What time is it?

I've been thinking about that recently in various contexts. For my family, it is a time of change as our children enter the final stretches of elementary school and middle school, and as we adjust to a season of illness at our home. Our parents are aging, some faster than others, which causes us to pause and consider the end of their time in this life.

Our nation, and the world, is in a time of change... a new president, a history-making president at that, job losses and economic hard times for many around us. The world seems to be much smaller than it used to with the aid of the Internet, 24/7 news coverage, cell phones and e-mail. Staying in touch with a friend on the other side of the world is now no harder than keeping up with your best friend down the street!

But one thing hasn't changed and never will... God's word! So what does God say about the times we are in?

"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:26,27)

Why has God put me here, now, in these times? Have you ever wondered that? According to Paul's words in Athens, He has put me, and you, here in this place, in this time for a purpose. The Westminster Confession teaches us that the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Wow! So that's why we are here, now, in this time!

But what about those who don't know God? How do they deal with the times we are in? God said that he puts men, and women, in times and places so that they will seek Him and perhaps reach out and find Him. Do you know anyone who is doing that? Maybe they see God in you and are seeking Him through a friendship with you? Why not introduce them to your Best Friend? Then they too can glorify God in any season, and enjoy Him forever!

Many of the ministries we partner with seek to make this all important introduction on a daily basis. Some work with the homeless in Richmond, or the poor in Richmond or Goochland. Others may live in another culture and speak another human language, but they all speak the same language of God's love, inviting others to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

It's exciting for me to be a part of this at Hope Church, to see how God's purpose is being fulfilled NOW in big and small ways all around me. Whether it is hearing how a nurse was able to pray with a patient at the Goochland Free Clinic or a struggling artist in Beijing who had deep spiritual questions answered through a conversation at a Christian art gallery, each is an example of God's purpose being completed in God's timing.

This is truly being the Body of Christ, here and now. Good job, faithful servants!

Nancy Friesen
Hope Church World Impact coordinator
worldimpact@hopecentral.com