Timing is everything. In telling jokes, in shooting a basketball, in speaking after listening to someone pour their heart out to you. The right timing can make or break in any situation. I was watching a basketball replay the other day of a foreign league game. On the replay one player came down with a rebound and the other guy swiped at the ball and missed. The first player turned around and hit the other player in the head with the ball. After about 2 long seconds, the second player reacted by falling to the ground. It was hilarious. I'm sure the ball hitting his head hurt, but I didn't think about that because his reaction was so slow. He missed the moment of credibility to make us believe he had been hurt. What could have been a replay showing an out of control player hitting another one in the head, turned into a real laugher because of the slow reaction by the second player. His timing was way off. I love watching bull riding in a rodeo and you can tell when the rider is not in sync with the direction the bull is bucking. He looks all disjointed and ready to fall. Of course, that's what happens. He falls off.
When we think about the birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we definitely see one thing. Timing!! God's timing is perfect in the happy victorious things and the sad defeated things. Prophets told of all those things many years before they ever happened, and guess what? God hit every mark with perfect timing. It is a major encouragement to know that God's perfect timing is there every time.....but. When Jesus was born, few knew of it. When Jesus was teaching, few realized who He really was. When Jesus died, few realized the significance. When Jesus rose again, few saw the effect of it at the time. So many missed the Messiah when He walked by them on a road or street. He was celebrated by many as He approached Jerusalem, and then totally abandoned during his mock trial. Through the years many have had the opportunity to accept Him, but still few do. Many are called to live a life of purpose after receiving Him, yet few remain faithful. What happened? We are not ready for God with open hearts and trusting minds. We should relate totally to the disciples falling asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane because we as Christians we fall asleep at the wheel every day. Usually just when He needs us the most. We fall....we fail.....we fall asleep....we complain.....we doubt.....we mishandle His Word......we falter........but. God's timing is perfect. Just as He came through on Calvary, He comes through for us again and again with perfect timing.
So I guess it comes down to us. Do we trust God's perfect timing by continuing to burn bright for Him? Do we pass Him by and see Him in someone's life and miss what He is trying to teach us? Do we love Him one day, but crucify Him the next? Or do we realize that "Just in Time" He is ready to use us as never before in a most incredible moment of time. If we are following Him as He has called us to follow Him, our timing will be lined up with His and the world will be impacted by the purity of our commitment and the purity of Him in our lives. If we have a delayed reaction to responding to Him, it could be a real laugher. Why? Because we aren't on edge. We aren't looking! Be alert! Jesus drove this point home in Matthew 10:16 when He said, "Be alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove."
He's telling us the same thing today. As society continues down a dark path, it is time for each of us to be more pure in our commitment to the cause of Christ. It's time to get smarter by reading the guide book, The Bible. That way when God's timing is executed for an action by us, we won't miss it and mess it up.
Paul wrote to the Colossians in chapter 3 verse 2. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, be alert to what is going on around Christ-that's where the action is. See things from His perspective.
God is at work. Look around you and see how you fit into this whole thing and be ready to step up to the plate and swing. If you are practicing with Him as your coach, your timing will be perfect and you will get a hit every time. He is always God and always "just in time."
The Pilgrimage continues....
David Warren
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