 |
|
| Volume 19 Number 12 December 2017 | Page 13 |
|
|
| Volume 19 Number 12 December 2017 | Page 13 |
Dean Kelly
I looked out at the backyard this morning and could not help but observe the beauty of fall. One tall, thin maple tree was ablaze in glorious shades of gold. A gentle breeze was blowing with a slight nip of fall. Splashes of color dotted the woods just past our yard. Another season is truly upon us. Autumn is the beautiful preparation for the bareness of winter. The fall of the leaves, the beginnings of the frosts, the heralding of the coming silence. All of these are autumn. Soon the bareness of winter will be upon us, followed by the awakening of life in the comfort of spring. Finally, summer will bear down upon us with its withering heat, but untold beauty. Each will come; each occurs in due season. “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).
The wise man in Ecclesiastes 3 stated that there is a season for everything. There is an appropriate time for everything under the sun. However, way too often, we are impatient. The Psalmist and the writer of Proverbs admonish, over and over again, that we should “wait on the Lord.” That is something that we have trouble doing.
No question, we live in an age of instant gratification. Why do we carry telephones with us everywhere? So that we don’t have to wait to get messages or to contact someone. How do you feel about waiting in line? Fast food, instant messaging, microwaves—are we not impatient? Even the crockpot, the slow cooker, is used so that we don’t have to wait on a meal when we get home. Now, I know that these things are not wrong, and I am as involved in these as the next person. However, the same urge for instant gratification spills over into other areas of our lives, and it can make us miserable.
We want what we want right now! Sometimes we need to back off and realize that those things will come—in due season. We must put our trust in the Lord and depend upon Him. We must realize that many things are truly worth waiting for them. If we trust God, and we do all that we can to accomplish the goals and to obtain the desires that we have, then we must often sit back and put it into the hands of God.
God sent the wonderful Messiah—in due season. He opened the gates to Heaven to all men—in due season. God will bless us with the things we need and desire, within His will—in due season.
Autumn will soon fade into winter. For a few months, the trees will be barren and the air chilly. Only a few hardy birds will populate our backyard and woods. Yet, they all know that in due season, spring will return, and the summer is coming. They wait upon the Lord for the due time. “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.” May we wait upon the Lord, because He will surely bless us—in due season.
Mountain Moments
Derek Broome
There are many wonderful sights to behold as one gazes upon the beauty of the earth. Among those marvellous sights are some of the most beautiful mountain ranges that anyone can even imagine. These ranges are the home of the world’s tallest peaks and the resting place of so many that have attempted to reach their pinnacles. Mount Everest and K2 are among the world’s tallest mountains, and every year more and more people attempt to conquer those mountains. While reaching the top of Mount Everest or K2 might not be on your list of things to do in life, we all still have mountains that we must overcome.
In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve were faced with a mountain in their lives. Temptation and sin presented itself to Adam and Eve, and unfortunately they succumbed to that temptation and sin. They were temporarily conquered by the mountains in their lives.
Genesis 12 brings us a more positive conclusion to mountains that sometimes face us in our lives. Abram was asked by God to leave his home and go into a land that God would show him. Thankfully, Abram had faith in God and was able to conquer that mountain.
Matthew 19 once again shows us that if we are not focused on Christ, the mountains of our lives can overcome us. There we meet the Rich Young Ruler who had been faithful in so many things, but when Jesus asked him to give up his great wealth for Christ, it was a mountain that he was not willing to cross.
Of all of the many mountain moments about which we read of people facing in Scripture, whether those were temptations, tests or opportunities, one of my favorite mountain stories can be found in Joshua 14. In this great chapter, Caleb was receiving the land that was promised to him. In verse 12, Caleb made a bold and faithful stand for God and said, “Give me this mountain.” Caleb knew what he was doing. He knew the land was full of the Anakim, but he also knew that he had God on his side.
In life, we all have mountains that we are going to face. Some will be large like Mount Everest, and some may be small like a rolling hill. Yet, no matter what comes our way, let us remember to have faith, because nothing can stand in our way when God is on our side.