THE CHILDREN'S CALENDARS

We should be surprised if our new diaries and calendars were headed 'The Acceptable Year of the Lord' instead of 1975! Yet this would be quite right. It was announced by the Lord Jesus at Nazareth in His first recorded preaching, and since then there have been more by far than seven hundred thousand days in it. In each of these days persons of all ages have found salvation for time and eternity.

When unrolling the scroll of the prophet Isaiah for His preaching Jesus passed over the words of chapter 53, which is one that every child should learn by heart. It was only because He would bear the sin of many and pray for evil-doers that the year of blessing could be preached at all. How much suffering in spirit, soul and body it meant for the Saviour!

No one knows what a day may bring forth and therefore a calendar, such as we suppose, would have only one day in it and this would read 'Today'. This is the day of salvation. In the chapter reminding them of this, the apostle Paul wrote to believers at Corinth quite simply 'as to children'. He told them, too, not to be such close friends with unbelievers as if they were in a yoke with them. The Lord Almighty promised to be a Father to them as His sons and daughters when they kept away from evil.

A gospel clock would always say 'Now', whatever might be the actual time of day or night. I remember seeing a grandfather clock with the word 'Eternity' on the face instead of the maker's name. Anyone looking at it could not help thinking of the welfare of his or her precious soul. Men may make all kinds of clocks and watches to measure time, but God has created time itself for His own purposes. He is using it to gather what He calls in the scripture "My own possession". Do you ever think about His joy in having you always for His pleasure?

J.C.Evershed