The Time is Ripe

"Then the LORD said to me,

'The time is ripe for my people Israel.'"

Amos 8:2

"Jesus answered,

'I am the way 

and the truth 

and the life.  

No one comes to the Father

except through me.'"

John 14:6

I am enjoying working in my garden.  One thing that I have learned about myself is that I'm pretty consistent with weeding, watering and fertilizing, but for some reason, I tarry when it comes to harvesting the ripe fruits and vegetables.  Either I think it needs to get a little more ripened, or I just love the way it looks and I don't want to remove it from the garden.  

The latter is what happened with my lettuce last year.  It looked so green and perky against the backdrop of the brown soil; I just couldn't bear to remove it from its beautiful surroundings.  Then the Romaine started sprouting shoots that formed flowers.  When I picked those leaves and served them to my family for dinner, I found out the hard way that the lettuce had bolted and turned bitter.  I had waited too long.

I best not take this same tact in giving my life to Jesus.  If I continue living my life, doing things my way, everything falls apart all around me.  Families crumble, marriages dissolve, relationships deteriorate, children rebel, pain rules.  I'm tired of trying to make it all work out. . . but maybe if I hold on just one more day, things will get better; right?

Maybe. . . maybe not.  The one sure thing is that the time is now to give my life to Jesus.  He will fight my battles for me, love me through the pain and stand by my side when everyone seems to be against me.  What am I waiting for?  What if tomorrow never comes?  

The Way

Back in Jesus' time, people followed many different gods.  There was Marduk, the leader god; Baal, the god of fertility, thunder and lightening; Molech, a god to whom parents sacrificed their own children; Zeus, the ruler of the gods to name a few of the hundreds different cultures worshiped.  People believed there were many ways to worship and the more gods there were, the better.

It's kind of like today when our culture tolerates and honors many ways to get to God.  Some people meditate, others learn to manipulate their breathing to reach a trance-like state, or work hard to impress God with all the good they've done.  Many believe as long as they don't kill anyone, they are okay with God while the extreme teaches killing those who don't believe as they do will win them favor with God.  All in all, the modern belief is that there are many ways to God. 

Jesus contrasted the many-god belief system with the truth using a sheep herding analogy.  Shepherding was a common occupation in New Testament times so Jesus taught that we are like His sheep and He is our shepherd.  Then, he expanded the lesson by saying He is the gate.  Sheep can only enter a pen through the doorway which the shepherd created.  But Jesus said He himself is the only entrance into His pen, or kingdom. "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."" (John 10:9)

Only one God?  Only one way to Him?  This is a radical concept. . . far-reaching enough to be true!  When I enter through the gate by trusting in Jesus as my Savior, as the One who took the punishment my sins deserved, then I become a part of God's family.  I am His and He is mine.

Now is the time to enter through the Gate, before its too late.

The Truth

I used to love to watch the game show, "To Tell the Truth."  Three people would tell of their unusual occupation or experience, two of whom would be impostors.  Meanwhile, a panel of judges would try to determine which contestant was the real character and was therefore telling the truth.  The most exciting part was after the judges had grilled the three and then made their decisions.  The host would then say, "Would the real 'so-and-so' please stand up?"  The three contestants would then look at each other dramatically until finally the one who had told the truth would stand up. 

One of the tactics the judges would often use in this game was to ask questions to try to trip up the contestants or to determine whether their answers lined up with reality.  If the judge had a good working knowledge of current events, they would know if someone was lying because it wouldn't jive with what really happened.

In the same way, Jesus said He is the truth.  Everything that had every been prophesied about Jesus or which God had given as a sign of His coming came true through Him. The test of whether or not a message came from God was given in Deuteronomy 18:22.  "If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken."

If Jesus had been born anywhere else besides Bethlehem, then He would not have been the Truth. If He was accepted and embraced by all the Jewish people, then He would not have been the Truth.  If Jesus' bones had been broken, then He would not have been the Truth. If He had remained in the grave, then He would not have been the Truth.  If any one of the 18 major prophecies and dozens of minor ones failed to come true, then Jesus could not have claimed to be the Truth.

As the Truth embodied, I can trust Him. When He says, "surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)  I know this is fact.   

I can believe Him when He says, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:2-3)  

If I am feeling dead inside, I can trust His words as truth when He says, "whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14)

I don't need to ask Jesus any questions to determine whether He is telling the truth or not.  His record speaks for itself.  

Now is the time to accept the Truth, before it's too late.

The Life

I remember sitting on the beach, engrossed in a good book.  My toes wriggled into the warm sand as the cold, refreshing beverage quenched my thirst and the sounds of the seagulls and waves mixed together to create a relaxing lullaby.  Ahhh. . . this is the life.

Of course I would think of all the things I like as being the best that life has to offer, but Jesus is the life.  Through Him, I am offered eternal life even though I deserve death because of my disobedience to God and His law.  This is a life that will last forever and which gives me much hope as I go through the difficulties of the present.

Even though this is the life I look forward to,  there is another life Jesus gives to me as His child.  Following Him means my life will be rich with meaning and full of blessings.  He said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)  

A full life is one in which I am satisfied with where I live, who I am and what I've been given.  It is more than just an existence where I run the rat race everyday trying to get ahead.  It is a life in which each moment is precious and every encounter is a divine appointment.  It is a life anointed by God.

Now is the time to live an abundant life through faith in Jesus Christ, before its too late.

I don't want to make the same mistake with my life as I made with the lettuce.  If I wait too long to give my life to Jesus, it might be too late.  Jesus is the only way to God, He is the truth and therefore can be trusted, and He is the life which brings hope for both now and eternity.  The time is ripe to pick Jesus!

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I won't wait another moment to give my life to Jesus.

When do I live with the attitude that I have all the time in the world?

How do I end up getting caught up in the present and forget that I may not have a future?