Hand-eye coordination defines the greatest of athletes in certain sports. For instance, the ability of a batter to see the ball thrown by a baseball pitcher and then hit it consistently has become the stuff of legends.

The split second reaction time of superior athletes in tennis, soccer or any number of other sports is humbling for those of us who are merely capable of being spectators.

But each one of us is called upon to make spontaneous responses in our everyday lives! Not the kind of thing an athlete does; rather, we are confronted with the necessity to choose what we THINK, what we SAY and what we DO!

It all kind of boils down to this: Do we “give as good as we get,” or do we practice what Jesus Christ taught us to do? We really aren’t growing the way we should if we still erupt in foul language; if we try to avenge every slight; if we continue to speak and act before we think it through.

So you see, we Christians have to be concerned with our own reaction times, because this illuminates our progress in conversion. Try taking on an area of your own life in which you know your “reaction time” is faltering. Don’t ignore it—work on it, and ask God to help you overcome your weakness.

In the final analysis, overcoming and doing it right is what our reaction time is all about!

In less than ten days, we will keep the Day of Atonement, and a few days later, the Feast of Tabernacles 2007! Where did the year go since last Feast? How fast everything is passing us by! And, at the same time, how familiar might everything have become to us–especially if we have been “in the Church” for twenty, thirty or forty years, or even longer. As the old saying goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt!” In Old Testament times, people would refer to their prescribed service to God as “weariness” (Malachi 1:13).

In recent years, many who seemed to have understood and embraced the truth, “jumped” off the “peace train” of righteousness and climbed instead on the deceptive “bandwagon” of “the easy ride.” And what an “easy ride” it seemed to be: No more requirement to keep the Sabbath; no more need to observe the Holy Days; no more tithing and giving offerings; no more abstention from unclean foods. A sigh of “relief” was heard around the land and around the world, and the new-found “freedom” was quickly embraced by so many. It was as if they were saying the words of kings and rulers, as recorded in Psalm 2, who took council against the Lord and His Anointed, and exclaimed: “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us” (verse 3). In other words, let’s get rid of His laws and statutes, and adopt the “freedom” of licentiousness–after all, Christ loves us as we are, and He would not want us to follow the legalism of obeying Him, would He?

My dear brethren, all of this DID happen. It happened so quickly to terribly deceived people who would have NEVER thought earlier that they would end up where they did! Some of them had condemned others in the past for not following their rigid self-invented Pharisaical rules of “obeying” their concepts and perceptions of God’s instructions. They were unbalanced then, and they are unbalanced now–to put it mildly–just having exchanged the mantle of right-winged extremism for that of left-winged extremism.

God’s Spirit is a Spirit of a “sound” mind (2 Timothy 1:7), but God told us thousands of years ago, that there is no “soundness” in the people of Israel (Isaiah 1:5)–and this would include those who THOUGHT they had been converted. God gave us this warning: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). Even “teachers of the Law” began to proclaim that it was EVIL to keep God’s Ten Commandments, and that it was GOOD to break them! They taught others that walking in darkness–trampling God’s Sabbath under foot (Isaiah 58:13-14)–had suddenly become a way of “light” in the eyes of God.

This should serve as a warning for all of us, not to become over-confident. We are told to beware, as many who THINK they stand MIGHT VERY WELL still fall (compare 1 Corinthians 10:12)! NOW is the time to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10)– to get ready for the return of Christ (Revelation 19:7). Now is the time to prove to God out of what metal we are made. NOW is the time to look with zeal, enthusiasm and anticipation toward weekly and annual Sabbath services–expecting to be filled to the brim with God’s gracious gifts of spiritual and physical blessings. NOW is the time to do everything we can, to make this coming Feast of Tabernacles the BEST FEAST EVER–for us AND for our brethren.

Now is NOT the time to let down, to become lackadaisical, to begin to forsake assembling with our brethren on the Sabbath or the Holy Days–finding more thrilling things to do on the Sabbath–at home, or in “God’s free nature,” or with friends or relatives (Hebrews 10:25). Now is NOT the time to find excuses for not attending the Feast–excuses like, it’s too far, it’s too expensive, it’s just too much of an inconvenience, or, “I have heard it all before, anyway!”

Does anyone who knows the truth really think that ANY of those or other excuses will impress God who has ordered us to assemble before Him at the place that He has chosen, for eight days?

God says, “If anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38). And even if we attend God’s commanded assemblies, unless we do so with gladness of heart, God will have no pleasure in us, either (compare Deuteronomy 28:47; 12:7).

Our salvation has drawn much nearer than when we came to the faith (Romans 13:11). And Christ will not tarry–He will come quickly–and SOON (Revelation 22:12). How foolish if we were to give up before entering just the last round–as it were–of the boxing match! As one well-known poem puts it: “Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–You may succeed with another blow… And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far, So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit!”

Things in this world will get worse–which is just proof that Christ’s return is NEAR. And so, God warns us not to quit–rather, He tells us: “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown!” (Revelation 3:11).

Recently, the now defunct cricket team that I used to play for, had a reunion match, and I was invited to play. Many of us had not seen each other for many years, and a friendly match was arranged against a local team. As we batted first, I was asked to open the batting and was going along nicely, until I pulled hamstrings in both legs–at the same time! This shouldn’t have come as a shock as I am now 67 and hadn’t played for about seven years, and so it was almost inevitable that lack of such activity coupled with age might present a few physical difficulties. And so it turned out to be. Apart from the hamstring problems, I discovered (not unreasonably) that I was not quite as quick at running as I expected to be, or used to be–something that playing against some youngsters about half a century younger than I clearly illustrated! This wonderful body that God has given us does wear away with age!

It got me to thinking about the restrictions that age can bring and that the Feast of Trumpets that we will keep in just about one week will not only be the joyous time of Christ’s return, but it will also be the time when faithful and loyal members of God’s Church will be instantly changed to spirit beings (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). It will be a time when our mortal bodies will put on immortality, and when we will have all of the restrictions removed that an earthly body imposes on us. No more pulled hamstrings; no more getting out of breath after some physical activity; and no more aches, pains, diseases and general ill health.

I look forward to my next game of cricket, probably next year, which will, no doubt, have the possibility of the body failing again in some way, but I look forward much more, as we all surely do, to the fulfillment of the next Feast day that we will soon be celebrating. That will be a time when all physical restrictions will be removed as we look forward to an eternity with God. What a future!

We make many decisions every day.  If we stop and think for a moment, we probably make hundreds or even more, on a daily basis.  Most of them quite banal, but nonetheless choices that have to be made.  The number of critical decisions that we make each day is considerably less, in comparison.  And what about life and death decisions–how many of these do we make a day?

Believe it or not, we probably make quite a few of these determinations each and every day, though we do not often couch them in these terms–decisions when and where to walk across a street; whether or not to run a yellow light; how high to climb a ladder; and the list goes on. 

Often, without taking stock of the potential consequences, we put ourselves in physical danger where mortal death is a real possibility.

The real question though is, how frequently are we in spiritual harm’s way?  The answer again is, probably more often than we think.  Are we tempted to “stretch the truth” in our conversations; do we put materialism or our own desires ahead of God; or do we steal time from our employer? We might think of any one of a myriad of other infractions.

Often, without taking stock of the potential consequences, we put ourselves in spiritual danger where eternal death is a real possibility.

As Christians, we know that the penalty for unrepented sin is everlasting death.  NOW is the time to be choosing wisely.  We need to let God know that we are willing to present ourselves as living sacrifices–to lay down our lives daily for His Way. 

God has set two ways before us: blessing and cursing; good and evil; life and death. Therefore, let us choose blessing, good… and LIFE!

Most of us have appreciated during our travels beautiful natural lakes in various parts of the world, which are a product of the Creator God. We have marveled at the splendor of the color of the water, especially of those glacier lakes, and we have been awed by their beauty and their natural surroundings. Most of us have also seen man-made lakes, which are not so awesome, because they came into existence, perhaps, as a result of the building of dams or other man-made projects. The beaches of those lakes are not as nice, and the bottoms are usually filled with stumps from trees that have been cut off. The fish have been added. All of this shows that we cannot improve on perfection.

The same could be said about the seventh-day Sabbath. The Sabbath was a part of God’s perfect creation, established at the re-creation of the surface of the earth, as well as the creation of man, close to six thousand years ago. Christ said  in Mark 2:27: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”  The Sabbath is an opportunity to rest from our labors, to worship our Creator,  and to appreciate His creation.

Some have abandoned the Sabbath and replaced it with Sunday, or they have never understood that the Sabbath is the designated day by God Almighty. Sunday is a product of man–not God. It was adopted by the churches of this world as if they could somehow improve on perfection. But they cannot!

The question is, why would we reject perfection and settle for the imperfect? Why would we want to worship our Creator with a man-made product, rather than a God-made product?

Which, do you suppose, is inferior–that which is created by God, or that which was established by man, without the advice of or blessing from God? Which, do you suppose, is superior–that which was created by God or that which was substituted by man?

Here is the real issue: Are we going to follow the traditions of man or the explicit inductions of the Creator God? God made the Sabbath for man–not Sunday. While the Sabbath reflects God’s perfection, Sunday is nothing else but a man-made tradition–a cheap substitute inspired by none other than the god of this world–Satan the devil.

All of us need to answer consistently the following question: Is our worship based on man-made or God-made injunctions? Is it based on God’s perfect law, or on man’s imperfect standards? The choice to do right is ours!

Would you say that God is happy with the progress we have made over the years since we were called and baptized?  This is as good a time as any for us to examine ourselves even more diligently as we approach Christ’s return and the dawn of His and our rule over this earth in the “Millennium.” We must do this to be certain that our spiritual progress is not falling behind, because, most importantly, it is on the basis of that progress we shall be judged and rewarded accordingly.

When we first took up a job in the early years of our working career, the manager would occasionally check up on us to see if we were making any progress. A word of encouragement, and some extra help now and then in getting over any problems we may have encountered would eventually secure our position. Conversely, if we neglected our responsibilities or settled back into a lackadaisical mood we would most likely have found ourselves without that job. And so it is with our spiritual endeavors. We cannot afford to become lethargic.

There are, of course, a number of areas where we are expected to make progress. What about “redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16)? And we can say that again! “Redeeming the time” might include, perhaps, restoring lost effort as a result of our inaction or neglect in serving the Work of God and in our relationship with the brethren.

What about daily prayer? Have we been remiss in this most vital area?  And are we keeping the Ten Commandments—all of them? We  understand, of course, that it is impossible for any one of us to keep consistently all of the Ten Commandments, even though we eagerly desire to do so, without the help of the Holy Spirit. And certainly I speak from experience. You won’t see a halo over my head! Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, was well aware of this enigma when he told us that what he should not do, he did, and what he should have done, he didn’t. We all have that sort of problem from time to time, for none of us is perfect. But being less than perfect is no excuse for being less than enthusiastic in following through with our baptismal commitment, and that entails consistent spiritual progress in keeping God’s Law more and more perfectly.

This term “progress” in our case can be directly related to “bearing fruit,” and Christ warns us that those who do not bear fruit, He takes away; and that those who do bear fruit, He prunes (compare John 15:2). Sometimes that pruning takes the form of Godly chastisement or correction. Most of us have experienced that over the years.

Another facet of making progress in our spiritual life is to examine ourselves whether we are [still] in the faith unless we become disqualified (compare 2 Corinthians 13:5). That faith, of course, comes through Jesus Christ. In fact, it is the faith OF Christ that must dwell in us. To be “in the faith” is to give ourselves over completely to the way God wants us to be.

There is no other acceptable alternative for us than to “stick with it”—to progress spiritually, if we hope to make it into the Kingdom. And we cannot—must not—afford to be sanctimonious in the sense that “we’ve made it and we can just sit back and wait for Christ’s return.” Some have fallen into that trap and they are no longer members of God’s Church–the Body of Christ.

We are all expected by God, and rightfully so, to make the effort to grow spiritually in the process of acquiring holy righteous character—the supreme purpose of God calling us. Otherwise, why are we here in the Body of Christ? God has tremendous blessings in mind for each one of us who “endure to the end” through the trials which confront us from time to time–trials that test our spiritual progress as well as the genuineness of our faith.

As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:58: “…be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour [your spiritual progress] is not in vain in the Lord.”  The Millennium waits for us, and we owe it to God and to ourselves to manifest that progress while we look forward to an everlasting future as Kings, Priests and Judges in God’s soon-coming Kingdom.

Are you blessed? Do you even consider yourself blessed? By what standard could you come to the conclusion that you are among those who could say, “I am blessed”?

We are coming up to that very special time of the year when, at the Feast of Tabernacles, little children are brought forward to be specially blessed through prayer to God and the laying on of hands by the ministry. This practice is based on the Biblical example established by Jesus Christ, and as we find recorded in Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16 and Luke 18:15-17.

In what way were those children “blessed” by the actions of Jesus Christ?

Jesus, by blessing the little children who were brought to Him, asked that God would help and watch over them. Implicit in His actions was the fact that God responded by having those children set apart for His unique care. Exactly how all that played out largely depended on the choices the children made throughout their lifetimes.

We can understand how blessings from God are given by considering Adam and Eve. God richly and abundantly blessed them with every physical need, and He offered them the opportunity to be even further blessed with His gift of eternal life. However, both Adam and Eve rejected God’s blessings through their disobedience to Him! By their own actions, they cut themselves off from the blessings of God.

Throughout the Word of God there are stories of individuals who received God’s blessings as well as of those who lost them. Obedience to God is the pivotal issue for having and keeping the blessings that God gives.

In our own time, we have witnessed people who have been tremendously blessed by God but who have rejected His blessings. How? They have rejected His calling, along with the priceless atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the unparalleled gift of God’s Holy Spirit–and they have turned back to this world and its ways. No longer are they set apart from this world to receive the continuing blessings of God!

As these Fall Holy Days approach, let’s make it a point to come before God to thank Him for all that He does for us. Thank Him for the richness of His blessings that are truly brim full and running over–blessings that we have now and blessings that we shall have through His immutable promises.

Let me ask one more time, Are YOU blessed?

Here is the answer, from Psalm 128:1: “Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways.”

“God made me so!”–some homosexuals say. “We are born this way! We can’t help it!” Or, as one German politician recently stated, “I am gay, and this is good!” A prominent U.S. actor agreed, postulating that “there is nothing wrong with it.” Due to this kind of thinking, the homosexual lobby has created an atmosphere that allows the proposal of laws, for instance in Europe, which would make it a CRIME to suggest that a homosexual lifestyle may NOT be acceptable in the eyes of God.

Some are living a promiscuous lifestyle, adopting the example of their unfaithful parents–while blaming them for their own misconduct.

Some are poor, and they are proud of it. They may think that somehow their poverty is a sign of their righteousness. This false concept prevents them from trying to change their condition.

Some get into trouble with the law, and they blame the police, the “unrighteous judge” or the “corrupt legal system” for their difficulties. Some are alcoholics or drug addicts, and they shift responsibility for their condition to their alcoholic father or drug-dependent mother.

Whatever happened to accepting individual responsibility? Rather than realizing our own shortcomings and sins, and trying to change, it seems to be much more comfortable and less painful to just blame everyone else for our own misconduct or “misfortune”–whether it may be husbands or wives; parents or children; neighbors or friends; the government, the nation, the economy; Satan; or–if all else fails–God.

God says that homosexual conduct is an abomination to Him (Leviticus 18:22). Surely, then, He did not create homosexuals–they were NOT born that way. And God expects them to change. Further, as no drunkard or fornicator will inherit the kingdom of God, it is obvious that God did not create them as such (Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-6). Rather, people BECAME fornicators, adulterers, alcoholics and drug addicts, through many different factors and circumstances, but they must take personal responsibility for their condition and CHANGE. They are not helpless victims, incapable of making amends (compare 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

In addition, God says that those who do not want to work should not even eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). God expects of us to do everything we can to make a living in this world.

If we violate God’s standards and His directives, we cannot expect help from God. When we convince ourselves that our personal condition is not our responsibility–and that it is hopeless and irreversible–then we have already turned our back on the only Source for meaningful and enduring change.

God expects of us to DEAL with our problems–not to run away from them or try to hide from them, by placing our heads in the sand and just hoping that somehow, miraculously, all our hardships will just disappear and evaporate.

When confronting our situation, depending upon the circumstances, we need to be careful that we don’t act too hastily (Isaiah 52:12). We may have to take time to meditate, pray and fast about a particular situation first, and obtain much appropriate counsel, before implementing a life-changing course of action. Sin, when it comes to our attention, must be eradicated at once, but there are other instances which require careful consideration and analysis.

God will help us, when we do what we can to help ourselves. This may have to involve a painful self-analysis and some really hurtful sacrifices, in order to get our feet back on the ground. But it will be worthwhile in the end.

We must take individual responsibility for our situation! We must stop blaming others–but rather, begin to change ourselves and our condition. And we can–with the help of God. He WILL guide and direct us, when He sees that we seriously BEGIN to obey Him, by changing for the better!

From time to time, we may hear politicians use the following expression, when they attempt to address their failures and mistakes: “My apologies to you that I have fallen short.” It appears that the public acknowledgements of shortcomings, errors and mistakes are often summed up as “falling short.” This reminds me of the Biblical admonition in Romans 3:23: “… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Similar sentiments, you might think, but God’s Word clearly outlines man’s capacity to break the law of God and to miss the mark in living a truly Godly life. However, a politician’s remark of “having fallen short” is a euphemism for admitting mistakes without actually saying so.   Pride enters the scene. For many years now in the UK and other Western societies, the political scene has been awash with “spin” and political double talk, much more than in previous times. Man’s way is much different from the way – and the Word – of God.

God says what He means, and His inspired Word pulls no punches. Even the sins, mistakes and shortcomings of Bible heroes are not glossed over. When God speaks, we can totally rely on His Word; when men speak, we cannot have that same assurance.

We are privileged to have been called by God on Whom we can utterly rely. We certainly sin and fall short of the glory of God, and when we do, we need never be frightened to acknowledge our wrongs and to petition God for forgiveness. Pride is something that we must eradicate in our lives, but those who have pride usually find it difficult to say that they have been wrong – “falling short” is often as far as they will go. Unlike politicians of all persuasions, we are not being judged by the electorate, but by the great God of the universe – and how thankful we should be for that!

As we grow up, we like to think of ourselves as becoming smarter and brighter with each passing year.  As a race or a country we like to think the same thing, that we are better than those that preceded us 200 years ago.  Surely this must be the case; we have all the latest high tech to prove it!

But is this the true measure of whether we are actually wiser?  When we realize where people actually surf on the Internet and what they listen to on their iPods and what is watched on the high definition plasma TV, we might have to come to a completely different conclusion in many cases.

As we look at the world around us today, we see that we have legalized abortion, accepted homosexuality, glorified promiscuity, condoned murder and worshipped materials.  The list goes on, just fill in the blanks….

The reality is that most are currently taking part in a degenerative movement.  The reason for this is simple — we no longer retain God in our knowledge!  God is being removed from the institutions of learning and therefore, children and young adults are without the right foundation.  God has been all but squeezed out of the lawmaking and judicial process, so much so that a right way of life and true justice is becoming hard to find.  Because of this, God has allowed the carnal, reprobate mind within mankind to prevail (Romans 1:28).  It is a corrupt mind that resists God and any part of the Truth (2 Timothy 3:8).

As we move further and further from God, the condition of our collective minds will become worse and worse.  This is an immutable law.  It is imperative that we seek out and find God while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near (compare Isaiah 55:6).  Psalms 14:2 states,  “The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.”  This understanding and knowledge comes from following God’s way (compare Psalms 111:10). 

Are we living by every Word of God; are we growing in the knowledge of God, OR are we opting to be a part of the devolutionary process?  The choice is up to us!