SET ON A SHELF

Perhaps you have heard it said that 'a wine isn't good before it's time.' Or perhaps you may have read that a cheese is to be properly "aged."

There are certain things that have to be set aside for a particular amount of time before they are fit to be used. In fact, most everything that you come across in your daily activities need to be aged in order to be used properly.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH MANKIND?

God gave great knowledge to the author of Ecclesiastes. The third chapter gives us a great insight into the reasoning that God uses when He does the things that he does.

And at a time when David was at a rough time in his life, he wrote "But I trust in you, O Lord; I say 'You are my God. My times are in your hands;'" (Psalms 31:14-15)

Everything is done according to His time and His purpose. When Moses was leading the believers to the promised land, He made them walk through the wilderness for several years. Not because they were evil and had sinned (as we know they did), but because they needed to learn His will and grow to love and appreciate the land that they were to inherit.

The prophet Abraham and his wife Sarah waited 100 years before they were able to have children. Not by their choice but by God's choice and divine plan.

The prophet Job suffered quite an amount of toil and torment that built him to be a more wealthy and godly man.

Even Jesus walked in the wilderness for forty days and nights. There He was tempted by Satan to give up His calling as the Messiah and to follow the adversary.

And, lastly, after Jesus was resurrected, he appeared to the disciples to teach. They asked Him when the kingdom was to be restored to Israel. "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority." (ACTS 1:6-8)

All of these are examples of times that men of God (and even God Himself) have been set aside for a better purpose.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

We all have times that we are faced with times that we are troubled. We may have cancer, AIDS or some other disability. We may be experiencing a financial hardship. Maybe someone in our family is going through a divorce.

One of my favorite praise songs is entitled "In His Time."

"...in His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time. Lord, please show me every day, as your teaching me your way that You do just what You say, in your time."

Further

"...You make all things beautiful in your time. Lord, my life to You I bring, may each song I have to sing be to you a lovely thing in Your time."

When we have a period of suffering remember that God will never allow us to suffer more than He knows that we can handle. When we feel that we can not tolerate any more, then we are coming to the understanding that we have not let God handle the burden. Give your pain to Him and use the time to grow closer to Him as he is setting us aside for His divine purpose and that we will be better because of it. As Christ Jesus commanded us,

"Take my yoke (will) upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke (will) is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:29-30

One that is imprisoned is also being set aside for a divine reason. When someone is incarcerated, they are given a chance to grow in the Lord and learn all that he has for them to learn. quite a lot of the pressures that we experience here on the "outside" are nullified by the prison walls. Food, shelter and clothing (the three basic needs) are provided. Medical care is given and even a chance to learn and grow in ways that assist in the free world. But time, something a prisoner has an abundance of, is there so that the prisoner can commune with God and feed on the Word.

It is my prayer that you will seize every opportunity to grow close to the Lord. Take every day that He gives you as a day that you will do His will. Remember that it is His day that He gives you. He creates it and gives it as a gift to you. Please accept His gracious gift and give the gift of love back to Him by taking every opportunity to grow closer to Him.

In Jesus' most precious and holy name,

Amen

All Biblical references (unless otherwise noted) are from the New International Reference Bible, Copyright © 1994 by the Zondervan Corporation. Used by permission.

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