A Matter of Time
But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands…” (Psalm 31:14-15a)
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years.” (Genesis 1:14)
R.G. Lee eloquently said, “Jesus was born in the saddest hour of history. Born when the scepter of power was frozen by the tyranny of impeached civilizations. When religion was clasping hands with idolatry. Born when the world crisis had come upon the Jewish race as they slept in robes of beautiful Jewish prophecy.” But Christ’s humble, lowly birth in that ancient land has made Bethlehem more famous than a thousand New Yorks. At the very beginning of this New Year, I want to say that the birthday of Jesus splits time in two around His cradle. This Jesus, of whom calendars, clocks or historians took note, has bent the dateline of all the nations around His lowly manger. This Jesus became the light and the sign that today marks days and years.
Others have tried to do what Jesus did. The Greeks thought they could date time from the founding of their Olympic games. The Romans tried to date time from the founding of their imperial city. Justinian tried to mark the beginning of time from certain tax levies. La Place, from the conjunction of certain planets. The French were sure they could date it from their revolutions. But they all failed. What the Jews, Greeks, Romans, and French could not do, Jesus did. He did it without a vote or command; He did it without some legislative edict. This timeless Christ had Christianized the calendars of the world.
No one in this world writes a letter, or signs a deed, or reads a newspaper, or turns on a computer without that birthday of Christ on the top of the page. When we write or say January 1, 2008, it means that this is 2008 A.D., or anno Domini, literally, “the year of our Lord.” Everything prior to 2008 years ago is deemed B.C. literally before Christ.
Do you feel compelled to get to know or learn more about this Man whose birth, life, crucifixion, death and resurrection forever changed time as we know it? Let me tell you, friends, Jesus not only changed the world, He changed the lives and hearts of the multitudes who met Him—and He still does to this day! Happy New Year to you in the name of Jesus!
Based on an excerpt from the book, Romancing Royalty: 365 Devotions to Draw You Closer to King Jesus, by Pastor Dudley C. Rutherford.
