By Michael E. Brooks

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

The death of a very good friend prompted reflection on this verse and the remainder of its context. This was one of his favorite passages, and one which was born out by his life. He died at the age of 92. Consider the various "times" of his life:

He was a bachelor for 52 years, then married to the same woman for 40.

He was a soldier/airman for 30 years, a farmer for 40.

He was not a Christian until he was over 50 years of age, yet served as an elder of the church for 20 years.

He was a member of the last mounted cavalry band in the U.S. Army.

He was in the crew which flew the last active B-36 bomber to its final resting place.

Not only is there a time for every purpose in this world, but there is often time for a variety of purposes in each of our lives. We often become trapped and limited by the conception that we are of few talents or opportunities. Ours is the age of specialization and we may feel that if we can accomplish one thing, that is enough. Or we may feel that we cannot reasonably expect more than that. The truth is that life often holds many and varied opportunities and we may be able to take advantage of them all.

History is filled with the stories of men and women who completed one or more "careers" before attempting that which earned them greatest fame. Grandma Moses, Colonel Harlan Sanders, Winston Churchill, and many others were great achievers at times when most are well into retirement. Others tried and succeeded in differing vocations earlier in life.

A favorite advice column letter from several years ago read, "I would like to be a doctor, but if I started medical school right now and completed it in six years I would be 36 when I graduated." The answer was, "If you don’t go to medical school, how old will you be in six years?"

There is indeed a time for every purpose under heaven, and many of us have the time to fulfill more than one of those purposes. Paul urges us, "Redeem the time" (Ephesians 5:16).

by Michael E. Brooks

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 4:15,16).

Last week I once again crossed the International Date Line, traveling from Osaka, Japan to Los Angeles, California. As always (I have now done this a few dozen times) it was a strange sensation to suddenly "gain" (or, traveling the other way, "lose") twenty-four hours, merely by crossing an imaginary line somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The line may be imaginary, but the effect on one's body is certainly not. Jet lag is real. We left Osaka late one afternoon, traveled all night, then arrived in Los Angeles early in the morning of the same day that we left! Believe me when I say that is a hard concept to get accustomed to.

We often think of time as a rigid reality that is always the same. It is sometimes referred to as the "fourth dimension" and this suggests that it is as invariable and fixed as height, width, and length. That it is always the same. Einstein apparently refuted this supposition with his theory of relativity almost one hundred years ago. Under certain conditions time varies. I don't pretend to understand all of the implications or mechanics of that fact, but I have grown to accept it.

The Bible has a lot to say about time as well, and just like modern science, the Bible emphasizes different aspects and realities of this subject. We all know that God is not bound by time as we are here on earth. "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2 Peter 3:8). Being eternal, God existed before time began (Titus 1:2). He has intervened often in earthly affairs to bring about his purposes "in due time" (Romans 5:6, Galatians 4:4). Other important Biblical emphases on time include the following:

We are saved from our sins at a particular time. "For he says: 'In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). Paul stresses that we must not receive God's grace in vain, but that we must render faithful obedience to his will in all things. Salvation does not come to us gradually, or in some unknown, unperceived fashion, but is granted at the time of our obedience to the Gospel (Romans 6:17).

We will die at a specific time. "... As it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). Yet the exact time of our deaths is rarely known much in advance. James warns us, "... What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). Since we do not know the time of our death, it follows that we do not know the length of our lives. James advises us to make no plans for the future relying on ourselves alone, but to always submit to God's sovereign will. Death is certain, life is short. Therefore, we must live as to always be prepared to die and face judgment. Christ will return to this life at a determined time. "But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matthew 24:36). "... Keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which he will manifest in his own time, he who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords" (1 Timothy 6:14,15). Jesus, who left this earth forty days after his death, burial, and resurrection, will come again (Acts 1:11). Just as we know that we will die, so we know that Jesus will come again, bringing reward to the faithful and justice to the unrighteous (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10). And, just as we do not know exactly when we will die, so we do not know the time of Christ's return. But we must be prepared for either occurrence. Jesus urges us, "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."

Time is not as rigid and predictable as we sometimes think. Only God controls the clock and the calendar. It benefits us greatly to adjust our lives to his schedule and yield to his will.

By Michael E. Brooks

"Then Moses said to God, 'Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you," and they say to me, "What is his name?" what shall I say to them?' And God said to Moses, 'I am who I am.' And he said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, "I am has sent me to you"'" (Exodus 3:13,14).

The name of God has always been a subject of curiosity and sometimes controversy. Different languages use different words for divinity, such as "El" or "Elohim" in Hebrew, "Theos" in Greek, "Deos" in Latin, etc. Various gods are given personal names. Baal, Moloch, and Rimmon were gods worshipped by the nations surrounding Israel in Old Testament times. Krishna, Shiva, and Ganesh are deities of modern Hinduism. In a polytheistic society one cannot identify his god only by the generic term for deity; he must specify the exact one he wishes to address.

The third commandment is "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain" (Exodus 20:7). God attaches great significance to his name. He gave it to Moses in order that he might be correctly identified and known, and he protected it with a strict and ominous warning. The Jews took this commandment so seriously that they refused to even pronounce God's name, substituting "Adoni" ("The Lord") for "Yahweh" even when reading the Old Testament text aloud (a practice continued in most modern English translations –- for instance in Psalm 23 the original text says "Yahweh is my shepherd," but we read "The Lord is my Shepherd."

It is significant that the name of God is very like the Hebrew verb "to be" and that it is unmistakably connected with God's eternal existence in Exodus 3:14. God's name reflects at least a part of his unalterable nature. He is, he is the ultimate Being and the ground and cause of all other being. Without God there is no life, no existence. These truths are reflected and acknowledged whenever we speak or read his name.

I was made to reflect on these things recently by a rather trivial incident in Nepal. A group of Christians came to one of our workshops from the village of Badhurjahula. The name of the village means, "hanging monkey." Does that perhaps suggest a certain type of location for the village? Would you expect that name to be given to a neighborhood in a modern city? Badhurjahula lies within Chitwan National Park, the oldest of the parks in Nepal and home to many wild animals, including tigers, leopards, Asian rhinoceros, and, yes, lots and lots of monkeys. The name well describes and fits the village's location.

So our perception of God's identity and nature is enhanced by our knowing his name. He is eternal, all-powerful, ever-present. He Is! And He always will be! "Blessed be the Name of the Lord" (Psalm 113:2).

by Michael E. Brooks

"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12).

While hiring a car to take our group up into the mountains of Nepal to work among the churches in remote areas, I examined the tires. Finding them quite worn, approaching "baldness", I asked the car owner/driver if he could not put better rubber on the vehicle. He smiled confidently and replied, "These tires have been up into the mountains and back many times." I responded that I could readily believe that, but I was concerned about future trips, not past ones.

Too often we base our willingness to take chances with sin on past success. One might say, "I have drunk beer for years and have never had a problem." Or another may boast, "I can gamble, win or lose a little, but walk away at any time. I never go too far or lose enough to hurt." Often these claims are true, at least to date. But does this guarantee continued immunity from addiction or other peril? Paul's warning is a serious reminder that it does not.

Of course, this ignores the argument over whether drinking and gambling (or other similar behaviors) in moderation are permissible to the Christian. I do not believe that they are. But in making arguments against them, one of the more convincing is the addictive, enslaving character of these and other sins. Consider another example. Bangladesh is troubled by arsenic in ground water in many areas. Many people have drunk small amounts of arsenic in their water for years without immediate death. But when one of our wells was tested and showed arsenic, we closed it immediately. Arsenic accumulates and even small amounts taken over a long period are detrimental to health. We don't want to ingest any of it, especially knowingly. Should our approach to sin not be just as circumspect and cautious?

Of course, the warning against overconfidence does not apply only to taking deliberate risks with temptation. It is also directed against pride in one's faithfulness and any assumption of invulnerability. No one is so strong that he cannot be tempted. No one is so faithful that he cannot weaken. Paul himself says, just a few verses earlier, "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:27).

The Christian's proper relationship towards sin and temptation is stated simply. "Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good" (Romans 12:9b). "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak" (Mark 14:38). "But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness" (1 Timothy 6:11). We are to abstain from all sin and flee from the danger of temptation. Rather, we must seek righteousness and strive in all ways to honor and please God. Let us take no chances, assume no guarantees, but trust in God and seek his path always.

by Michael E. Brooks

"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

I had an interesting conversation with George, our cook here at Khulna Bible College, the other day.

George: "What would you like to have for lunch today?" Mike: "I don't know, what do you have?" George: "No, what do you want?" Mike: "What about spaghetti?" George: "No, I have tortoise curry, rice, dahl, some eggplant and some salad." Mike: "Okay, that will be fine."

In my experience, many "choices" turn out about like George's menu. We have preferences and often express them, but it turns out that we usually have to take what is available. Selection, economics, time, and many other factors work to limit our actual options much more than our theoretical selections seem to offer. But we usually get by, at least.

That reality makes the fact of our moral freedom of will before Almighty God truly amazing. He is Sovereign of the Universe, Lord of all that is, was, and ever will be. Yet he gives us genuine freedom of choice. Moses offered the Israelites, whom God had brought from slavery out of Egypt, complete freedom as to whether to enter the land of promise. Later Joshua would demand, "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15). It was up to them. And it is totally and completely up to us as well. We have that same freedom of choice.

Not all accept this. There is a school of theology that says that if God is truly all-powerful and sovereign, he cannot be denied. For man to refuse to serve him would be to limit the power of the Almighty, by definition impossible. This school demands either universal salvation or arbitrary predestination. All the choices are God's. Man has no say. Millions have believed these doctrines.

But the Bible plainly denies them, asserting in their place the wonderful truth of free will. Just as Adam chose death, so we may and must choose between death and life. Does this limit God's power? It would, if the choice was imposed upon him from without. But it is God who gave us this freedom. God does not compromise his sovereignty when he places limits upon himself. It is he who decided not to impose his all powerful will upon man, but to invite sinful man, in love, to accept God's grace and be saved.

This elevates man, not to the status of equal, but to the nature of rational, thinking being, able to do what his will and knowledge lead him to do. We are made in God's own image, the image of one with will and self-determination. It is that being whom God finds worth saving, even at the incredible price of the death of his own beloved son, Jesus. Man is not a machine, a puppet, or an unthinking animal whom God compels into fellowship. He is a rational being, whom God invites. One with real freedom of choice.