Ephesians 5: 15-17; Colossians 4:5
It was a tradition for the faculty of a southern seminary to meet together every morning before their 8 am classes for a time of Bible study and prayer. These sessions were scheduled to conclude by 7:55 at the latest, in order for everyone to be on time for their classes.
It happened one morning, however, that one of the professors became caught up in his closing prayer and overshot the 7:55 deadline. Nor did he even miss a beat by 8:00 when the chapel bells rang to mark the hour. His colleagues realized that they were already late for their classes as he prayed fervently on, concluding a few minutes after 8:00. This was a one-time occurrence and not a regular problem--and it was only a matter of a few minutes--but still, it wasn’t supposed to happen. The other faculty left that morning with a collective case of elevated blood pressure, annoyed and embarrassed that they would have to walk into their classes late.
Had their colleague become so engrossed in his prayer that even the chapel bells didn’t register? Or did he simply care more about the need to pray that day than he did about being a few minutes late for class? So what if they were all a little late that morning? Is the seminary there primarily to hold punctual classes? Is that a higher priority than the power of fervent prayer? I would like to think that the other faculty members considered those questions afterwards, and were willing to accept that this might have been a case of the Spirit overruling the seminary’s schedule that morning and reminding them of what really matters most.
We as Christians march to the beat of a different drummer, and that’s also true in how we relate to the spiritual dimension of time. The Bible speaks to this important truth:
As we read in the Book of Ephesians, “Be very careful how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, for the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Eph. 5:15-17). And again, in Colossians, “Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Col. 4:5-6). The common theme here is to value the wise use of time and to respect its sacred potential. To “redeem the time” means to make the most of life’s spiritual opportunities.
“Be very careful then, how you live--not as unwise, but as wise… Don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” “Make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” It’s important that we have a spiritual awareness and sense of responsibility to use time wisely, to redeem its potential for good, because, as Paul writes, “the days are evil.” Do you believe that? Do we understand that we live in the midst of a fallen, lost and broken world? God calls us to see the darkness for what it is: Satan’s attempt to destroy our lives and wreck our souls. But we’re part of God’s work to heal and restore the world to its intended wholeness, and that includes living wisely by making good use of the time we’re given.
There are two different Greek words used in the New Testament for ‘time.’ One is ‘chronos,' which refers to ‘chronological’ time, as measured by minutes and hours and days. This is the only way most people regard time, in strictly functional terms, ordered by clocks and calendars.
You can buy a watch that’s synchronized with the Atomic Clock in Boulder, CO, and keeps time to within a billionth of a second, accurate to under a second over a twenty million-year period. (Not that anyone would ever be able to verify that claim!) That’s an extreme example, but most of us in our culture are essentially slaves to chronological time, and it can become an oppressive factor in our lives if we aren’t careful. Our alarm clocks and busy schedules and fast food culture can rob life of its peace and joy. As one African told a missionary, “You westerners have all the watches, but we have all the time.” By seeing time only in a single dimension, without sufficient regard for its spiritual side, we not only experience stress and related health problems, but a generally diminished quality of life.
An expedition in Africa hired a team of native porters to help transport their gear. The expedition’s leaders pushed the group to keep moving as briskly as possible, and they were pleased at the end of the first day to see how much ground they’d covered. But the next morning, expecting to make an early start and continue their fast pace, they realized the porters were in no rush to begin, talking and laughing among themselves. When the expedition leader asked the reason for their attitude, the porter in charge explained simply, “We’re waiting for our souls to catch up with our bodies.” The porters possessed a wisdom the expeditionaries lacked, and it revealed a cultural blind spot.
Significantly, there’s also another biblical word for time: the Greek word ‘kairos,’ which refers to the spiritual dimension of time. Time is more than simply a functional and chronological reality; it also possesses a sacred quality that deserves our attention. The Old Testament stresses this repeatedly: for example, in God’s commandment to honor the Sabbath as a day set apart for rest, worship and renewal. That’s a very important commandment in the Old Testament, intended for Israel’s good. God also instructed Israel to observe several holy days of remembrance and celebration throughout the year as a way of seeing themselves and their history in spiritual terms. Israel’s sense of time was closely related to their covenant relationship with God, far more than being simply a secular concept.
That theme also carries over to the New Testament. We honor the Lord’s Day to rest from our worldly responsibilities and to nurture our souls--or we should. And for those who observe the Christian calendar, the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Palm Sunday, Easter and Pentecost--are a gift of the Spirit, each with rich spiritual value for our lives. Time possesses a vital sacred dimension for us to appreciate and honor.
‘Kairos’ is “the right time,” or “the opportune time” in the work of the Spirit. It isn’t based on chronological time, but something even more important: the unseen spiritual realm in which we live. Jesus modeled for us how to live in ‘kairos time.’ For example, when his disciples turned little children away, thinking he was too busy or important, Jesus saw the opportunity both to bless them, and to teach his followers a deep spiritual truth. Or when a woman touched his robe in the middle of a bustling crowd, he stopped and healed her. He was sensitive to her need, despite the surrounding chaos, and responded with a healing act. And there are many other examples of Jesus living by ‘kairos time,’ seeing opportunities where others only saw interruptions and inconvenience. The Book of Ecclesiastes says that “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven” (3:1), and Jesus lived by that wisdom, understanding time as sacred and full of divinely appointed opportunities.
Appreciating the spiritual nature of time is a vital part of godly wisdom. And there’s one other aspect to this that deserves a special emphasis. As Jesus teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount: “Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough challenges of its own” (Mt. 6:34). Jesus is telling us to live in the present moment and to stay focused on what is right in front of us.
Corrie ten Boom learned that lesson early in life with the help of her wise Christian father. While still a young girl she witnessed the death of a baby and felt the heartbreak of human mortality for the first time. She ran to her father in tears, saying “I need you! You can’t die! You can’t!” Seeking to comfort her, her father said gently, “Corrie, when we go on a trip, when do I give you your ticket?” She answered, “At the train station.” “Exactly,” her father responded, “and our Father in heaven knows just when we need his help, too. Don’t run ahead of him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you’ll look into your heart and find the strength you need, just when you need it.”
And in fact, when she later lost both her father and her beloved sister in a German concentration camp during WWII, Corrie found that she found the strength to endure it. God gives us the grace we need, when we need it. It’s always available for the moment we’re in, like the manna in the wilderness. Whenever we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” we acknowledge this great truth, if we can only remember to live by it.
I’ve also found that whenever I manage to stay in the moment and appreciate what’s been called “the precious present,” I can see and feel God’s grace in my life much more keenly. That’s how God has designed life to be lived. We can’t change the past, and we can’t know the future. All we have is the present, right now, but it’s enough, because this is where God meets us with his blessing. And it’s in those moments, if we’re paying attention, when he provides opportunities for us to bless others.
It matters that we live with wisdom concerning the spiritual nature of time, and that we honor its opportunities, its rhythms and seasons, and its daily gifts of grace.
“Be very careful how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, for the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is…. Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Eph. 5: 15-17; Col. 4:5)
Amen.
