I am sure that as you read this little article you will be able to connect with some of the thoughts and above all that you will take time to think!
Last month Carol Driver wrote about the Vine Community Church being 30 years old and to many that might seem like a long time, but in comparison with other things, it is a fairly short.
Since we were born, even when we were unaware, our lives were controlled by time.
On many a summer evening as a young lad I would be most upset, when playing outside, to hear mum shout: “John its bedtime!” I would often ignore and pretend I did not hear her and carry on playing with my friends and knew that ignoring that shout for a little time would be okay. Conversely if I heard my dad shouting: “John its bedtime, come in now or else!!” I would come quickly fearing the consequences of ignoring that call.
As we grow up time becomes more and more controlling in our lives and how often do we use the expressions, “I don’t have time!” “There are never enough hours in the day!” “If only I had time!” and so on, as we journey through life.
The Bible has a lot to say about time. Hosea who was a prophet in the Old Testament part of the Bible told the people of Israel in his writing, “It is time to seek the Lord!” Not seek religion, not seek church, but to seek God. The people of Israel had turned their back on God despite what God had done for them; bringing them out of Egypt from slavery, providing for them during forty years in the desert and so on.
We then move forward in time by about 500 years and Paul is speaking to the people in the city of Corinth, where he says to them, “Behold now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of salvation.” – people very similar to ourselves living busy lives in a prosperous area in Greece. Paul was reminding them what Jesus had done for them in making a way to get right with God and telling them that they had to take time to sort themselves out with God.
As our fascination with time continues in all sorts of ways: time capsules with Doctor Who, various sporting activities counting in tenths or even finer divisions of seconds, let us take time in our busy schedules to seek God.
If you want to find out more on how to find God, take time to come along any Sunday morning to the Vine Church in Globe Lane at 10.30 am.