What Time Do You Have?

What time is it?

Luke 12:54-56
Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said,"When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, 'Here comes a shower.' And you are right. When the south wind blows, you say, 'Today will be a scorcher.' And it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but you can't interpret these present times.

Sounds a little stern, coming from Jesus! But we are held responsible for knowing what is going on around us, the times that we are in, and what is about to happen. Most of us are content to let time and events take place without paying concious attention to them We need to know what is taking place in our neighborhoods, churches, government, our world and the world around us. It is not enough to just see our immediate circumstances and not know how the rest does and will continue to immediately and gradually effect us adversely. We are responsible to pray and influence those who make decisions that effect change in the world around us. We may not always be able to do anything in the natural, but sometimes we will. We are called to pray for those in authority over us no matter what role they play. Do not be guilty of sitting idly by and incorrectly interpreting these present times and not respond accordingly. You, your prayers, your words, your actions may make all the difference in your world! We are to be in it, but not of it. Be pro-active! Be aware!

Who Cares?

A Woman sits alone in her bedroom crying in the night after putting her children to bed. Her husband has died and she lives too far for the arms of her loving family to comfort her. Who cares?

See the man in the office window with his hands running through his hair and the stress etching premature lines across his face. Who cares?

An adult child guides her aging father back into the house for the 3rd time after he's wandered off, wondering where he is or where he's supposed to be. Who cares?

A little boy sits outside alone with his baseball while his daddy talks to his mommy's doctor about a new treatment for cancer. Who cares?

Are you the caring neighbor, the sympathetic co-worker, the loving family member, the compassionate friend who can make a difference in one of these lives? Are you the arms of hope that Jesus uses to reach out and lighten a burden for someone who has lost hope or given up? Who cares enough to reach out and help? Jesus does. Can you?

Who cares?

Knowing When Enough is Enough!

There are so many instances where we can become overwhelmed, be it activities, people, responsibilities, etc. We need to be able to remove ourselves from the chaos long enough to gain peace. How do we so that?

I'm glad you asked.Jesus gave us the perfect example when even He went off by Himself to pray. He told His friends, "Wait here while I go pray." Funny how we expect people to be able to read our minds or just know when we've had enough and need to be alone. They can't and don't unless we tell them. It shouldn't have to become something that offends others when we reach the point of overload. Just say, "Excuse me, please, I need some alone time." Your friends will understand and those who don't know you will learn that you are just as human as anyone else. In this case, learn to help others by learning to help yourself, know when enough is enough!

"Heavy"

I saw this picture of soldier recruits carrying the Statue of Liberty to the tune "She's Heavy" (Movie: Across the Universe) and was absolutely captivated by the message it portayed. The weight of responsibility felt by those who procure our freedom is often times overlooked and we are de-sensitized to it's true meaning by commercialism and over- exposure.

I was reminded of the heaviness of the burden of these six young men aging 18-24 years to stake a claim in the name of freedom on a tiny island. 3 died, 3 came home. Appx. 7000 gave thier lives at Iwo Jima and only 27 boys came home who ever stepped foot there. The cost of a country's freedom in this historical event came at a high price for most of these boys, children who were scared and yet duty-bound to fight.

And yet no greater burden was ever carried than that of the innocent Man, Jesus, His Father's only Son, to purchase the lives of an unworthy people at the price of His own. People who may never understand the true cost of freedom, who will mock the sacrifice offered in love, spit in the face of the greatest gift they could ever receive and crucify the the very One who won their right to claim any human, civil or ammendment "rights".

What has your freedom cost you? Do you care? Someone did and still does. Do you know Him? His name is Jesus. He bought our freedom. He paid the debt you and I owed to set us free from slavery to sin and death. Our cost? Receiving it!