"A Time and Place"

 "These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come." (John 8:20 KJV) 

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11 KJV) 

 Just so you know, I was really praying for some sort of special message about, "the treasury," as if there was something John was trying to say in mentioning the place, whether it might matter or not. As I sat here this morning, somewhat disappointed, I apparently have nothing to contribute to this special area of the Temple where people came to deposit their tithes and offerings. 

 Now about that little thing that I said, concerning heaven and hell: I have every expectation of being in Heaven with Jesus; hell is not a threat to me, so I do not make it my personal concern. But I do have a major concern for the people that I love and pray for, knowing full well that hell is real, I do not want to see them perish! 

 Additionally, after I had given my life to the Lord, salvation became abundantly clear: there was more to this new life that just fellowship with my Creator, it involved purpose, a hope towards eternity, and peace that everything was assured to be well. Well, is not exactly free from disaster and heartache, as many of you probably know from experience; but it is specifically just like a well, which is where others might come to get a drink of water. 

 That is really a pretty deep subject to talk about, but in the sake of time, I think it can wait for another day and hour. This is the most important part of why we came to Christ, not that we should be saved from hell, because that is pretty much a given; but that we should be part of something that is so spectacular, that even the angels are in awe of what takes place! 

 Each and every one of us are just a small little piece of something that is so spectacular and amazing, it is an honor for God to show us all that He has done; as He will do, when that time has come! In the meantime, we contribute to and become a part of His wonderful plan, just doing our part! It really is very similar to the Treasury in that Temple, as not everyone can contribute the same amount, but they all can contribute their part, which is just the same as the same amount! 

 Having something that is the same, no matter who we are or how much we might think we have, time is the only thing which is equal for everyone to give the same amount of: we all have the same number of minutes in every day...

"Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 1:11 NLT)