08 26 08 Timing is Everything

“For everything there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth…”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1 NET)

We all have heard it said, “TIMING IS EVERYTHING.” When something happens and where one is when it happens can change things dramatically in one’s life. Imagine living in Europe through WWI or II. Imagine journeying alongside Moses during the crossing of the Red Sea. Imagine being Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Jesse Owens, Wilt Chamberlain, or other athletes who changed their sport forever. Imagine marching alongside Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy and those who sacrificed their lives to change the face of the U.S. and its social policies. Imagine being there…and then! Timing is critical. When we live and how we live shapes our legacy. God places us in time for His purpose and for His glory. What will we do with our time here on earth? There is a time for everything and for everyone under God’s heaven! But are we in tune with God or have we tuned Him out? Are we working on His calendar or ours?

“Make the most of every opportunity. The days are evil.”
(Ephesians 5:16 NIrV)

Paul would say the same thing today that he wrote the Ephesians’ churches while in Roman custody near A.D. 60. While Ephesus was a bustling Roman province of Asia (present-day Turkey), key to Roman trade routes, and the location of the temple to the fertility goddess Diana, it was the center of Paul’s missionary outreach in Asia. So many came to know Christ, that many of the merchants and tradesmen in Ephesus saw Paul as a threat to their business of selling idols. Even in the middle of worldly influence and tolerance of lies and false teaching, the Gospel thrived through the work of Paul, Priscilla, Aquila, and others. Needless to say, they made the most of their opportunity in Ephesus. It was their time for God and God’s time for them!

Today’s world is still in God’s time, despite what we might see and experience. He hasn’t taken a vacation. In fact, this world is not much different than the world Paul lived in. If anything, it may be a bit easier. While some are imprisoned for their faith in the Middle East, African, and Asian nations, we still have the freedom to preach, teach, and live out the Gospel in the U.S. and elsewhere. We have the opportunity to oppose false teachings and the defamation of our God. Yet we are intimidated by the minority. We are missing so many opportunities to change our world, meeting God’s appointed time and God’s appropriate time for us, to leave a legacy like so many others before us.

These days are indeed evil. But we must not back down and hide in the shadows. We must make the most of every opportunity! We have to be in tune with God and His timing. If we delay, the appointed time will go away and the appropriate time will no longer be fitting. We’ll miss God’s timing and perhaps our chance to leave a legacy for others to follow. TIMING IS EVERYTHING!