My Daily Pause

“Are there not twelve hours in a day?” – John 11:9a

How we choose to use our alloted time is critical

The way the Jews marked time, the daylight was always broken into twelve parts. Winter or summer, there were twelve “hours” of light so some hours were a lot shorter than others.

In the account of raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus knew the urgency of doing God’s will before his “day” was over. It was dangerous to go back to where he had angered the Jews, but God’s will was most important. (John 11:1-16) Even the disciples sensed this and prepared themselves to face the peril (John 11:16)

We face the same urgency. We cannot be sure how long our “twelve hours” will last.

Following Jesus’ lead, we need to make use of our lifetime to do God’s will – no matter how the world treats us.

I am the most stupid person there is,
and I have no understanding.

I have not learned to be wise,
and I don’t know much about God, the Holy One.

Who has gone up to heaven and come back down?
Who can hold the wind in his hand?
Who can gather up the waters in his coat?
Who has set in place the ends of the earth?
What is his name or his son’s name?
Tell me, if you know! – Proverbs 30:1-4 NCV

There is a running joke, (or a meme, if you know what that word means) about “first world problems.” We hear so many complaints about how poorly our day is going, when about 4/5 of the world would gladly trade their problems for ours. Problems like hunger, shelter and clean water as opposed to smart phones that don’t work, birth control that isn’t free or $40,000 cars we can’t make the payment on.

If I could make myself heard by every Christian, I would challenge every one of them to center their focus on getting to know God, to find out what he wants from them and realign their priorities before it is too late.

In the above passage, the Proverbs writer sets an example of the humility we need to have in God’s presence. Contrast his admission of ignorance with the pride and arrogance of the average person today. Just as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 8:2, we are only at the beginning of the things there are to know about God.

God has laid out a really nice plan for us. We should try that now.

Daily Bible reading for October 17

Psalm 77
1 Kings 11
Ezekiel 39
Romans 9:1-29

Part of the message that Paul needed to tell the Gentiles in Rome was that they weren’t included in the Kingdom because of anything they did, but by God’s good grace. He will deal properly with those that fall and those that live in his image. His explanation from Romans 11:11-24 produced this timeless thought:

… remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. – Romans 11:18

So many ideas among the denominations are ones that this verse speaks to. God is told how he will be worshiped  God is told who is worthy of salvation. God is told what actions are sin. God, the root and supplier of life has told us, the branches, what is needed for life with him.

Are your daily decisions based on what God wants…

or something else?

God demonstrated through Joseph that His will cannot be foiled through the results of sin. (Genesis 41-50) In Exodus 1, God’s plan is under attack once more from the King of Egypt. Notice that it only took a few little actions to keep God’s will on track and frustrate the Pharaoh:

• They multiplied despite hard labor and slavery v12
• The midwives disobeyed the king and didn’t kill the newborn boys v17
• Moses was hid (Exodus 2:1-3)

God is on our side when we teach His word and help His kingdom grow despite the attempts Satan makes to block us.

The last part of Joseph’s life was very comfortable and he had a lot of power. (Genesis 41-50) God used the sin of Jacob’s sons to save them so they could become the fathers of the children of Israel. Perhaps one of the most powerful acknowledgements of God’s providence was Joseph’s response to his brothers when they pled for their lives after Jacob’s death:

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today – Genesis 50:20

How encouraging to know God’s plan cannot be foiled by sin!