“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16) A Moment in A Manger - We don’t know when Jesus was born but it was an auspicious moment in time. Was it a coincidence that Caesar called for a census at the exact time Mary was due to give birth? Her time had come yet Joseph was forced to travel to Bethlehem to register for the census. And so it was, in a moment in a manger in Bethlehem, as prophesied by Micah the prophet, Jesus the Messiah and Savior of the world was born. Jesus arrived just in time.
A Moment on a Cross Jesus was born for one reason – to be the appeasement for the sin of the world: the righteous as a substitute for the unrighteous. The moment Jesus breathed his last on the cross and said, “It is finished,” he triumphed over sin, death and Satan. That one moment in time redeemed you and me for all time. For while we were still weak in sin, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. All of history is wrapped up in that one moment. God’s timing was perfect. Jesus died and rose again just in time.
The Moment of His Return - Jesus was born as the infant king on Christmas morning. He became the Servant king on the cross, but he is returning as the King of Kings! We live in precarious times: wars, rumors of wars, pestilence, natural disasters, and degradation of biblical morality. But these are all timely indicators of the return of Christ, as he promised. While it is yet today, let us take the time to call on his name and wait patiently for his return. Jesus is coming back anytime now. He will return just in time.
This is Your Moment - We are compelled by our love for God and our love for our neighbor to share the gospel of Jesus. More and more, the truth of God’s word is becoming contrasted with the ways of the world around us. More than ever, we are being singled out because of our stance toward the absolutes of Scripture. And yet, love prevails. This moment in time, more than ever before, is an auspicious moment to share the love of God: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, just in time, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is your moment to seize the day – redeem the time, because these days are evil – and make the most of every opportunity to share the love of God. God has called you just in time.