Now.

                                                                                                                    
Aloha Dearest Family,

                My sons and I have always loved movies. One of our favorites is a Mel Brooks movie called “Spaceballs”. This hilarious spin on the Star Wars franchise has some great dialogue in it.  One of our favorites is when Lord Dark Helmet is having a discussion with Col. Sandurz.

Lord Dark Helmet: What the heck am I looking at? When does THIS happen in the movie?
Col. Sandurz: NOW. You're looking at now, sir. Everything that happens now is happening now.
Dark Helmet: Go back to then!
Col. Sandurz: What?
Dark Helmet: THEN!
Col. Sandurz: I can't!
Dark Helmet: Why not?
Col. Sandurz: We missed it!
Dark Helmet: When?
Col. Sandurz: Just now!
Dark Helmet: When will then be now?
Col. Sandurz: SOON! 

Hilarious, hey? Time is a lot like this piece of dialogue from a silly movie. God who is eternal, chose to arrange things in a linear timeline for us so that things happen in an arranged place in time. Because of this we are able to think of things in the past, present and what will be in the future. The Bible is a great example of this concept. God’s Word shows us mankind’s timeline, from his beginning in original paradise, to our future in final paradise, and all of the great stuff (and not so great stuff) in between. You can see it all plainly in the Bible.

                The Past
            
    By a simple reading of the Bible, we can see man’s creation, his fall and man’s near annihilation by a flood. Here we can see man at his worst, but we also see God choosing a man for His very own (Abraham) so that He could pour out His blessings upon him and his offspring (Israel). Also throughout the scripture there is an underlying theme that God would send a savior who would bring God’s people back to their Father. This Messiah would be one of their own (from the tribe of Judah) and would die for the sins of the people (see Isaiah 53:11). We can see it all so clearly now, for as they say, hindsight is 20/20. But when Jesus Christ came, sadly enough, relatively few people believed in him. Jesus Christ himself, when speaking to the Pharisees, said,
“You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” (Matthew 16:3) Jesus was in effect saying, “You can predict the weather, but you can’t discern what is happening right now!” Can you imagine that the Messiah, the one who’s coming was foretold for thousands of years to Israel, and when he arrives, they don’t even realize it. Inconceivable! But it still didn’t stop him from finishing the work that God sent him to do: to die for the sins of the world.

                Now
               
       Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, God was able to make available the “Age of grace” which is the age we are NOW living in. 

         “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

This is the time of God’s favor. (Yippee!) In this age God has lavished all His blessings upon His children. We should never forget all that God has done for us and who He has made us to be. To name a few:

                We are forgiven-Right Now
                We are righteous-Right Now
                We have been given the gift of holy spirit-Right Now
                We are more than conquerors-Right Now
                We are citizens of heaven-Right Now
                We are highly favored-Right Now

Too many people are waiting for God to do a great work. I say to you- He already has!! He loved us so much that He gave His son to die in our place. (See John 3:16). Now we can live a life that is more than abundant – Right Now.

                The Future
              
          God promises us in His Word that in the coming age, we will live with Him and His son Jesus Christ in paradise that will last - FOREVER! (I can’t even wrap my head around this word). It will be a place of unimaginable beauty, peace and joy that awaits the believers. (Check out Revelation 21) One day this will be a lasting reality. The next event in history that ushers in this glorious time is the return of our Savior Jesus Christ for us. But since it is not available right now, all we can do is eagerly wait for it.

          “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ," (Philippians 3:20)

        But the day will come when the waiting will be over. He will return with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet will sound. This day will finally have come. We will then experience the new NOW. A now that will last forever.

                          Love Always, Ray

                “For He said, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. ”I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (II Corinthians 6:2)