FOR A TIME SUCH AS THIS

 

LUKE 12:54 – 56

⁵⁴ ? And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. ? ⁵⁵ ? And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. ? ⁵⁶ ? Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? ?

You know when it’s spring, and when it’s going to rain....

But you CAN’T tell that IT’S YOUR TIME....

JOHN 7:6  Then Jesus said unto them my time is not yet come; but your time is always ready

You have been waiting for your time, but he said your time is already here. Many times we think God will move a mountain or part the red sea, and that will give a sign that it is time to go ahead with what he has placed inside you. Jesus said in Mark …..why doth this generation seek after a sign. Repeatedly, in the New Testament he speaks of people who seek a sign, and how no sign shall be given. A sign is to show when something is going to begin or end. We serve a God who is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. We think of time in hours and minutes, for God time is irrelevant.

He started you on your course when you didn’t even give him a thought. I think of my life now as one big learning experience. Every job I have had, every person I’ve met, and every thing I’ve gone through has all been leading me to this point in my life. He was teaching me what I needed to know, to be who he wanted me to be. The hardships I endured were so I could lead others out of where I had already been. So often we expect God to teach us life’s lessons with a thunderous roar from heaven but, usually he teaches us by leading us through our problems and showing us the way out. Then in retrospect, what we should learn to avoid the problem in the future. Most of the time if we lean on god, instead of on our own understanding, we can avoid many of life’s pitfalls.

My point is you are in this place at this time for a reason. God has placed something inside each and everyone of you. Everyone has a ministry god has placed inside them. We always think of preaching and teaching as ministries but, to minister is to guide or help others in some way. Maybe since you don’t have a desire to stand in front people and preach the word of god, you don’t think of your gift as a ministry. Maybe you know what God wants you to do, but your not sure when you should you start. God is always ready for you to start working for him. God has not placed anyone on this earth to sit in church and do nothing else, I promise. When he returns he will be coming for his church, a group of people doing his work.

This is your time, right here, right now. God has placed you where you are for a reason. He chose you, and called you, he is waiting on you to answer his call. To do that thing which he has purposed in your life. He is looking for people willing to work for him and do his will. Jesus once said, the harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few. You may think what he has placed inside you will not benefit anyone, but I guarantee it will reap a harvest. Some people he calls to be a help to someone else, to work behind the scenes so to speak. But if I didn’t have the people I have helping me behind the scenes, the ones you never see, I wouldn’t be able to do all things he wants me to do. So even though that doesn’t seem like an important job to you, I know the value of those people and so does God. It takes everyone doing different things to accomplish a common goal. James explains it very well when he says that everyone can’t be an eye, because with out feet we wouldn’t get anywhere. That is why I know he has something for you to do, because it takes all of us to do his work, to spread the gospel and bring souls to Christ.

 

J. F. Duffy IV

 Pastor

The Church of Jesus Christ

His Magnificence

 

We face a multitude of complex problems in our lives these days. Problems seem to come out of thin air. The minute we finish a tough battle we are thrown right back into another one. Whether our kids are acting up, the car is broke down, the bills are behind or we are just physically unable to do something there is a never ending supply of frustrations. So, How does one make it through these tough times? God’s plan for your release from this has to do with your strength, your trust, and his magnificence.

            God commanded Joshua to be strong and of a good courage. Paul exhorts Timothy to be strong. In order to stand against the wiles of the devil in Ephesians 6 you must be strong first. Strong is one thing you must assume if you are going to stand in the spirit of God. Strong to me means an unchanging resolve. You must resolve in your mind, in your  body, in your spirit to serve God. If the joy of the lord is your strength, then by rejoicing in the lord your strength comes. When you feel weak, PRAISE. When you don’t know if you can make it another day, WORSHIP. This is the day that the lord has made I will REJOICE and be glad in him. Let God build your strength through your praise in him.

            Trust is something that is very scarce in the world today. We can’t trust our politicians, our lawyers, sometimes even our own spouses or parents. Trust has been violated in the world to the extent that we can’t put our faith in anyone. The word of God told us that men would always fail us. It also tells us to lean not to our own understandings but trust in the Lord. God says when men let you down he won’t fail you. He says when you fall he’ll catch you. As long as we doubt we do not trust fully. God will take the time to earn your trust. If he never delivered you out of a situation that you saw no way out you wouldn’t trust him either. He took us at our lowest point and made us new creatures in him. Since then he has systematically put you in situations that you knew it was over. Then he picked you up and saved you again. It is these moments you must reflect on in your lowest times. In your newest problem. In your latest dilemma. The bible tells us that when you have done all you can do then STAND. Just trust. All things work together for the good of them who love God and are called according to his purpose.

              Which leads me to the true point. His Magnificence. God reigns supreme over everything. He knew you in the wound. He knew what you were going to do and what you are going to be. He even searches the hearts of all men. So he knows how you think and feel about everything. You are his child. He has shaped your whole life to produce the result of your ministry or outcome of your destiny. He kept you out of more trouble than you ever knew you were in. He grants you favor with people who hate you. He created the entire world by speaking. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. If you really knew what God does for you , you would never stop praising him. His magnificence even covers you when you’re not strong enough to fight for yourselves. When you didn’t trust him. He still believed in you. If you believed he was really God, you wouldn’t limit his abilities. We Get through the tough times because he ordained us to be over comers in Him. We are more than Conquerors in Christ.

 

David M. Duffy

Associate Pastor/ Evangelist

The Church of Jesus Christ