Good morning: “If I could save time in a bottle…” That’s how an old ballad begins. You may not remember the song, but we can all identify with the sentiment. Who wouldn’t want to bottle up certain moments to keep for the future? Would it be that perfect summer day at the lake with family when the stress and obligations of life were completely forgotten? It might be the excitement of moving into a new home or that moment of joy and anticipation when you said, “I do!” Wouldn’t it be great if we could bottle up time to pull off the shelf and use when we ran short? But it doesn’t work that way. Time is a limited resource. We don’t know how much we have. It doesn’t stand still. Miss the moment and it’s gone forever. It makes sense then to make the most of each day. Many people have a bucket list of places to go and things to see and do before they die. There’s nothing wrong with that. David writes, “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits...who satisfies your desires with good things” (Ps. 103:2,4). Every good thing is an undeserved gift from our loving Father. However, even better than checking off items on a bucket list is using time to reflect on how Jesus spent His time on earth for us. He didn’t come to experience all the best that earth could provide. When Satan offered Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor if He would bow down and worship him, the Lord answered, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” (Matt. 4:9-10). Jesus used His life to fulfill the law in our behalf. He laid down His life to pay the horrible debt our sin incurred. Through Jesus’ life and death, we have much more than temporary earthly life. We have life to the full. We have new spiritual life which will go on uninterrupted through all eternity. Salvation has been won once for all. There are no loose ends or additional requirements we need to meet. What is left is for us to enjoy our life in the Lord by putting our time to use in serving Him in all that we say and do today. Paul calls on us to be imitators of God and to live a life of love. “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19). There’s no better way to spend today and to look forward to tomorrow. In Jesus’ name, Pastor Service time tomorrow is 9 a.m. Following the service there will be a brief informational meeting in the activity room for all women interested in participating in the ladies group this fall.
