FROM THE PASTOR
July 29, 2018
My Grandson, Evan, came to Portage on Wednesday for a few days of fishing with Gramps this week. He’s a sophomore this coming year and it has been quite a few years since I have spent significant time with a full-bloom teenager. Now, don’t misunderstand me, he’s a great young man and loves to fish as much as I do (just not at 4:30 in the morning). Even with that one shortfall we get along great and always have a good time.
Actually, the 4:30 AM comment is not entirely fair. He almost made it. On Thursday he rolled out at 5:15 AM… slept though his alarm on Friday finally waking up at 11 AM… and set two alarms for Saturday enabling him to make it again at 5:15 AM. So, I guess 2 out of 3 is a goal worth offering praising. Being a little late and even missing one morning didn’t bother me, we didn’t have a hard schedule, and the visit was about doing something we both enjoy, regardless of the time. I came to realize though… the years since I dealt with a teen caused some memory fog to set in concerning a teen’s normal sense of time.
Again, I am not being critical. In fact, I kind of think I could learn to like ‘Teen Standard Time’. Here’s what I mean… ‘just a minute’ means ‘in an hour or so’… ‘not right now’ means ‘probably not never’… ‘let’s get an early start’ means ‘somewhere around noon’... and ‘I’m hungry’ means ‘It’s time to eat right now’. Teens just live in a different time zone than the rest of the world… they don’t let “time” bother them… and therefore is no time constraint at all.
Stop and think about it… One could facetiously say, “They’re actually in good company because God is not constrained by time either.” In fact, the very thought of eternity brings us face to face with the absence of time. Time did not exist until the week of creation. Even then, time was created for us… God’s existence does not depend on time (never has… never will) … time was always for our benefit.
Everything we understand about God’s plan is a factor of time. Here are some examples…
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NASB)
1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
2 A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.
5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.
Solomon continued…
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NASB)
11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart…
When was the last time you set aside TIME to spend with the Lord… TIME pray… TIME to meditate on His Word… TIME to listen for His response? If it’s been a while… perhaps it’s TIME.
Thank you for your faithfulness. Pastor Larry
