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Time
To stay or go
a decision
too hard to make
must be from
the Lord’s perspective
only He can gauge
time from earth
to heaven.
Psalm 18:28, “For Thou dost light my lamp; The Lord my God illumines my darkness.”
Time
At that time
that
He appoints
all
the pieces
will
be gathered
all
fit together
by
His will and His power
all
His people
will
be reconciled.
all
truth recognized.
that
had been waiting
At
His word.
Romans 8:1. “There is therefore now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Trusting
Time
only
all
we can see now
plan
with open hands
act
with commitment
trusting
each day’s
purpose
to fulfill
timing
under boundaries.
Reflection
Questions
1.
How do you manage/value your time? Your call?
2.
Do you see your ministry as an integral part of
all your day, or as a particular assignment that is separate? What
distinguishes either opinion?
3.
How would you define Paul’s term “fully” for
yourself?
Share: What word
do you most want others to hear about Jesus?
Reading: 2 Timothy
4: 5-6
“As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an
evangelist, carry out your ministry fully. As for me I am already being poured
out as a libation and the time of my departure has come.”
Time. So elusive. So fast-paced. So valuable. So fragile.
Out of curiosity I went to Amazon to look up books under Time
Management. The overview list said 32, 638 and gave 35 categories in which to
narrow down the search—supposedly. There were then 5,521 choices under Personal
Time Management and 740 under Parenting and Relationships. We are bombarded
from all sides. We spoon out pieces here and there wherever we can. Yet Paul
says we are to carry out fully. How
can we figure out what that even looks like?
Time. Choices.
Paul did not live under the frenetic busyness of today’s world and yet
his words show a deep sense of priority and commitment to stay his course
whether a few hours, days, weeks, or years were yet to come. His heart,
ministry, and purpose he saw as being under the Lord’s authority.
Time. Battleground.
Jesus said, “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring
worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34. He is
not promising a smooth organized day. But He does the promise the gifts of
prayer and the Holy Spirit and a personal relationship with each of us.
Time. Trust.
Are we willing to be poured out daily as the Lord leads? What if the
call of the day is caring for a cranky toddler instead of presenting a
prestigious seminar to colleagues. (Or vice versa in desire.) Are we willing to
fully engage in what each day deals us?
Lord, please give us wisdom to discern how You desire we live the life
and ministry You choose for us. And trust in Your timing to do the work Your
way.
Psalm of Worship: 1 John 1:3
“We declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may
have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with
his Son Jesus Christ.”
Hebrews 11:9, “By faith he stayed for a time in the land he
had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and
Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.”
Nomads who didn’t follow mercantile routes or grazing lands,
weather patterns or time-set agendas, but waited for a word—the word—from God
alone when to stay and when to go.
Were they anxious for the signal to move when as outsiders
they were regarded with such distrust they would post a sentry each night? Or
so settled in comfort and plenty they dreaded the call to go. Perhaps even
pleaded a little—we still have some tent repairs, a child is teething, the
lambs and calves are too wobbly to travel a distance.
Or, a house divided. Some up early to eagerly explore the
new geography and meet the neighbors. Others huddled near familiar daily
routines grasping at permanence in fluctuating days.
All waiting—all trusting in a word spoken—looking to be
shaped by kairos time instead of daily uncertainty. Learning to live by
spiritual roots instead of geographic. Knowing that the when and the where and
the why and for how long belonged to the Lord.
Lord, please guide us into a new way of living each day.
Ground us into Your word and Your Spirit so that our foundation is Your will,
Your Purpose, and in Your timing. Help us to be willing to change our agendas
at the sound of Your voice.
Psalm of Worship: Psalm 16: 5-6
“The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; Thou
dost support my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed my heritage is beautiful to me.”
Tasks
Luke 10:36, “Which of these three do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” Emergency vehicle lights flashed at the end of my driveway when I prepared to leave for a meeting. An ambulance stood open next door at my neighbor’s. There had been an ongoing serious situation for a few months so the medical assistance was not a shock but not welcome either. I was blocked in, and I looked at my watch. “So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” Embarrassed I walked slowly back to the house. Trying to assuage my conscience with my lack of any remedy to offer, obvious personal support evidenced by several cars, facts that other neighbors were more in relationship. All true. All appropriate for the immediate moment. All irrelevant to my immediate response. “…Show kindness and mercy to one another.” Enlarge my capacity to extend compassion at all times Lord, not just when convenient to me both in time and attitude. Slow me down enough to connect with others where they are emotionally and not where I think they should be. Like You, give me a caring heart, not a critical evaluation. “So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Psalm of Worship: Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.
Hour Matthew 4:17, From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” “Detour Ahead.” The sign looms large interrupting our journey home. We groan and join in the snail-paced line curving away from the main route. No explanations. No idea for how long. And, as we crane our necks, no indication that anything is amiss. Secure in our plans, succinct in our purposes we forge through our days and months. Alternately content or stoic we drive steadily, unless we hit a bump or experience a flat—or are told to repent. Doesn’t that sound a little strange? Or Harsh? Repent! Repent from what? We simply live our lives as best we can, as good citizens and caring families. “Storm eroded highway,” we discover later. The familiar stretch of roadway hid a loosened sinkhole. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that lead to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that lead to life, and there are few who find it.” Dissolve my reluctance to repent, Lord. Direct me to watch Your warnings. To turn away from my ways to travel my roads and instead to follow Your path. Psalm of Worship: Psalm 85:8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Treasures Matthew 13: 45-46, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Choices besiege us daily. Advertisers bombard our senses. Like bees in a hive they buzz. What to eat, to drink, to wear. But, still, we are grateful we can make our own choices, for the freedom to decide. Time to deliberate. Time to spend. Twenty-four hours a day to choose. Gift of time. How to act, to work, to live. Freedom to barter our goods or cherish our belongings. Freedom to squander our talents or pursue professions. Freedom to follow or not. Cross at the center. Two-edged sword cutting across our decisions, calling us deeper. Away from the hum and clatter to a quiet center. Gift of repose. To talk, to laugh, to pour out our hearts. To be still. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Jesus invites. And then waits for our answer. Freedom to choose. Lord, You offer me pearls, the riches of Your inheritance, the promise of kinship, the treasure of a lifetime. But too often I am distracted by the baubles and glitter that fade. Help me to recognize true wealth. And choose Your ways. Psalm of Worship: Psalm 105:3-4 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.
Scripture: Exodus 32:1, Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Moses delayed. The people of Israel demanded. Make us a god they insisted, to go before us. Impatient, indignant at the long wait, they chose a man-made substitute. A molten calf. Chronos time. Set here and now. Structured, scheduled, streamlined. Straight historical time, ticking clock time. Man’s time. Kairos time. Set in eternity. Spacious, substantial, sufficient. Searching time, expectant time. God’s time. Some patriarchs lived in both. Moving through history they waited upon God’s promises. Joseph sat in prison waiting for God’s release. Noah waited in the ark. Abraham waited for an heir. And yet Jacob grasped at this inheritance too soon, Abraham begot Ishmael. And both suffered years of additional waiting as a result. How can we keep our faith, Lord, from sliding into our solutions? How can we keep our eyes fixed on Your time instead of ours? The temptation is so strong, so enticing, to speed up answers, to solve situations our way. Like Israel. Keep me, Lord from melting substitutes when Your answer delays. Keep me in Kairos time. Psalm of Worship: Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.
Scripture: Exodus 12:41, And it came about at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. Abraham was the first patriarch of Israel to whom God’s promises are recorded. God promised him a great name, blessings, a great nation, and multiplied descendants as the stars of heaven and sand on the seashore. Israel passed these promises along to each generation. They knew them to be true. God also told Abraham his descendants would be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. Had Israel forgotten God’s word? Had they become so enamored of Egypt’s gods that they thought God’s prophecy a myth? The time had come. God knew the very day Israel would leave captivity. He had promised a limit, a release. We are reminded in Ecclesiastes “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven”: for birth, death, plant, uproot, kill, heal, tear down, build-up, mourn, dance, throw stones, gather stones, search, keep, throw away, tear apart, sew together, be silent, speak, love, hate, war, “and a time for peace.” I need my vision prodded to look beyond the immediate. My own memories repeat time after time that You have interceded on my behalf, Lord, and brought Your limits to bear on my circumstances. Forgive me my forgetfulness. Psalm of Worship: Psalm 69:13 But as for me, my prayer is to Thee, O Lord, at an acceptable time; O God, in the greatness of Thy lovingkindness, Answer me with Thy saving truth.
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