NOW

"In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2 NKJ)

Perhaps like me, you’ve heard all your life that we are supposed to weep at a birth and celebrate at a death. Despite my best research efforts, I cannot find a biblical passage that proposes crying at birth and celebrating at death. The only passage that comes close is Ecclesiastes 7:1 where the Preacher teaches that the day one dies is better than the day one is born. If you know of a different passage, please forward it to me.

In Ecclesiastes, the Preacher is focused on showing the futility of human effort, but ours is not a hopeless situation. The Only Wise Eternal God, Creator of the entire universe, is in control of everything, including our birth and identity. We are not some latter stage goop from the lagoon of genetic ooze. Note that the Preacher did not say there is a time to evolve. Instead, we are individual creations from the hands of the Creator. “It is he that has made us and not we ourselves” (Psa. 100:3).

Yes, it requires faith to believe in an omnipotent Creator, but consider the amount of faith required to believe in the enormous number of circumstantial, random events proposed by the heresy of evolutionary theory. Of course, arguing over creation and pro-creation isn’t the issue.

The fact remains that the time to be born occurs without the individual’s input, and for several years other people make most of the decisions and choices that form our lives. However, there comes a day when we begin to make the personal decisions and choices that will form our destiny. Those choices shape who we are, how we live, and our ultimate destiny.

Now if you believe in the theory of evolution, death only proposes two alternatives: return to the lagoon of ooze or evolve to a higher species. May I suggest another alternative? Acknowledge God and ask him what he requires.

So what does the Creator require of you and me? Malachi 6:8 gives the answer: practice justice; receive and give mercy; and humbly walk with God. This is not a three step self-help program, but rather an all inclusive way of living and dying.

Dear Father, thank you for the gift of now. Grant that we would accept your grace today and remain faithful to the end. I pray this prayer in the name of Jesus. AMEN

Now is the acceptable time,