This Day In Baptist History

Bible Reading:  Psalm 3

Key Verse: Verse 8 – “Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.”

Key Words: Salvation belongeth unto the LORD

It is difficult to envision how such an event could happen, but the Reverend Thomas Patient, after coming from England to the “Land of the Free,” was forced to return to Great Britain because of religious persecution.  But let us consider the phenomenon.

Thomas Patient was born in England, and it is thought that he was educated either at Oxford or Cambridge.  After becoming a Congregational minister, he immigrated to America.  Meeting those who professed Baptist convictions, Patient re-examined the Scriptures pertinent to baptism.  He concluded that “infants’ baptism had no foundation in Scripture.”  The Pilgrims had come to America to gain the right to worship according to the dictates of their own conscience, but the persecution that the Reverend Thomas Patient experienced caused him to return to his native land. We are then reminded again that religious freedom was little known in the early days of the American colonies.

Returning to England, Patient served as co-pastor with the Reverend William Kiffin in London in 1640. Patient was one of the Baptist leaders who signed the Particular Baptist’s Confession of Faith, which was put forth by seven Baptist churches in London in 1644. He has been spoken of as one “of the most prominent Baptists of those times.”

The English Parliament voted to appoint six ministers to preach in Dublin, Ireland, and the Reverend Patient accepted one of those appointments.  His gift as an eloquent speaker made him a favorite, and he spoke to large audiences. He acted as chaplain for Colonel John Jones in Dublin. The colonel, who was actually the governor of Dublin, requested Patient to preach each Lord’s Day in the Council of Dublin, and thus the aristocracy of the Anglo-Irish society heard a living gospel. From correspondence it is clear that Patient was personally acquainted with Oliver Cromwell during the British Commonwealth.

Patient baptized a large group in Dublin, and it is believed he founded the first Baptist church allowing the Reformation in Ireland. He apparently assisted in the establishment of the Baptist church at Cloughkeating. All the members of the congregation were tried for their lives, and his foreman of the jury vowed that all would be found guilty.  But in the providence of God, the foreman died, and all the congregation was acquitted.  Because he was willing to accept government remuneration for preaching, it is evident that the Baptists of London distanced themselves from Patient, but to him is ascribed the honor of building the first Baptist meeting house in Ireland.

After such a noteworthy and varied life, the man of God fell asleep in Jesus on July 30, 1666, having administered faithful service to His Savior in the New World as well as in England and Ireland. His Baptist conviction of immersion had cost him dearly, but the Lord honored his faithful servant.

 

                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞ Trust in God with all your heart no matter what you are going through.

Take Time To Be Right

Bible Reading:  Isaiah 9:1-7

Key Verse: Verse 6   – “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Key Words: his name shall be called

Names are important.  The Lord records for us the names of Jesus: Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. The Lord’s name is important…. So are the names of people.

When the 1960’s ended, San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district reverted to a high-rent area, and many of the hippies moved down the coast to Santa Cruz.  They had children and got married - usually in that order.  But the hippies of the 1960’s didn’t name their children Melissa and Michael.  People in Santa Cruz grew accustomed to their children playing with little children named Moonbeam, Earth, Love, Stardust, or Precious Promise. All of these children ended up in public schools.

That’s when the kindergarten teacher first met little Fruit Stand.  Every fall, according to tradition, parents apply name tags to their children and send them off to school on the bus.  So it was with little Fruit Stand.  The teacher thought the boy’s name was a little odd, but they tried to make the best of it.

“Would you like to play with the blocks, Fruit Stand?” One teacher asked.  “Fruit Stand, would you like a snack?” asked another. His name, by the end of the day, didn’t really seem to matter.

At the end of the school day, the teachers led the children out to the busses. “Fruit Stand,” they asked, “do you know which one is your bus?” Fruit Stand didn’t answer. That wasn’t strange; he hadn’t answered them all day.  Lots of children are shy on the first day of school.  The teacher had instructed the parents to write the names of their children’s bus stops on the reverse side of their name tags. When the teacher came to Fruit Stand and turned over the tag, there neatly printed was the word “Anthony.”

Now the moral of the story is simply this: before you start calling people names, you may want to make sure you’ve got the right name to call them.

 

                                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞ Get the name right.

It's About Time For The Lord To Return

Bible Reading: I Thessalonians 4

Key Verse: Verse 16 – “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”

Key Words: the Lord himself shall descend

It is not a matter of whether the Lord is coming back - it is a matter of when.  I believe it is very soon. The question for you is, “Are you ready when He does return?”

John was a poor servant boy to a rich doctor in London, England. John’s master loved the Lord Jesus and had church meetings in the large living room of his home.  At one of these meetings the doctor talked about the coming again of the Lord Jesus to take to Heaven all those who believe in Him. Everyone else, he said, would be left behind. After the meeting was over, the doctor said, “Well, John I just want to tell you that if Jesus comes before I die, I shall no longer want the things I have now. He will take me away with Him and then you may have my house and all my money.”

Such an offer took John by surprise.  He could only stammer his thanks. That night he lay awake wondering why his master had offered him all that wealth. Suddenly he thought, “Why should I want a house and furniture, a car, horses, and money after the Lord comes? How terrible it would be to be left behind, even if all my master’s belongings were mine!”  Soon he could bear the thought no longer. He slipped out of bed, ran quickly down the hall to the room where his master slept and knocked on the door.

“Why, John,” asked the doctor, “what’s the matter? What do you want?”

“Please, sir,” answered John, “I don’t want your house after the Lord comes, or your car, or horses, or money.”

“Well, John, what do you want?”

“Oh sir, I want to be ready when the Lord comes, to go with Him to Heaven.” Right there in the doctor’s bedroom John put his trust in the Lord Jesus.  Right there John was saved. Right there John was ready for the Lord’s coming.

 

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Remember when the Lord comes no one will care about how many cars we have or how many square feet our 

A Time To Reflect

Bible Reading: I Timothy 6

Key Verse: Verse 17 - “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;”

Key Words: Charge them that are rich in this world

Poverty in itself is not a blessing, nor are riches necessarily a curse.  But I do believe it is easier for poor people to be fervent in the Lord’s service than for those who are wealthy. An old story illustrates the point well.

In an area where ocean ships often crashed on the rocks in violent weather was a harbor town widely known for its dedicated rescue team.  Whenever the siren sounded, a group of men rushed to the scene of the accident, risking life and limb to save the sailors from drowning. After several years the citizens had enough money to build a rescue station close to the shore, which greatly facilitated the operation.  A little later, some of the people took special training and became even more efficient.  As time went by, they added some comforts and conveniences to the building.  They furnished it with a lounge and a kitchen, then a bar and sleeping quarters.  Finally it became a club where the townspeople gathered to have fun and relax.  The alarm still sounded but nobody responded anymore.  They were reluctant to leave their comforts and pleasures. A number of people would drown offshore, but no one seemed to notice.

Can we view this story as a picture of the change that takes place among Christians as we begin to amass this world’s goods?  Do we grow less concerned about the lost?  Have we taken on a country club mentality? I am afraid we have.

We do not need a country club mentality - but we need revival!

A heart that’s warm with deep concern

When set on worldly goals,

Will quickly cool and cease to yearn

For lost and dying souls.

                                                                                                         Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞ Take time to reflect on your life. How is your relationship with God?

A Time To Say So

Bible Reading: Galatians 6:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 10 – “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

Key Words: As we have therefore opportunity

An old gentleman used to stop by the antique shop in New Hampshire to sell furniture.  One day, after he left, the antique dealer’s wife said she wished she had told him how much she enjoyed his visits.  The husband said, “Next time, let’s tell him so.”  The following summer a young woman came and introduced herself as the daughter of the old gentleman. Her father, she said, had died. Then the wife told her about the conversation she had with her husband after her father’s last visit.  The young woman’s eyes filled with tears, “Oh how much good that would have done for my father!” She cried, “He was a man who needed to be reassured that he was liked.” “Since that day,” the shopkeeper said later, “whenever I think something particularly nice about a person, I tell them.  I might never get a second chance.”

One thing scientists have discovered, according to Thomes Dreiner, is that often-praised children become more intelligent than those who are criticized.

G. K. Chesterton said, “There are some great people who make others feel small. But there are other great people who make others feel great.”

There is an old saying that goes, “Don’t wait ’til I die to give me roses.” Words of appreciation can be the greatest gift you can give. Why not give one today?

 

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Find someone today that you usually do not give words of appreciation to and give it to them.  You might just find you have a new friend.

A Time to Worship

Bible Reading: John 4:1-26

Key Verse: Verse 24 – “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

Key Words: worship him in spirit and in truth

Now be honest, have you ever caught yourself simply mouthing words while singing a hymn in church?  While the pastor is praying, have you ever suddenly realized that you were a thousand miles away? It happens all too often, I’m afraid; and when it does, we are only going through the motions. We’re just “playing church” without entering into genuine worship.

One of the books in my library contains a story about a man who dreamed that an angel escorted him to church one Sunday.  There he saw the organist vigorously playing away, but strangely he heard no sound coming from the organ.  The choir and congregation began to sing, but he heard no voices.  When the pastor stood up to pray, his lips moved but he said nothing. The man was amazed as he turned to his angelic guide and stood in wonder. “You hear nothing,” said the angel, “because there is nothing to hear. These people are not engaged in genuine worship, only the form of worship. Their hearts are not touched, and their silence is the silence that God hears from the worship service because no one is genuine in their worship.”

  This story teaches us an important lesson.  The next time we go to the house of God, let each of us go with sincere desire to sing and pray and worship with meaning, whether in the choir or congregation. When it comes to the preached Word, let us listen with reverence. Only then can we engage in true worship, and only then will our praise reach the throne room of God.

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞ Do not just go through the motion of worship; genuinely worship the Lord. It will make a difference in your life and will add to the “church service” as well.

A Time to Die

Bible Reading: Hebrews 9

Key Verse: Verse  27 – “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

Key Words: And as it is appointed unto men once to die

The greatest peace that man can have is to know that when his appointed time comes, he knows where he will spend eternity.

The following is recorded by D. L. Moody.

D. L. Moody, badly overweight, grew ill in Kansas City, cancelled his engagements, and returned to Northfield, Massachusetts. He lugged himself up to his bedroom to dress for dinner but fell so exhausted that he took to bed. He declined quickly, and it became clear that he was dying of ‘fatty degeneration of the heart.’  On December 22, he suddenly opened his eyes and spoke clearly: ‘Earth recedes!  Heaven opens before me!’  His son sitting near him suggested he was dreaming.  ‘This is no dream, Will,’ Moody replied.  ‘It is beautiful! It is like a trance!  If this is death, it is sweet! God is calling me, and I must go!’

The family gathered around, ‘This is my triumph! Said Moody. ‘This is my coronation day!’ I have been looking forward to this for years.’  His face suddenly lit up. ‘Dwight! Irene!  I see the children’s faces!’ (Dwight and Irene, his recently deceased grandchildren.) Moody closed his eyes and appeared unconscious, but then spoke again. ‘No pain! No valley! If this is death, it is not bad at all. It’s sweet.’

A little later, he raised himself on an elbow and exclaimed, ‘What do you mean?  What are you all doing here?’  His wife exclaimed he had not been conscious.  Moody fell back on the bed and said, ‘This is very strange! I’ve been before the gates of death to the very portals of Heaven, and here I am back again. How very strange.’

Then he said, ‘I’m not at all sure but that God may perform a miracle to get me up. I’m going to get up and sit in that chair. If God wants to heal me by a miracle, all right; if not, I can meet my death in my chair as well as here.’ To everyone’s shock, Moody rose, walked across the room, and sat in an easy chair but later returned to bed exhausted, spoke tenderly to them some more, and finally went to heaven.

Never forget, we all have an appointment with God, either by death or rapture. The question is, “Are you ready?”

 

                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞ Live your life with no regrets.

A Time to Organize

Bible Reading:  Nehemiah 3:1-24

Key Verse: Verse 2 – “And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri.”

Key Words: And next unto him

I know you are thinking. “What a portion of Scripture for a devotion!” But believe me, it is really a tremendous chapter of God’s Word.   It shows us how Nehemiah accomplished the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem.  It took organization and organizing takes time.

I am a real stickler for organization and structure, planning out today, tomorrow, next week, next year. Oh well, you get the picture.

I am ever cognizant of the words of Bernard Baruch. “Whatever failures I have known, whatever errors I have committed, whatever follies I have witnessed in private and public life, have been the consequences of actions without forethought and planning.”  The best verse (So far as this pastor is concerned) in God’s Word for motivating us toward structure and organization is found in Ephesians 5:15-17, “See then ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”   Verses like this always grab my attention, and shake me and say, “Wake up, son.”

These are three evidences I look for in one not being structured or organized (not redeeming the time wisely): #1 punctuality, #2 procrastination, and #3 poor planning.

The story of Charles Schwab and Ivy Lee certainly comes to mind when I think of organization and structure.  Schwab was president of Bethlehem Steel. Lee, a consultant, was given the challenge, “Show me a way to get more things done with my time.” Schwab agreed to pay Lee anything within reason if Lee’s suggestions worked. Lee later handed Schwab the following plan.

“Write down the most important tasks you must do tomorrow. Number them in order of importance. When you arrive in the morning, begin immediately on number one, stay with it until the job is finished. Recheck your priorities, then begin on number two, then number three, etc.  Make this a daily habit. Send me a check for whatever you think my advice is worth.”

Lee got a check for $24,000 and Bethlehem Steel became the largest producer of steel during the heyday of the steel industry.

Your choices are two-fold: #1 Structure, or #2 Failure. I prefer #1, don’t you?

 

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Organize your time by using these priorities:

#1- Do that which is necessary.

#2- Do that which is needy.

#3- Do that which is nice.

A Time to Give

Bible Reading:  Acts 20:17-35

Key Verse: Verse 35 – “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Key Words: It is more blessed to give than to receive

 

The apostle Paul informs us that Jesus once said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).  He, of course, is speaking of material possessions and Paul compares it to sowing in anticipation of a harvest.  I wonder if we have looked upon giving as a matter of sowing in the hope of reaping.  When we give to some needy cause, we should do so without expecting anything in return or it is not a gift which we have given but a loan we have made.

Too often we forget that it is a blessing to be able to give, and that we are not on the other side with those in need.

A spring of water continually gives while a pool of water continually receives.  That is why a spring is always fresh and a pool becomes stagnant, constantly needing attention.

Once you fully comprehend the blessing of giving, there will be no need for schemes, drives, or sales to support God’s work. The poor preacher would not need to plead, urge and beg to keep the church he is pastoring afloat.  A giving church cannot die but when people stop giving, the church is dead even if the auditorium is full.  It is simply full of dead people. Anything that has life gives.

After a minister had earnestly pleaded for the cause of missions, a penurious old deacon complained, “All this giving will kill the church.” The pastor replied, “Take me to one church which died from giving and I will leap upon its grave and shout to high heaven, ‘Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.’ (Revelation 14:13.)”

Thank you for giving. You are a marvelous “live” church. I trust you will continue to allow the Lord to use you as a tool to give so others can be reached for Christ.

 

                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Give. Remember, only the dead don’t give.

A Time To Be A Role Model

Bible Reading: Proverbs 16:16-33

Key Verse: Verse 31 –  The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.”

Key Words: The hoary head is a crown of glory

The “hoary head” age is believed to be anywhere from age 60 to 70. We call those the retirement years.

The question has been asked, “What do the retirement years offer?”  Well, I heard of one 72-year-old man who said, “The job of the retiree is learning to be the vice-president of nothing and learning to live as a nobody.” Is this true? Can the golden years of one’s life be that bad?  For some, it will be. Doctors and therapists report that among our retirees, those who become hooked on the bottle simply have too much time to think of failing health, economic woes, the welfare of their mate, and life itself.

Wait!  Enough of this gloom and doom.  The senior citizen need not feel overwhelmed by all the feelings of anxiety and uselessness.  God has a purpose for the “senior saint.”  God said that old age is a crown of glory.  Wear your crown well. II Timiothy 2:1-5 teaches the “senior saint” that he should be an example to young believers. You are to be a teacher, a role model for others to look up to and respect.

Learn to give your time and energy to God through work around the church and in your neighborhood. Don’t lie around and wallow in self-pity.  Get up! You are somebody’s role model.

While years may wrinkle your skin, apathy will wrinkle your soul.

 

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Dedicate yourself to be used of God until your dying day.

✞You can retire from your job, but not from your calling.

The Acceptable Time

Bible Reading: II Corinthians 6:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 2 – “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

Key Words: in a time accepted

Paul had established the church at Corinth with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Paul had fulfilled the work of an ambassador (II Corinthians 5:18-21).

But not even Paul was sure that everyone in the church of Corinth was genuinely born again (II Corinthians 13:5). His quote in II Corinthians 6:2 is actually taken from Isaiah 49:8. So Paul is telling those in the church: make sure of your salvation, for now is the day of salvation.

A pastor was dealing with a young lady who was arguing that she had plenty of time to decide about her eternal destiny. So the pastor handed her a piece of paper and said, “Would you sign a statement that you would be willing to postpone salvation for a year?”

“No,” she said, “I will not!”

“How about six months?” Asked the pastor.

Again she said, “No!”  Then she began to see the folly of her argument because she had assurance of only the present - “now.”

 So it is with all those who are not born again.  Today is the day of your salvation as well. None of us are assured of having a tomorrow; so today, now, right this moment, if you are not saved, will you ask Jesus Christ to save you from your sin?

                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ If you ask Jesus to save you, let us know and we will send you some material that will aid you in your spiritual growth.

Brevity of Time

Bible Reading:  Job 7

Key Verse: Verse 6 – “My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.”

Key Words: My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle

Take your hand, doesn’t matter left or right, hold it up and spread your fingers.  Now compare the size of your hand to everything around you.  Your hand is very small in comparison, is it not?   Well the spread of your hand is a handbreadth; and compared to eternity, our life on this earth is small indeed.

In Kensington Gardens, one of London’s pleasant open spaces, there stands elevated a clock which has four dials, each showing respectively north, south, east and west, and underneath each dial is carved in large letters: TIME FLIES.

A very plain and truthful message this is and no one living will deny this plain fact. Many thousands have passed this clock and have no doubt been glad to avail themselves of the knowledge of the hour; but are not the timely words as to the fleeting of time a plain and solemn warning to all?

Each day brings us most certainly nearer to the close of our career here; and the well-known words are very fitting “brief life is here our portion.”

 

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞ Spend your time wisely - it’s more valuable than money.

Lost Time

Bible Reading: Exodus 21:1-19

Key Verse: Verse 19 – “If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.”

Key Words: loss of his time

The context of verse 19 is that if you injure a person and they have to miss work you are responsible for their loss of time and money. But I have found that people lose time in many ways.

A dear old lady from the country went for the first time on a railway journey about fifty miles through an interesting, beautiful region.

  She had looked forward to this trip with great pleasure. She was to see so much, but it took her so long to get her baskets and parcels right, to get her skirt adjusted, her seat comfortably arranged, the shades and shutters right, the anxious questions about all the things she had left behind answered, that she was just settling down to enjoy the trip when they called out the name of her station and she had to get up and hustle out! “On, my way!” She said, “if I had only known that we would be there soon I wouldn’t have wasted my time in fussing.” Dear friend, the wheel of time is flying; the last station is at hand; these things are so trifling. Get your mind on the main business of life; live as you will wish to have lived when you hear the call of the last station, and don’t waste any more time “fussing.” ~ Earnest Worker

“I’ve Shut the Door on Yesterday!”

I’ve shut the door on yesterday -

Its sorrows and mistakes.

I’ve locked within its gloomy walls

Past failures and heartaches.

And now I throw the key away

To seek another room,

And furnish it with hope and smiles

And every springtime bloom…

I’ve shut the door on yesterday

And thrown the key away -

Tomorrow holds no fears for me,

Since I have found today.  

~Vivien Yeiser Laramore

 

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:  

✞ Don’t waste time on things that are of no value.

Today or Tomorrow

Bible Reading: John 9:1-12

Key Verse: Verse 4 – “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

Key Words: I must work the works of him that sent me

I came across the following article in regard to today and tomorrow.

When travelers cross time zones, they set their watches forward or backward a mere one hour.   But when crossing the International Date Line at the 180th meridian, one must add or subtract an entire day, depending on his direction.  If headed west, he adds a day.  If coming east, he subtracts a day from the calendar (which means he lives the same day two times!).

Now imagine you are on a plane, flying north or south along the 180th meridian. Since it would be very difficult to navigate along an exact, imaginary line, your plane would, by a slight variance here and there, be zigzagging back and forth from today into tomorrow and back again.

In fact, when Rear-Admiral Richard E. Byrd made his second trip to the South Pole, he later reported in the National Geographic that it was impossible to fly along a mathematical line, although he had flown as closely as possible along the 180th meridian.

Man is the only creature who senses there is a tomorrow.  This means he can never be totally immersed in the present, knowing that tomorrow with all its uncertainties is just over the horizon. But neither can he live totally in the future, pressed as he is by the demands of today.  So he zigzags between the two, and success often depends on a happy balance, which leads us to our key verse: ‘I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work’ (John 9:4).

 

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Live today as if there is no tomorrow.

Melting Away of Time

Bible Reading: James 4

Key Verse: Verse 14 – “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

Key Words: It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time

Jesus describes for us the brevity of life in James 4:14. He compares life to a vapor.  Have you ever had vapor on your mirror?  It is there for only a short time period, then it is gone…. So it is with life.

Robert Hastings describes how rapidly life passes when he writes.

When I was a boy, we hung a four-cornered card in the window each morning during the summer.  The numbers 25, 50, 75, and 100 were printed in the corners.

It was our way of telling the iceman how many pounds to bring.  If mother had waxed the kitchen floor, she would spread newspapers to catch the dripping water, for ice melts in transit.  You never have as much when you get there as when you start.

Time, too, melts in transit. It gets away from us.  You never have as much left when you get where you are going as when you left.  Some people boast about ‘saving’ time. Hogwash!  Ask anyone to show you the time he ‘saved.’  You can save money, but you can’t save time.  It slips away. Oh, you can find quicker ways of doing things.  You can cut corners, timewise. But you can’t hold time back. You can’t put it in a deep freeze, or lock it in a vault, or reverse the pages of the calendar.

James 4:14 reminds us that our life is ‘even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.’ And Psalm 90:6 compares man to the grass which in the morning flourishes, but in the evening is cut down and withered.

And then the insights of Ecclesiastes 3:1-4, ‘To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance.’

Yes, time, like ice, melts in transit.  It’s your life!  Use it or misuse it, but you can’t hold on to it… which is what some mean when they say it is better to wear out than to rust out!

 

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞ Wear out; it is better than rusting out.

Making Wise Use of Time

Bible Reading: Colossians 4

Key Verse: Verse 5 – “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.”

Key Words: redeeming the time

Someone has said that the most wasted product on earth is not fuel or food, but time.  The wise person makes wise use of their time.

John Erksine, the well-known author, professor and lecturer, once wrote that he learned the most valuable lesson of his life when he was fourteen.  His piano teacher asked him how much he practiced and how long at a stretch.  The boy replied that he practiced an hour or more at a time.

“Don’t do that,” warned the teacher.  “When you grow up, time won’t come in long stretches. Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them - five or ten minutes before school, after lunch, between chores.  Spread the practice throughout the day, and music will become part of your life.”

Erskine stated that the observance of this advice enabled him to love a comparatively complete life as a creative writer, outside his regular duties as an instructor. He wrote most of Helen of Troy, his most famous work, on streetcars while commuting between home and the university.

Counting time is not nearly so important

As making time count.

I have only a minute

Just sixty seconds in it;

Forced upon me - I can’t refuse it.

Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it.

I must suffer if I lose it,

Give account if I abuse it;

Just a tiny little minute

 But eternity is in it.

                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse                        

What to do: 

✞ Don’t just count time; make time count.

No Time for Excuses

Bible Reading:  Luke 14:12-24

Key Verse: Verse 18–“And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.”

Key Words: they all with one consent began to make excuse

I was reading recently from the book of Luke, chapter 14, about the man who began to invite his guests to a great supper, and they all began to make excuses.  The first man said, “I have bought a piece of ground, I must needs go and see it.”  Now, who buys property without first looking at it? The second man said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them.” Now shouldn’t you test oxen first and then buy them?  The third said, “I have married a wife and, therefore, I cannot come.” All three are nothing more than excuses. I have been in the ministry for many years and heard a lot of excuses regarding why people can’t come to church. Well, when I came across the following, I just had to share it with you.  So here it is, enjoy!

To make it possible for everyone to attend church this Sunday, we are going to have a special “No Excuse Sunday.”

Cots will be placed in the foyer for those who say, “Sunday is my only day to sleep in.”

There will be a special section with lounge chairs for those who feel our pews are too hard.

Eye drops will be available for those with tired eyes from watching tv late Saturday night.

We will have steel helmets for those who say, “The roof would cave in if I ever came to church.”

Blankets will be furnished for those who think the church is too cold, and fans for those who think it is too hot.

Scorecards will be available for those who wish to list the hypocrites that are present.

Relatives and friends will be in attendance for those who can’t go to church and cook dinner too.

We will distribute “Stamp Out Stewardship” buttons for those that feel the church is always asking for money.

One section will be devoted to trees and grass for those who like to seek God in nature.

Doctors and nurses will be in attendance for those who plan to be sick on Sunday.

The sanctuary will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who never see the church without them.

We will provide hearing aids for those who can’t hear the preacher and cotton wool for those who think he’s too loud!

Now, the truth is while we may feel as though our excuses sound reasonable; to others, in all likelihood, they sound pretty much just like the excuses above. So let’s not make excuses; let us simply be faithful. Amen!

                                                                                             Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞ Be faithful to God’s house. If you don’t go to church because you disagree with the pastor on some issues,then you should never go to a ball game unless, of course, you always agree with the referee or the  umpire.