by Tim Hall

Was Jesus having a bad day or what? A woman had been following Jesus and His disciples, imploring Him to help her daughter who was possessed with a demon. It was as if Jesus didn't hear, but that didn't stop the woman's pleading. The disciples finally suggested that He send the woman away. It was then that Jesus stopped to hear her request.

After the woman had presented her need, Jesus' reply was curt: "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs" (Mark 7:27, New King James Version). "Dogs"? With most people, that would have been the end of the dialogue. Send the woman away? You've found an effective way to do that, Lord. Most people would have stormed off after an insinuation that they were of the class of dogs.

This woman, a Gentile, was different than most. (We are confident the Lord knew this long before the disciples did.) Instead of storming off or responding with a "But, Lord . . .", this woman replied with a "Yes, Lord". What significance there is in those words! She did not attempt to defend her honor or reputation. She was not sensitive to the Lord's seeming insult. Instead, she seems to have agreed that the Lord is right in all His statements. If He said she was to be classed among the dogs, then that's where she ought to be classed. But even so, her daughter still needed help. She argued that even little dogs should be allowed to eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table.

Jesus' next words show the value of this woman's faith: "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire" (Matthew 15:28, a parallel account of the same incident). What was so faithful about this woman's response? The most obvious facet of her faith was her persistence; she didn't give up, even though she had been ignored (seemingly) for so long. But isn't there another dimension to her faith? The Lord's estimate of her was more to be preferred than her own. If He considered her a dog, then so be it; it must be true. She did not try to save face with Jesus, but humbled herself to Him. (Matthew pointed out that she had already worshiped Him, a vital step in humbling oneself to Deity.)

How we need to learn these lessons! Too often we are turned away from the Lord by His delay in answering our prayers. "If God really cared, He wouldn't make me wait!" we think. But why must God act on our timetables? If He is God (and He certainly is), then He is the One who must decide when it is best to act -- or whether to even act.

It's hard not to feel rebuffed by the Lord when our prayers go unanswered for so long. Our inclination is to say "But, Lord!" May we meditate long and hard on the approved example of this woman whose response was "Yes, Lord". Maybe then we will be commended for our faith.

by Tim Hall

Some brand names have become a part of the American vocabulary. Mention the name "Kellogg's" and most folks will think of breakfast cereal. "Clorox" is a laundry bleach, "Windex" is used to clean windows, and "Windows" is now the word for computer operating systems. Another brand name reveals something about our culture: "Day-Timer" is the most familiar name in time management products. With so many activities competing for our attention, this scheduling tool is a common sight with business people, soccer moms and college students alike.

People devoted to their Day-Timers would have been quite frustrated with one of God's commands to Israel. On the seventh day of the week, God commanded all work to cease throughout the land of Israel -- the Sabbath day command. "Stop work? Are you kidding me?" people of our age would ask. "I've got way too much to do. There's no way I can stop my work. Maybe I can plan a half-day or so next month."

Such protests would have been far afield of God's command. Consider this statement about the Sabbath in Exodus 34:21: "Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest" (New King James Version). Plowing time and harvest are two of the busiest times of the year for an agrarian culture. The soil has to be prepared for planting; you just can't put it off. And when the crops are ready, they've got to be harvested. Yet despite the urgency of the seasons, God commanded that work cease on Sabbath days during those two Day-Timer-packed times of the year.

Why would God give such a command? What was His point? Isaiah 58:13 may help us understand God's reasoning. God promised His blessings "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words . . ." In other words, the Sabbath day was to be a perpetual reminder that God's will was supreme above all the other business of life. Knowing God and serving Him was to be given higher priority than planting, harvesting, or any other "urgent" affairs of life.

Israel struggled with this command, just as we struggle to find time for Bible study or service to the Lord. Our Day-Timers just won't relinquish such large chunks of time! Maybe, though, it would do us well to close our Day-Timer and listen to the Day Timer. That was Moses' prayer to God in Psalm 90:12: "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." God alone knows the time of our lives. He knows how many days remain before each of us will depart from this planet. He alone can teach us how to best use the time that remains.

Yes, the demands of the day are piling up before us. But "one thing is needed" (Luke 10:41). Will we, like Mary, choose the good part?

by Tim Hall

A subtle change is occurring around us. In many of the books we read, we see more use being made of the designations "CE" and "BCE". What are these? What do they mean? A quick glance at a current dictionary shows that "CE" means "common era", and "BCE" means "before common era".

For example, instead of saying that Columbus discovered the New World in 1492 AD, many works will now record the date as 1492 CE. Rather than telling us that Aristotle was born in 384 BC, we are told that he was born in 384 BCE. It's a change of labels. Instead of "anno Domini" (AD), we are now living in the "common era" (CE). Not a big deal, right?

I disagree. I think it is a big deal. It's another indication of the increasing secularization of our society. Many view Jesus as no more than a great teacher (similar to Aristotle), and do not wish to give Him credit by referring to history as "before Christ" or "anno Domini" (Latin for "in the year of our Lord"). But since it would be a Herculean task to change the entire dating system, they have chosen to merely change the labels. It is subtle, but sinister.

How can anyone deny that Jesus Christ did indeed change the landscape of human history? The changes are dramatic, and they are all for the better. What better way to honor Him than to refer to history in terms of "before" or "after" His appearance on earth?

But let's get personal: Do our lives reflect the changes that Jesus Christ can make? Is there any difference in the way our lives look to others since we confessed His name and put Him on in baptism? Or have we followed the trend of our times, and find that our lives are more secular than spiritual?

Let this be our year of change! Instead of living in the "common era", let us begin living "in the year of our Lord". Vow today to never start another day without breathing a prayer to God for guidance and wisdom. Pray today that He will give courage to live a changed life. Plan today for life one year from now to be much higher on the scale of visible spirituality.

"This is the day the Lord has made . . ." (Psalm 118:24, New King James Version)

by Tim Hall

"If only Jesus were with us; He could do something to help." All in the boat had been thinking the same thing. There had been that time when Jesus was with them when the storm arose. Thinking they were about to be shipwrecked, the disciples awoke Jesus. He promptly stilled the storm with a simple command (Mark 4:35-39, New King James Version). But that was then; now Jesus wasn't with them. "If only He knew how much we need His help!"

Hours earlier, Jesus had told these men to get in the boat and go on ahead. He would remain to send away the crowds who had been listening all day to His teaching. Jesus knew His disciples were bone-tired after a hard day. Besides, He needed time alone on the mountain to pray to His Father. Nothing could revitalize our Lord more than time spent in prayer.

For hours the disciples had been rowing, fighting the stiff wind that had descended on the Sea of Galilee. The journey should have taken only a fraction of the time they had already been out. Making no progress, they were now more then exhausted -- they were discouraged.

The observation in Mark 6:48 has become one of my favorites in all of the Bible: "Then He [Jesus] saw them straining at rowing . . . and about the fourth watch of the night He came to them." How could Jesus possibly have seen them? It was now totally dark, with even the light of the stars and the moon blocked by the storm clouds. There must have been some distance between Jesus and the rest, for He was still on the mountain. Nonetheless, Jesus saw them. Centuries before, David had foreseen this ability: "Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to you" (Psalm 139:12). The Son of God had no trouble seeing, even at that pre-dawn hour.

But the best part is that "He saw them straining". More than just seeing figures in the distance, Jesus could discern their dilemma. He knew they needed help. Thus, "He came to them". A marvelous miracle followed as Jesus walked on the water to reach them. But for me the most blessed part of the account is the revelation that "He saw them straining . . . He came to them".

This scene needs to be the subject of much meditation by every disciple. Each of us will occasionally strain at our rowing, thinking we are making no progress, become more frustrated with every passing hour. Knowing, however, that He sees us in our strained condition will help us to persevere. We will know that in due time He will come to us and help us through the windy night.

"Does Jesus care when I've said 'good-by' to the dearest on earth to me, and my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks -- Is it aught to Him? Does He see? Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief; when the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares." (Frank E. Graeff, 1901)

by Tim Hall

(Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday . . .)

Across my desk each week flow several different bulletins from churches across the country. I occasionally get good ideas or information from them, so I take a moment or two to scan each of them. Some time back, I opened one to find that the inside had been copied upside down. It was really a minor thing, and easily corrected.

A few days before that, another item came to my attention that I would also call upside down. This one will not be so easily corrected. The quote: "Farmers who grow the wheat used in Wheaties cereal get only half as much money as Tiger Woods receives from the boxes that carry his picture" (Current Thoughts and Trends, June 2001). Let me get this straight: General Mills pays more to have a photo on the Wheaties cereal boxes than for all the wheat that goes into the boxes' contents? Incredible!

It's all about marketing, of course. You may have a superior product, but if no one knows about it, you'll never get rich. One way to get people's attention is by using celebrities to advertise your product. Wheaties has done this with sports heroes for decades.

But this quote also says something about the values of Americans. One man who plays a game better than anyone else can make more money than hundreds of men and women who provide much more fundamental service to our country. And it's not just farmers. There are many professions that are significantly undervalued: Police officers, teachers, firefighters, nurses, (preachers?), etc. Yet where would our society be without any one of these groups?

Do we value the things that matter most? That's a good question for Christians to think about. In our society, there are so many things that call out for our attention. Many of those things are not evil -- they're good in and of themselves. But have we neglected the things that are most important by fixing our attention on things of lesser value?

"For my people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13, New King James Version). Nothing -- absolutely nothing -- is more important than our relationship with God. We must make sure we never neglect time with Him because we are too busy with more trivial pursuits. Being right with our Lord will keep life from becoming upside down!