A time for everything - and now it's time for something else

NORSK
The plan was to do the exercise for 9 weeks when, on 1 April 2009, I decided to blog my daily 'manna' - which simply means sharing with others the thought the word of God gave me to ponder upon for each day.
 
More than eight years is a long time, and I have regularly considered to 'quit'. However, the blogging has been a blessing for me, and helped me expressing my faith with my personal words.
 
Along the way, I have also experienced several 'Aha!' discoveries that have helped me seeing clearer things that were previously filed in the ‘mystery-box’. At the same time, the contents of the mystery box have not been reduced. On the contrary, I have seen even more of the mystery of salvation and grace. I actually like that I do not understand everything, and I even think that also is a part of the grace of God.

I do not stop blogging because I have a ‘writer’s block’. The truth is that I am full of thoughts about topics and books that deserve my devoted attention. However, I am now at peace with the decision to prioritize differently - at least for an undefined period of time. There are several reasons for this. They are not important to anyone, but myself. All the same, I share some reasons in the footnote (1).

Part of the mystery of grace are the testimonies that the blog postings have helped others too. I thank God for this, and I am glad that the internet gives the opportunity to be present with testimonies about the good news. My challenge to you is therefore to use the internet to spread a message of hope and love, and I share this promise:

Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days.
Eccles 11:1

To cast the bread upon the water is like sharing the 'manna', more specific: 'the bread of heaven' = Jesus (2) with others. When I share him, the return is always a blessing. Until now, the record for a return is 30 years before I saw a concrete result of something I felt led to do. Fortunately, we do not always have to wait so long. Sometimes it happens right away.

‘Manna’ for today:

There is always an opportunity to share the life of Jesus with others!

NB - You will find overview over my blog-postings in English HERE
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(1) Here are some reasons:

• A lot of time during a workday I spend sitting working on a screen. In addition to long working hours, blogging takes at least one hour extra screen-time every day.
• I want to release time without losing the personal devotion it is to write the blog. My intention is to improve one of my languages, and now I will spend my devotions studying the Bible in Russian.
• Over the past ten years I have written very much (not only the blog), and there has been little time for reading. Now I will prioritize reading again, because I feel that I need it.
• I have peace of mind to make this decision
• There are already almost 3,300 posts on the blog. These are available on Bibelportalen, where the posts are sorted in 66 books of the Bible (in the right-hand column), so it is still possible to have access to all previously published reflections.

(2) See John 6:35-40

Knowing when to remain silent - a step on the journey

"There is a time for everything", the ecclesiastic wrote and then followed a tirade of opposites such as the following:

“a time to be silent and a time to speak”
Eccl 3:7b

Most likely I was more inclined to overspend the time to speak in the past, and I was probably regarded as rather ascetic in my use of the time to be silent. However, I have become more conscious of the importance of taking a deep breath and testing out the art of listening rather than speaking. Sometimes I succeed, but not always.

After Jesus had affirmed Peter and told that his confession was right, he came with an exhortation that must have seemed strange for his disciples:

Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Matt 6:20

A couple of days back, I stated that it is important for others that I confess who Jesus is. Therefore, it may seem a little strange that Jesus came with this message.

The quote from Ecclesiastes is part of the explanation. It was important for Jesus to 'buy time'. Jesus knew that the scope of time he had to teach his disciples about what would happen in Jerusalem, was limited. If the disciples began to spread the news that Jesus is the Messiah, he could risk being stoned before they reached Jerusalem. I think the simple explanation is that Jesus needed every minute of the journey to the preparation and teaching of the disciples. In a few days’ time, I will return time set aside to speak.

Today I am reminded about how important it is to listen to what the Lord says when it comes to art of being silent.

‘Manna’ for today:

God, tell me when it is right to remain silent!

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* Something made me silent even when I was young