Twice a year we reset our clocks in a scheme intended to maximize our use of daylight. Solar time proceeds on its normal and natural course, but our perception of time is affected as we gain or lose an hour of sleep, varying according to whether Daylight Savings Time has begun or ended.

We have no control over the solar clock, but God does, and He has reset the clock twice Himself.

The king of Judah lay dying when Jehovah, by the mouth of His prophet Isaiah, informed Hezekiah he would not only recover within three days, but that his life would last another fifteen years. Hezekiah requested a sign to verify the word of the Lord, and Isaiah replied, “This is the sign to you from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?” (2nd Kings 20:9). So awesome is the Most High God that He not only cured sickness, but extended life, and not just that – He would verify His word by a miracle, and as if that was not enough, He even allowed a man to choose which of two miracles would occur to demonstrate the veracity of His promise!

Hezekiah, understanding, quite simply, that the shadow would move forward by natural means anyway, asked God to turn it back: “It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees” (2nd Kings 20:10). And it was so. “Isaiah the prophet cried out to Jehovah, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz” (2nd Kings 20:11). The Almighty reset the clock.

Earlier, “when Jehovah delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel”, Joshua prayed for more daylight by which to continue the battle, saying, “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon” (Joshua 10:12). Astonishingly, God granted that request. “So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies… So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not go down for about a whole day” (Joshua 10:13).

More than once, the good Lord reset the clock, the real solar clock. It is certainly in His prerogative to do so as it was He who made the clock and set it in the first place. “God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so” (Genesis 1:14-15). “Is anything too hard for Jehovah?” (Genesis 18:14).

I built Kid Castle tonight from cardboard, spray paint, tape, and marker. My little Princess and my two little Knights seem to like it.

One of the most outstanding features of the New Covenant is that in it God says “their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). This description of forgiveness in the Gospel is presented in sharp contrast to the Old Testament, in which “there is a reminder of sins every year” (Hebrews 10:1-3). Whereas the former system reminded worshipers of their transgressions, under the present system God forgets iniquities.

The fact that God has chosen to disregard past sins does not mean He is incapable of being reminded. Consider: a servant owed an enormous debt and begged his master’s patience, “Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt” (Matthew 18:27). Afterward, however, the servant mistreated another who owed him considerably less than he had owed their master. When the king learned of his behavior he said, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion…?” (Matthew 18:33-34). Then he punished him.

God, who is represented by the master in the parable, is ever willing to forgive. However, when subsequent actions prove the disingenuousness of repentance, sin is recalled. When we persist in the same bad behavior, attempt to justify our sins, or act hypocritically we remind God of what He was willing to forget. We cannot expect Him to keep buried what we insist on digging up.

The Lord’s Supper involves the Lord. It’s called “the Lord’s Supper” (1st Corinthians 11:20) for a reason; it’s His. Of the bread, Jesus stated, “This is my body” (Luke 22:19), and of the cup, He said, “This is my blood” (Mark 14:24). Christ commanded, “Do this in remembrance of me” (1st Corinthians 11:24-25), and Paul explained, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1st Corinthians 11:26). The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of Jesus’ death. It is “communion”, that is sharing, with Christ’s blood and body (1st Corinthians 10:16).

The Lord’s Supper involves me. Jesus explained, concerning the bread, “This is My body which is given for you” (Luke 22:19), and concerning the cup, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). The Lord’s Supper pertains to gifts my Master gave me, specifically His body and His blood, the greatest gifts of all. For this reason, my thoughts must not be distantly removed from the subject while I eat and drink. I must participate in a thoroughly personal manner. Paul taught, “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body” (1st Corinthians 11:28-29).

The Lord’s Supper involves the church. The Lord’s Supper is not so personal that it should ever be eaten alone. “On the first day of the week” in Troas “the disciples came together to break bread” (Acts 20:7). This example rules out “taking the elements”, as some are wont to say, to a member in hospital or other isolated situation. When He instituted His Supper, Christ commanded the disciples, “Drink from it, all of you” (Matthew 26:27). This does not describe the scene observed in many congregations wherein one or a few partake while the rest sit and watch, having already partaken hours earlier. Brethren need to be reminded, “When you come together to eat, wait for one another” (1st Corinthians 11:33). The Lord’s Supper is a collective activity; it requires that members “come together”, “come together as a church”, and “come together in one place” (1st Corinthians 11:17, 18, 20).

The Vegas Valley Church Of CHRIST is a group of Christians ministering the gospel in a community known for iniquity. We’re here because Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17-18). It is “a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1st Timothy 1:15). We perpetuate His purpose by proclaiming the message of the cross to the residents of Sin City. Our Lord was known as “a friend of… sinners” (Luke 7:34), and we, too, must befriend the unrighteous to lead them to Him.

While Las Vegas lays claim to the moniker “Sin City”, this place has no monopoly on wickedness. Sin is not unique to any particular locale; it’s universal, “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). There is no refuge to be had from sin in the region known as the “Bible Belt”. Sin is as much a reality there as anywhere. To claim otherwise is delusional, for “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1st John 1:8). The Tempter disguises himself well (2nd Corinthians 11:14-15), and will use such a nickname to lull souls into complacency. To the church in Sardis, Jesus said, “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Revelation 3:1). A name like “Bible Belt” may give comfort to its occupants, but is deceptive.

Geography has no bearing on sin and salvation. The intents of the heart and their consequent actions are what matter.