(Further reflections on “Is God With You?”—Sunday 24-Dec-2023)
Has God been with us? Scriptures gave a monumental 'yes’- from Adam to Abraham and to king David, his descendants, and ultimately God’s Son—Jesus Christ. Now the question “Have you been with Him?" begs an answer.
So how do you know if you have been with Jesus? Well, how do you know if you have been with someone? Do you know if you are passionate about something?
If you don’t know it by now, then here is a solid way to see it for yourselves, that is, TIME! Your calendar will not lie. It shows you ‘why on earth you almost always feel that you never had enough time for God’s word.’ In case you didn’t know, even if God gave us 30 hours/day, people will still say, “I wish I had more time.”
So 24 hours/day is what God the Creator had blessed His creation and people with. Let’s break it down (if you are so afraid of doing it).
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Sub-total is 18-21 hours. These are somewhat fixed from Mon-Fri/Sat. So we roughly have about 3-5 hours left for sports, entertainment, fellowship, socializing…and (if & when you do) quiet time, prayer, and coffee with Jesus through having quiet time with Jesus (hearing His voice), talking to Him (praying), reading His word (downloading God’s love to your spirit and soul) , fellowship (strengthening one another), and talk to others about Jesus (introducing/bringing others to Him).
It is possible that many of us here will have an ‘Aha’ moment like, “No wonder, I never have enough time to read God’s word since I have spent the remaining 3-5 hours for anything else but God’s word.
So now what? Repent and re-prioritize the God-given time in your calendar and you will experience His refreshing and rejuvenating presence in your life through His supplies—the Living Water and the Living Bread. And your life will be solidly built on the Living Rock—Christ Jesus. Transformation will take place. You will be delivered from or won’t want to go back to self-pity or victim-mentality, and “I’m just an ordinary Christian and I never have enough time for reading God’s word mentality.” And (‘yes’ and ‘yes’) Sunday will become a non-negotiable day as you don’t want to forsake our assembling together (as is the habit of some), but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day [of Christ’s coming back] drawing near (cf. Hebrews 10:25).
May the Holy Spirit refill our soul (mind, will, and emotion) with His Word as our spirit yearns for His presence in 2024. —
Pastor Lap
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