The Time of Our Lives

What do you make of the following conversation?

Alice: “How long is forever?”

White Rabbit: “Sometimes, just one second.”
       by Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Time is a challenging concept for those who believe in eternity.  We spend our lives dividing an infinite expanse of time into measureable seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, seasons, years, and on and on, ad infinitum.  We know there is an eternity behind us and before us, so why do we focus on the itty-bitty increments that divide it?  Why am I so upset if I’m even one minute late for an appointment?  Should I be aggravated when I am the one waiting and the doctor still hasn’t seen me 30 minutes after my appointed time?

Is it possible we get the time pressure from Scripture itself?  James, the brother of Jesus, wrote this warning to us:

“For what is your life? It is…a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”  (James 4:14)

Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days carefully….”  Though we are told again and again in the Bible that our existence is an eternal one, we are assailed with the reminder that our earthly time is fleeting. 

The key to understanding time, in the Biblical sense, is to realize the New Testament uses TWO words that are translated “time”.  They are chrónos, which refers to “clock time” or time that is measured; and kairós, that speaks more to an “appointed time” or opportune moment.  Chronos identifies time quantitatively, while Kairos sees time as qualitative.

What’s the difference?  We can personify both words for time by using the story of Mary and Martha from Luke 10:38-42.  Martha was the “busy” sister, fretting about all the things that needed to be done to prepare for a visit by Jesus and his disciples.  Martha operated her life based on chronos, or clock time.  Conversely, Martha’s sister, Mary, saw the opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet and take in everything that moment in time could offer.  Mary saw time as kairos; a moment to be cherished.

Martha was consumed by the passing of time, while Mary was aware that each moment was to be valued BEFORE it passed.  For those of us whose lives will be spent in eternity, which makes the most sense?  We might as well get used to the idea that there is no chronos in heaven!  EVERY moment there will be a kairos moment. 

Why not practice now?  Can you imagine spending a week or a month with no watch or cell phone to tell you what time it is?  What if you had no calendar to tell you how old you are, and no schedule requiring you to stop doing something you enjoy so you can get to the next meeting or appointment?  It might upset the tidy organization of your days, but I would imagine you’d finally find “the time of your life”.

Just for today, I vow not to look at what the clock says and see what happens….

Jacob

My Feeble Defense of Impatience

We all know the old adage, “Patience is a virtue.”  With that in mind, according to my better half, I am not a virtuous man.  In fact, she has told me straight out that she doesn’t know ANYONE as impatient as I am.  The fact that she loves me anyway is apparently a testament to her grace and not my patience.  So do I have any defense?  Is it OK to become impatient when standing in line at the grocery or sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic?  Doesn’t the Bible say, “See then that you walk…not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time…”  (Ephesians 5:15-16)  That’s why I get so impatient at times – I’m “redeeming the time” while the “fools” in front of me are wanting to waste it!

I could make the argument that the word “patience” in Scripture is simply a choice of translation.  The word can also be translated “persistent”, or “enduring”, or “steadfast”, or perhaps the most accurate, “long-suffering”.  You see, this virtue that qualifies as a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is more than the momentary subduing of my angst at being delayed in my efforts to squeeze productivity out of every moment in the day.  Patience, or long-suffering, isn’t a quality that is subject to instant determination.  It is a virtue that has a time component to verify its presence (or absence).  We don’t determine the presence of “love” or “loyalty” or “endurance” in an instant.  Neither should we pass judgment regarding “patience” so quickly.

Look around you for examples of people who have faced tough, drawn-out difficulties in their lives – those who have faced cancer, or debilitating injury or disease, or tragic permanent loss.  There you will find the evidence for patience or long-suffering.  Those who have lived out the words of James:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  (James 1:2-4)

When life puts us to the test, how do we handle it?  By leaning, as the old hymn says, on the “Everlasting Arms” of Christ.  Without faith it might be tough to see the end of our journey.  We might be inclined to doubt that life is worth continuing.  But WITH faith in our loving, providential God, we know He holds our future and offers the strength to “endure”, to “persist”, to be “steadfast” in our journey to glorify Him in our lives.  THAT is what we should call patience.

Should I do better when confronted by time-wasting circumstances?  Might I more reasonably tolerate inefficient activity all around me?  Well, I admit I should.  And I’m not sure what to call my frustration other than impatience, though that implies I lack the persistence and endurance to suffer long if that is what God wills.  Though since I’ve never been faced with what so many of you have, the jury is still out for me regarding patience.  So for now, let’s label me an “inefficient time defender”.  It sounds much more exotic than “impatient Christian”.  And isn’t that an oxymoron?

Still in the process of perfecting,

Jacob

Are You Choosing the Right Jesus?

While the title might seem a bit odd if you are a follower of Jesus, the Only Son of the Father, I’m confident it asks a timely question.  I’ll get to the Biblical text in a bit, but first I want to make this point:

Many people today are choosing to follow a Jesus that ISN’T the Jesus found in the New Testament.  The Biblical Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)  Note that He said that He was the only way to God.  Not ONE way, or one of MANY ways, but the ONLY way.  Later in the same chapter, Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commands.” (John 14:15)  He didn’t say TRY to keep them.  Or keep MOST of them.  Or keep them if you AGREE with them! 

Folks today seem to want to pick and choose which parts of the Bible they believe, and in essence, which Jesus they want to follow.  In fact, one denomination recently started a campaign to reach disgruntled church-goers who have a problem with the rigidity of the Bible when interpreted simply and literally.  That church’s campaign states boldly: “The Bible is like GPS: A brilliant guide; All-knowing; Occasionally wrong.”  (Emphasis mine)  The point they hope to make is that the issues we have to deal with today are too complex to trust an old book for answers.  They would advocate letting God speak to you and whatever you think He says is right for you.  In other words, you can have religion and God on your terms, if only you attend the right church! 

On the day Jesus, the Messiah, was crucified, the people of Jerusalem had a choice.  Pilate offered to release one of two prisoners to the people:

So when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Who is it you want me to release for you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Messiah?”…The chief priests and the elders, however, persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to execute Jesus. The governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?”  “Barabbas!” they answered.  Pilate asked them, “What should I do then with Jesus, who is called Messiah?”  They all answered, “Crucify Him!”  (Matthew 27:17-22)

That fateful day, the crowd called for the death of Jesus, the Messiah.  We call Him Jesus, the Son of God, or Jesus, the Christ, or even Jesus, the Son of the Father.  What you may not know, is that the other fellow, the revolutionary that wanted to overthrow Rome, was likely known to all by his full name, Jesus Barabbas.  This full name is supported both by ancient Biblical texts and writings of the early Church leaders.  So isn’t it odd that when Pilate made the request, some texts say he asked, “Do you want me to release Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus the Messiah?” 

Well that’s awfully complicated!  But to make it more so, please realize that the thief’s second name, Bar-Abbas, means “Son of the father”.  So Pilate asked, “Do you want Jesus, son of the father, or Jesus, Son of the Father!”  The crowd opted for the criminal and not the Christ.  They picked the brigand over the Begotten.  They chose the Jesus who would get them what they wanted, instead of the Jesus who could give them what they needed.

You need to make a choice because we all do, one way or the other.  Which Jesus do you want?  Please choose wisely, my friend.

Jacob

Feeling Green?

Hollywood has long had a thing for green.  I’m not talking about the dollars generated by films, but by the subject of those movies.  Kermit the Frog.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or TMNT in today’s world of abbreviated speech.  Green has always been the color of success AND money. But perhaps the most famous green icon today is also the biggest.  And I mean that literally.  The Incredible Hulk.  He’s gotten so famous now we don’t even need to use his first name.  Now he’s just The Hulk. 

Who is this guy?  And I don’t mean who is his alter-ego.  Everyone knows when he’s not Green and Grumpy, he is Bruce Banner.  Marvel, the publisher that made the Hulk famous, says this about him:

"Caught in the blast of gamma radiation, brilliant scientist Bruce Banner is cursed to transform in times of stress into the living engine of destruction known as THE INCREDIBLE HULK."

My take: He is a brilliant man who, when faced with stressful situations, transforms into a destructive humanoid who resembles very little the gentle, thoughtful human being trapped inside the rampaging green monster.  Hmmm.  I’m afraid that sounds too much like me sometimes.  Do you ever have a hard time dealing with pain, injustice, rejection, or other mistreatment and find yourself transforming into an unrecognizable beast?  If so, color yourself green.

Is there a better remedy in the face of stress and calamity?  Because turning green certainly doesn’t work!  How about here:

“If you respond to my warning, then I will pour out my spirit on you and teach you my words.  Since I called out and you refused, extended my hand and no one paid attention, since you neglected all my counsel and did not accept my correction, I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity.  I will mock when terror strikes you…and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when trouble and stress overcome you.”  Proverbs 1:23-27

Doesn’t it seem God always has a plan?  In Proverbs, He warns us that difficult times are coming.  And for all of us, they are!  But notice that God reaches out to us in advance to prepare us for trouble and stress.  God tells us that He will pour out His Spirit on us (no doubt to exercise some control) and teach us, so His Word is a part of everything we do.  Talk about stress relief!  God, the Maker of the Universe, has offered to empower you with His Spirit and fill you with His truth. 

When we filter all the damage done to us by this world, using the Word of God and the Spirit of God as our sifter, we find that calamity and stress don’t create the same response in us.  Instead, we see things through God’s eyes, and that, my brothers and sisters, is godly Wisdom. 

So apparently, the antidote to going all Hulk on the people you love is to be filled with the truth and Spirit of God.  Maybe in the next movie, they can use the words of Scripture to talk the Hulk back into his milder persona, Bruce.  I don’t know if it will work on him, but I know it works on me.  Because like Kermit says, it’s not easy being Green.

Jacob