Good morning, brothers and sisters.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 4:3, “And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.”
For most of us, we have an internal clock that helps us manage our time. It is especially useful during certain situations at certain times of the day. For instance, as your work day is winding down, that internal clock can tell you whether you should start on another task or use your remaining minutes on something else. At the end of the day, I use my clock to assess whether there is enough time when my kids ask about playing another game or watching a movie or show. My wife’s internal clock seems to be whatever would be the opposite of a solar-powered device, for she seems to have no cut-off time for getting things done in the wee-est of hours of the night. But for most of us, there is a point where we will say it’s already such and such a time, I’ll do whatever remains tomorrow. And so it seems as though that little word “already” can influence significant decisions, some much more consequential than whether to stay up another thirty minutes or not. If you’ve already blown your diet that day, then what’s to stop you from splurging on another treat. Or if you’ve already lied once about something, then it’s certainly easier and more likely you’ll lie about it again.
What if you’ve already read your Bible or had your quiet time for the day? Does your mind tend to give you a pass on some things because you put in your spiritual time earlier? What if you’ve already been saved and baptized? Does that mean that things are taken care of and Jesus is just along for the ride? Or what if you’ve already served in some ministry or given time to an event? Does that mean you’ve done your part and it’s time you deserve a break? Short of deciding to follow Christ as Lord and Savior, there’s not too many things in our lives that should have happened already and been done. We are such that we need to keep on. We aren’t called to ride off in the sunset at a particular age or make ourselves a spectator when things change. What you’ve already done for good should be fuel for the next time. And what you’ve already messed up on should remind you how badly you need God’s grace and mercy. You probably already know this. And you probably already know what you need to do about it.
As we seek Him today, examine what’s already going on in your life, and what’s not going on. And then do something about it already.
Have a terrific Monday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
