The Work of My Hands

Recently I have found myself craving more of something. I look for meaning in every little thing that I do....especially at this time of year. What am I doing with my time? You know, time is a funny thing, it seems to slip by unnoticed and for the most part unmissed, and then all of the sudden, your baby is one year old, your toddler is twelve, and your childhood toys are collector's items. We have instant coffee, instant meals, instant messaging, instant polls, instant pictures....the list goes on. But does anything truly happen in an instant??? I have to think that each instant, was actually a series of instances....small decisions that lead us to this point. Decisions to pray, decisions to serve, decisions to love when it hurts are all things that lead to profound events and life-changing instances. I'd like to consider today's portion of scripture from this mindset.

What led Mary to that point? While in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, Mary entered with her worship offering. The precious oil that was spilled out from that alabaster flask over the head of Jesus that day, flowed from a heart of praise and thanksgiving. The decision to pour out such a thing was likely preceded by a series of instances in her life, where Jesus offered her so much more than the price of that oil. As the song goes, we don't know the cost of the oil in that alabaster box, we weren't there the night He came and wrapped His loving arms around her.

What was it like to hear Jesus tell the Passover story? Did they know that the sacrificial lamb He spoke of was actually Himself? Did they know that from the foundations of the earth, God had ordained this moment in time? Did they realize at that point that the time on the Kingdom Clock was about to begin ticking to a different beat of nails being driven deep into the hands and feet of the Man they loved so dearly? There were certainly many instances that led to this time. Oh, life for them changed in an instant when they realized what was happening, but did their minds flash the series of events that led up to this moment? The time by the sea, the time by the tree, that time on the road, the time in their homes were just beginning to come together. They were certainly mindful of the larger clock and calendar.

What was Judas thinking? Oh, the times I have rolled this over in my head! Maybe it's because as much as I hate to admit it, I feel dangerously close to betraying Jesus some days, too, and I want to guard my heart against that! Almost certainly, there were small decisions that Judas made leading up to the moment he accepted those 30 coins. It scares me to even type the words, but I can think of several instances that I've been tempted to sell Jesus out for less than that. It's usually in hindsight that God allows us to see how dangerously close we come. God help us, we know not what we do. I don't think it's coincidence that Jesus prayed in the Garden for us to "watch and pray lest we enter into temptation...the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

So, in summary, if I am watching and praying, being mindful of the Kingdom Clock, offering my praise and worship to Him, then how am I spending my time? Am I spending it like it's running through an hourglass as the psalmist says? It seems that we are bombarded with devices that save us our precious milliseconds in this life. My question is....what am I doing with the gained time? How do I redeem it? Moses said that in Psalm 90 that time will "quickly pass", and prayed the Lord would "teach us to number our days." Our heart's cry should be the same as his, that "God will establish the work of our hands." What are you doing for eternity today? Do your plans make a difference for eternity's sake?? I suppose the time we spend here serving the Lord, sharing His word, sending the gospel, seeking Him to save the lost will all be redeemed in eternity. Oh, what a day that will be!