A B C and D

In hockey, there is a defined purpose.  In soccer, there is another well defined purpose.  Both of them start with a goal.  A hockey goal is 4x6 feet while a soccer goal is quite a bit larger-8x24.  All professional games play with goals in the same dimensions.  They are all in agreement about the purpose of the game, the size of the goals, and who the winner and loser will be.
The entire games are played with these dimensions in mind.  The field size, and the object size (ball or puck) are taken into account, and with the given amount of allowed players, the teams make plans.
Imagine on July 15th, the hockey and soccer worlds come out with an announcement that they are going to be making some minor adjustments, and all games played after July 15th will be affected.
The proposed changes are:  future hockey games will be held on the same size ice rink, and using the same size puck, but the goal will be the size of the soccer goal.  Future soccer games will be the same except that the goal size will be the hockey size goal.

You might imagine the objections and chaos that would ensue.  Some would like it, many would not.  Their feelings would be based on their understanding of the games before the rules changed.  In other words, they were living under accepted standards, and were acclimated to them.

I intend to share something that we are also acclimated to.

I wasn't planning on writing anything like this, but some letters popped into my head yesterday.  A, B, C, and D, only not in that order.  It is interesting as I write this out that they so happen to be the first letters in the alphabet which we would all agree that these are the beginning letters.  No shocker right?

Well, the order these letters came in were:  AD, and BC.  I started thinking about dates, and years.  These letters in this order are commonly recognized as letters that describe our dates system or calendar system. 

In a similar vein, I'd like you to remember what I wrote about the cycles of the moon, sun, and earth, compared to why we have a "week" in our calendar.  There was only one reason.

There is also ONE reason why we have AD, and BC.  Websters dictionary says that anno domini (AD) means:  in the given year since the beginning of the Christian era.  Literally:  in the year of our Lord.   BC means before Christ.  These definitions come from a 1984 dictionary that I can't explain why I have it in my house.

The ENTIRE basis for the year being 2012 is Christ.  Jesus Christ alone is the reason why you say 2012.  Its the same reason you write that number on your checks, and why you are how old you are- its based on time distance between when you were born and when Christ was born, and how long it has been since then.  To add to this, the BC counting method counts down as if we are in Cape Canaveral waiting for some big impending event that we might stop our day to stand and wait so that we may not miss it.  Then it came!  Jesus was born, and the system changed.  Everything changed when he came to earth, not just that we count up now.

This is the basis for our tracking, and just like hockey and soccer, we have accepted it, lived with it, and would be very opposed to change it.  This is our standard.  Jesus Christ is our standard.  Christian or not, He is the central reason.  Is your heart in acceptance of this or just your head?

To be opposed to this thought would be the same as a soccer player wanting to play with ice hockey goals.  No one would score, no one would attend, and the game would cease.  There would be no interest. 

You may be surprised to think how many things you do, say, and are accustomed to because of what Jesus did.