1/12/16

I remember one particular basketball game during the 1987 Regional Finals of the NACC.  LSU was leading Indiana by eight points with only a few minutes left in the contest.  As is often the case with a team in the lead, LSU began playing a different kind of ball game.  They changed their game plan and went into a protectionist mode rather than their usual fast-paced, aggressive style.  The television announcer commented that the LSU players were beginning to watch the clock rather than wholeheartedly play the kind of game that had put them ahead in the first place.  As a result of this shift in focus, the Indiana Hoosiers were able to close the gap and won the game by a single point in regulation play.  That year the University of Indiana went on to win the NCAA championship.
 
While Jesus called us to be aware of the “signs of the times,” he clearly called us to expend our energies in faithful, active, sacrificial service.  As we await Jesus’ promised return, we are not so much to watch the clock as we are to be diligent servants during the time we have left on this earth… or until He stops the clock and draws down the shade on life as we know it in this life… to commence God’s eternal day in the greater life.
 
Pray with me…Dear Father God, it is so easy for us to become preoccupied with what is going on in the world.  We are so much more aware in this generation of extensive global communication and technology.  But, by your Spirit, keep us undistracted from the things that matter most.  Keep us focused, not on the clock, but on the deep things of the heart…on the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of those in our circles of acquaintance and on the need for the knowledge of God in Christ to reach the four quarters of the earth. In the Name of Jesus, Lord of all, amen.

Blessings,
Pastor Ken