10). That's what it means to know Jesus. So, how about you, do you really know Him?