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Reasons Clocks and People Do Not Change Sometime last night or this morning you changed or will change your clocks. Once again we have to go through the process of getting used to a new time. Since this is spring, we spring forward and lose an hours sleep. Technically at 2 a.m. Sunday morning the time changes and our clocks move forward to 3 a.m. Some of our clocks will do that for us, as they automatically know when to do so. Some do not have that feature so we have to change them ourselves. I will admit that there are three or four clocks that I won't have to change and it is not that they change automatically. It is because they were never changed last fall. That is right, I simply left them on Daylight Savings Time. Why? One of them I forgot how to change. I tried to press some buttons but nothing happened; so I gave up. Without a doubt the owner's manual tells how to change the clock but I don't like reading the owner's manual. They are complex and boring. The one in the green van Regena usually changes but she did not do it this time. It is easier for me to just make the adjustment in my head. Growing up we lived in Louisville (fast time) and Butler County (slow time). Our clocks at both places were on Louisville time. On the farm we just knew to take one hour off our watches to have the local time. It became second nature and real easy to do. Therefore, I did the same thing this time. Although the clocks on the farm were technically wrong they were right to us. Another clock is in my office. I thought about changing it from time to time, no pun intended, but never got around to it. I know a few people upon leaving my office would say something to the effect that they did not realize how late it is. At which point I would tell them that the clock is an hour fast. The last reason, and that may be a matter of interpretation, is one of laziness. After all , why change a clock that you will have to change in the future. In five or six months we will be changing our clocks again! Is it really worth it? That's what I think too. Being a preacher I have to find spiritual lessons in things we do, so let me make these spiritual points. There are people that will not obey the Gospel of Christ because they don't know what to do. Those of us that are familiar with the Bible forget that it can be confusing and complex. The Ethiopian Eunuch did not understand the passage from Isaiah 53 until Philip preached Jesus to him, Acts 8.30ff. It was only then the Eunuch could become a Christian. The Philippian Jailer asked the question, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16.30). Both the Eunuch and the jailer obeyed after they were taught and not before. Consider the words of Romans 10.13-14, "For 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved?' How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" One cannot obey the Gospel of Christ until and unless they know what the Word of God tells them to do to be saved. Thus we have the Great Commission in Matthew 28.18-20; Mark 16.15-16; Luke 24.46-47. For those non-christians we must believe Jesus to be the Son of God (John 8.24) repent of our sins (Luke 13.3), confess our belief (Acts 8.37), and be baptized for the remission of our sins (Acts 2.38, Mark 16.16). At that point our sins will be washed away by the blood of Jesus and we will be added to His body, Acts 2.47. Some people will not change or repent because they are lazy. It takes time and effort to change one's life. It is not easy to stop doing that which you like or have become accustomed to doing. Sin can become one's ingrained in us. We are told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, Phil. 2.12. There are folks that think God has done it all in sending Jesus to die for them and there is nothing left for them to do. Yet, Jesus tells us that believing in Him is a work, John 6.29. Baptism is also a work, Colossians 2.11-12. There are the fruits of repentance, Luke 3.8. Some have not obeyed the Gospel because they are waiting for a more convenient time. They wait and wait until years have flown by and they are still waiting. One of these days they plan on doing what is right but not right now. However, most of those folks will never follow Christ. Death will come and they will try to explain to God why it was not important enough for them to have confessed Him while here on earth. Paul preached to Felix but this man procrastinated as he wanted a more convenient time to become a Christian, Acts 24.25. Finally, some will not obey because they think God will change His mind. These are the folks that believe God will save all the good people, regardless of their rejection of the Gospel of Christ. Let me say that again. These are the folks that will hear the Word of God and then decide not to obey Him. For some reason, they think their rejection of Christ's words will not matter to God. On the Day of Judgment, God will say "Enter in my good and faithful servant." Does this really make sense. The Bible tells us that God will punish the disobedient, 2 Thessalonians 1.8. How can one be a "good and faithful servant" without actually being either good or faithful? It just won't happen. Does any of these folks sound like you? Hopefully not but our time will change and we will be in a new place. Think about it. --Dennis Tucker |