The King's Invitation

Looking for meaning in your life? Wondering why you're here? Feel like there must be something more? Tired of trying and struggling to make sense of it all? You are hearby invited to find the answers...

Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son. And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding..." My prayer is something you read here will encourage you to draw closer to the King and enter into His service, and if you do not know this King of Kings, I am honored to deliver His invitation to you. An invitation... to come home.

Know that you have sinned, turn away from your sin, ask Jesus to forgive you, and allow Him to live in you - accept His invitation, accept His gift of salvation, accept His offer of everlasting life with Him.

God took my wristwatch

kingsinvitation | September 05, 2008 04:33

For many years, I sat in church services on Sunday mornings and listened to the songs and the sermons with one eye on my watch.

After all, it was late Sunday morning and we would be eating lunch shortly after the service ended.  We needed to be out of there at a decent time to get the food on the table at home, or to beat the other churches to the good tables at the local Mexican restaurant.  Whatever was being said, whatever was happening, it had to be wrapped up by 12.  The church I was attending actually had a clock over the entrance facing the altar, so the pastor could see if he was running over "his" time.  But one Sunday in the fall of 2001, God took my wristwatch.

A young man had responded to an altar call, and was on his knees fervently seeking God.  An older couple was holding hands and praying silently, but intently, for some unspoken issue.   The regular prayer warriors were around them, praying.  But at 12:00, many in the congregation turned and headed for the door.  Lunch was calling.  Time was up.  And God spoke to my heart saying, "Is this all I get?"

I was crushed.  He was speaking to me and of me.  I had been limiting Him by limiting the time I was willing to spend in His house.   How long will we give a sinner to repent?  How long will we give a broken heart to be mended?  How long will we give a lonely soul to touch God?  How long are we willing to stay and pray for those in need?   How long will we wait for God to speak to us?  Maybe God wanted to do something for you at 12:01, but you were busy pushing to get past the Widow Johnson shaking hands with the pastor.

Sure, we can worship and pray after the service is over, and we should.  But we come together, as scripture commands us, to share in this corporate worship and to edify the body of Christ.  How do we put a time limit on that?  Why is my desire greater than the needs of these hurting brothers and sisters of mine?  I repented, took my watch off, slid it into my pocket and began to pray.  Later, I even took the clock down from over the church entrance. (Someone put it back up before the next service!)

As I stopped focusing on the time, and sought only the presence and revelation of God, I began to enjoy my time with Him more and more.  Before that day, I had not realized how I had become a slave to time.  It was so liberating to be without a watch, in fact, I stopped wearing one at home, at work, at play!  Still don't. Maybe one day I’ll get the nerve up to toss my cell phone, too!

Take the church to someone this week – you’ll both benefit. 

© 2008 Randall Buchanan

King’s Invitation Ministries

http://ministry-webs.com/ministry/kingsinvitation/index.html

 

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Comments

Time...

Jon Daley | 12/30/2008, 02:21

I came across this site because I am a developer of the blog software you are using. I also have a story about watches and time. I never much cared about the people who complained the sermon went too long or not, but in college, I was on a retreat with our college fellowship, and they took our watches for the afternoon, saying that they would come and get us when it was appropriate, and that we should have a silent retreat of sorts. Some people were really bothered by that, and I wasn't as much, but realized that I did hang onto my watch a little too much, so I stopped wearing one. Since then, whenever I have led a retreat, I take everyone's watches, and reset the clocks, etc. as no one needs to know what time it is - I'll make sure we have time to eat, etc. and other than that, they don't need to be anywhere until the end of the retreat anyway. It has made a profound impact on many people who have attended. I'm adding your site to my RSS reader, looks like you have some good stuff here.

Watch Gone Missing

Me | 10/08/2008, 15:59

Your story is inspiring and does point out a huge flaw in todays society but with the way things are everything is based on time. At the same time I know it is time for me to make the time and space in my life for god. I find him in my own ways but to as yet another example of ignorance only when he is there and I am in need. Seems sometimes we miss each other when he is in need of me or me of him but overall I have made it but I want things to change. I remember god finding me three times in my life. He held out a hand and I held on long enough to get out of what I was in and then let go. I didn't go back but I know I let god and myself down for not holding on and embracing what he had gave me. At the same time it is hard to have faith when I have so many questions that I want answers to, so many indifferences that I see when it comes to "religious" people. People who would swear they praise god, love god, and follow his word. Yet at the same time they can try and shame me for the choices that I have made in my past that god has forgave me for and has cleansed me of. The same people who can preach to me that my beliefs are wrong yet they have very weak bonds with there own. I see church today as a status alignment more than anything. I see people going to church and transferring churches based on there business deals. Or if they need favor of someone they attend there church. I mean think of our youth, if a guy likes a girl that is in church or even if both are in churches just separate ones, then the guy always will go to the girls church to win favor. I don't get how people can be so open minded and faithful to a concept of god when there are so many unanswered questions from the bible, passages that go against one another, stories that speak of mythical giants. YET they can't understand that there could have been dinosaurs, or that we aren't the only living creatures in this huge galaxy, universe, multi-verse. I mean I believe in god and i believe he is great enough he could have made dinosaurs and i can believe that he could have created life on another planet. Who are church members to consider there god so weak that he could not accomplish these thing.
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