January ushers in a new year with new beginning points and a new perspective as we continue our journey with Christ.
Remember the story of Abraham’s journey from Ur to Haran and then from Haran all the way through the land God promised would be his?
Abraham and his family trekked through the length of Canaan to a southern spot near Bethel.
Abraham marked each spot where they lingered, rested and gave thanks. These piles of stone, altars, were not only a way to mark Abraham’s presence in this new land but they also gave glory to the God.
Abraham’s sacrifice of thanksgiving to the One who was directing his path began with building altars that would become part of centuries of worship to the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and generations to follow.
Altars.
Do we need them now?
The ultimate sacrifice has already been offered.
Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, has been given, once, for all. Jesus paid the price for our sin.
Done deal.
So, why do we have ‘altars’ in our churches?
It’s the empty altar that we see.
Nothing will ever be sacrificed on an altar in a place of Christian worship.
Yet, the plain, empty, altar reminds us of Jesus’ once-for-all blood-sacrifice as He died on the cross for us.
Some Christians bow at the altar to honor the memory of the One who sacrificed His life so that there would be no more blood sacrifices.
The altar is also a ‘table’ in which we prepare and bless the bread and wine for others to partake.
This is a place that reminds us of the Last Supper.
Jesus, at table, said to His disciples: “Take, eat, this is My body . . . Drink this cup, all of you.” From the words of the last supper, just as in the feeding of the 5000 and so many other times in scripture, Jesus “broke the bread and blessed it.” The altar reminds us of Jesus’ continued blessing as we commune with Him.
However, the altar that is most important for us today is the ‘altar of time.’ We give God thanksgiving in worship, we eat and drink with Jesus as we chew on God’s words of scripture and digest his presence in holy communion.
We send up our prayers as a sweet incense to Him.
We tithe in obedience to our Christian walk.
Yet, how much daily time do we give to our Lord to set ourselves apart, for a moment, from our crazy schedules?
Do we sacrifice a given amount of time daily?
Do we have a specific place where we spend our ‘altar of time’ with God?
When Jesus was most pressed, what did He do to commune with the Father, gain new strength and seek direction to continue His journey?
Jesus took a ‘time out’ and found a quiet place to refresh his soul.
Setting up an Altar of Time may be the most difficult habit we could ever achieve.
God knows the intention of our heart.
God loves us no matter how often we fail to make time to simply BE with the Lord. Sometimes creating a habit means starting with small steps.
Begin with a dedicated “seven minutes with God” daily.
It’s the ‘daily’ that is so important.
Seven minutes is enough time to read a sentence or
Then take a few deep breaths and ‘listen’ quietly for a nudge of understanding so you can apply these words throughout your day.
Now give thanks and jump into your busy schedule.
That’s it!
You stopped.
You read and digested God’s words.
You spoke to God and waited for understanding.
Now simply say, “Thanks for giving me direction in my journey today.”
Prepare your ‘altar of time’ daily.
Keep a journal and record your daily journey.
Make sure you date each entry.
Preparing this ‘altar of time’ each day soon becomes a habit.
All too soon, you will not be able to function well without these lingering moments with God.
You will be amazed at the abundance of blessing that will envelope you.
Just as Abraham amassed a great fortune in family and provision, without owning land [except a place of burial for himself and family], we can also amass a fortune in God’s promises and gain a better understanding of our personal relationship with God.
You have already had a great beginning by reading these words.
Now begin to build and linger with your own altar of time as you give daily offering to God.
