6-4-2022    The Watch

Just finished watching an episode of ‘Touched by an Angel’ (season 7, episode 14), ‘Bringer of Light’.  I loved how the writers of this episode (John Masius, Luke Schelhaas & Jason Jersey) brought together a mom, dying of cancer, an atheistic husband, an inquiring daughter (Lucy) and the existence of God. 

Start TV airs this show daily between 8AM – 10 AM (2 episodes) Eastern time (US). I love this show because it brings forth a lot of biblical truths with practical application.  But I almost didn’t watch this airing. I was thinking what I had to do before going to my daughter’s later for a cookout.  (OK, it was 90 deg. Out there and it WAS a cookout but an eat-in.  lol) 

Over this Memorial Day weekend, more than once, I said “Lord, what am I going to do for the blog this coming Saturday?” and I heard nothing.  Normally I eat breakfast as I watch the first episode Monday – Friday and today was no different.  Except that I only watched the beginning of the first episode today.  Because of the holiday today and the fact that our church is bringing in some special speakers this Friday and Saturday, I figured I had only one day (Wednesday) to get to the gym.  The plans for going over to my daughters today for a cookout was pushed back two hours so I realized I could still make it to the gym today.  I had time to make it to the gym today and my time wasn’t obligated until after 5PM Friday. I thought about it and it ‘dawned’ on me (Thank you Father) I should also be able to make it Friday as well (all three days).  So I had to quickly make out my routine for this week.  Did that and came back into the living room read my passage for today in the bible.  By that time it was almost 9:00 AM so ‘I said to myself I’ll see what the next episode (of ‘Angel’) is.  I found myself watching the whole episode!  No complaints.  I love this show.

At the end of the show I said to myself “Well that was good.  I’m glad I watched it.  Through these shows, Father always shows me a ‘little’ something He wants me to be aware of.  But, Lord, I still don’t have anything for Saturday.”  The Lord responded to me “Really?  What about the watch?”

In this episode, Andrew (John Dye) explained to the daughter, Lucy, in this family (Amanda Fuller) about a watch being found on a tree stump in the forest. 

In a nutshell.  The watch was just laying on a tree stump.  How did it get there?  Did the components of the watch just ‘come together’ there on that stump of their own accord?  Or did someone make it and leave it there to be found?  Response – someone had to make the watch and put it there, it couldn’t just materialize all by itself right there on that spot.  Did you see the watchmaker?  No.  Then how do you know the watchmaker made it and left it there?  Someone had to.  The watch couldn’t have made itself and put itself on that spot.  Oh.  So we see the evidence that a watchmaker made the watch and put it on the stump even though we didn’t see the watchmaker do any of this?  Well, yeah. 

Today, we see the evidence of our ‘watchmaker’ (God) in the world around us.  Science rationalizes that all this ‘just happened’ rather than admit that everything was created for purpose, with design by ‘someone’ (also God). 

Understand, that if we reject the idea that God created everything, then we don’t have to admit that there is a higher power in existence.  If we deny that a higher authority exists, then there is no commitment to that authority.  Therefore, if that higher authority doesn’t exist, we have no obligation to it (Him) and I have no guidelines governing what we do so can do whatever! 

Paul tells us that the ”Law” (10 Commandments) brings knowledge of sin.  However, where there is no knowledge of sin (to the knowledge of the individual) there is no realization of penalty for sin.  Yet we all still die a natural death (Heb. 9:27).  The eternal death is what we want to avoid – the judgment of God (Rev. 20:11-15).  Yet through ‘Law’ comes that knowledge of sin and sin brings forth death. But life comes through acceptance of Jesus Christ (Rom. 7:1-25).  Most people, in this world, really don’t want to die.  It is hard to imagine not existing anymore.  We see the finality of death when pets or people around us pass from this life.  What keeps a lot of folks pressing on is the hope of some sort of life beyond this one.  However:

Look at the world today.  Wars and rumors of wars, worldwide famine, worldwide natural disasters, rioting in the streets, rise in senseless murders!  (also mentioned in the bible by Jesus (Matt. 24:1-13) 

Most people agree that the world is a mess, yet not many want to do what is necessary to correct the situation.  Pass laws to correct the problem but ignore the root of the problem – people’s heart.  And that means a relationship with our Creator (God).

Paul reminds us in Romans chapter one how man has rejected God (even in his time) and then spells out the consequences of such action (Rom. 1:1-32).  In quick summary, God gives man over to his own desires and lets him wallow in them, to their own destruction.  Is this God’s intent for us?  No.  In his letter, Peter writes, to those who have received Jesus as Savior, in part  says is “God is not slack as man considers being ‘not caring’ but rather is longsuffering that none should perish.” (2 Peter 3:9).  This means that Father puts up with a lot from us, giving us every opportunity to let Him into our life – even until our last breath!  God could have (and probably should have) taken me out a long a time ago, but He has been patiently waiting for me to get the point where I am today.  And even though I am slow, He is still working with me.

God is the only ‘thing’ science can’t explain so it’s easier to deny His existence rather than admit that he’s responsible for all that is.  I mean, after all, look at the technological advancements man has made in the past 100 years!  From putting around in model “T”s to sending spacecraft beyond our solar system!  Man is pretty smart!  Man continues to learn to explain what he does see and reject what he can’t.  By the way, in the natural, we don’t see germs or even individual cells – but we ‘can’ see them through microscopes.  So we accept their existence.

Back to the watch found in the forest.  Just as Lucy considered the watch found in the forest, she knew someone had to have made the watch then placed it on the stump.  A watch just can’t make itself (right?).  And that watch couldn’t have walked to that stump on its own accord.  It has no legs nor the ability to ‘roll’ itself or fly up to and up onto the stump.  She concludes that someone must have made the watch then placed it on that stump. 

But consider, she never saw the watchmaker nor did she see him place it on the stump, but there  was the watch! Someone had to have made it and put it there!

We look at things through ‘natural eyes.  We try to explain or rationalize things to understand them (that’s OK) but when we hit a brick wall in explaining things, it is easier to deny it or say ‘it just happened’.  We can allow no room for a force (power), we cannot understand, being responsible.

In large, man refuses to admit that there is a higher authority which He can’t explain through natural means.  Amen? 

So why go through all this?  This is how too many people view God.  We may not be able to physically see Him, hear Him, touch Him, Taste Him, smell Him, but when we open our heart up to Him we can surely experience Him.

Our body can and will react to God’s presence in our life.  Jesus says that the Holy Ghost (a part of the Trinity and through ‘salvation’) dwells within us (John 14:16-17).  Oh, by the way, this same Holy Ghost was made available to us on what Christians refer to as ‘the Day of Pentecost.   12 apostles and 108 disciples were in the upper room, praising and worshipping God when the Holy Ghost came as ‘tongues of fire’ resting upon all the disciples in that upper room (Acts 2:1-18).

God is and does interact with us.  We need to accept that He IS (I AM – Exod. 3:13-14).  We need to learn how and when He does.  And He does through the world around us, the bible and our personal relationship with Him.

The closer our relationship with our heavenly Father, the more readily we can recognize when that interaction occurs.  Read the bible to get understanding about our Lord, then talk with Him to develop that relationship.  Talk?  That means pray!  Think.  How many times did you get to know anybody without talking with them?  Exchanging ideas and thourhts?

We may not be able to ‘see’ our (watch) Maker, but we surely can see the evidence that He has been here.  Look around.  Again, look at the world around us.  Not necessarily what man has done to it but the basic beauty of everything.  Get past what is just in front of our nose, then see the beauty of God’s creation and know that He IS.

Our Maker does exist.  He’s just waiting for us to discover Him.

Amen