Stewards of Creation--Not even extreme situations sanction the wanton destruction of creation.

Conservation--Even the creation deserves a healthy measure of respect and honor from the people of God.

Honor Debtors--Even those who are in our debt are to be respected and honored appropriately.

For Failing to Stand--Standing is a way of showing deference, as if to give up one’s seat to the arriving person.

The Role of the King--This is not the first time God had told His people they could have a king.

Appeal--This provision is not exactly a form of appeal, but it’s easy enough to see how such a practice could derive from what we see here.

Retribution

This retributive form of justice was harsh, ... Note, however, that the punishment must be carefully measured. Justice was meant to restore order and social harmony,

What would happen if we began to see our neighborhoods in this way?

Are we making the Word of God delightful to the people around us?

The Word is powerful to convict and convert even the enemies of the Lord.

November/Scholarship

The substance of those things, which are made by him, began in him before all the ages of the world, not in time but with times. Time, indeed, is made with all things that are made. It is neither made before them, nor is it preferable to them, but it is co-created with them.

  - Eriugena, Homily on John 1.1-14 (Irish, 9th century)

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

  - Ephesians 5.15, 16

Jonathan Edwards wrote of the "preciousness" of time. It is God's greatest gift to us, next to His glorious Son, for in time we exist, through time we serve, and for the redeeming of the time we pray and watch and labor earnestly.

But what is time? It is a creature, although not animate; a thing, though we cannot pin it down. Time is, in essence, but a moment. The time past is gone; the time to come is not yet. We have memories of the past and nothing more. We cannot return there, for that time - every moment - is gone. We anticipate the future, but we shall not know it until the actual moments arrive - one by one.

Time is but a moment of existence, created by God and sustained in all its features and inhabitants by the Word of God, even King Jesus. Eriugena wants us to see that every moment of our lives depends on the steadfast love and faithfulness of God. Every moment is a gift from God, and every moment is to be used as though each moment actually belonged to Jesus, and not to us.

Time is, indeed, a precious gift, fraught with opportunities for knowing the Lord Jesus in His radiant beauty and unfathomable grace, and for serving Him so that others might know His touch and His truth through us. Let us, indeed, make the most of the time allotted to us, each moment, every day, all day long. What we do in and with time in the present can redound to the glory of God forever and ever.

Thanks be to God for the gift of time.

We're not making the most of our time if we aren't serious about the Lord. The current installment of ReVision challenges us to make better use of our time for knowing and serving the Lord. Check out Three percent? Really?

No one could ever accuse Patrick of not making the best use of his time. Get your copy of The Legacy of Patrick from our bookstore, and see how great an impact on time one person can have.

T. M. Moore, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.