Tick Tock! Tick Tock! And more TICK TOCK! God created life to be explored and enjoyed. And here’s the thing: We only have so much time to do this on the third rock from the Sun. And we might do more of it–if it wasn’t for that infernal Tick Tock! So many, way TOO many, are living from their calendar. Appointments! Agendas! And STUFF! It all robs us of the adventure and joy in life. So, when Monday rolls around like clockwork (see what I did?) the Tick Tock controls our life. To explore and celebrate life we have to make time to break free from our calendars and the Tick Tock.
Notice that I said MAKE time! The calendar and the clock are the prison wardens that keep us from the very thing we are created for: to explore and enjoy life! You must deliberately fight to provide yourself a season, even if only for an hour or 2, to get away from the Tick Tock! As you are reading this, Debbie and I are either near Bartow, Florida or IN Bartow, Florida beside Lake Millsite. Some might say we are on vacation–but we see and accept this time as the gift of sabbatical. No rushing from this to that to the other. Just being with family and friends. Of all the things we carry with us (my golf clubs go in first!), one thing I do not have is a watch. Time is one of the many gifts that God gives us–not to be busy–but to explore and enjoy!
Love God with all your heart. Love others the way Jesus loves you. And make sure all the glory goes to HIM!
Oh, wow! Did you see that? Oh, my–there’s another one. Wait! Another one! Goodness, gracious–there’s another one! And another! There’s another one! And Another! Another One! Man, they just keep coming–one right after the other! I’m telling you! There’s more of them than you can shake a stick at! What? I just had a vision that some of you are shaking your head at me, wondering if I need some special medication; wondering if I’ve gone off the deep end. Well, I haven’t–because in the time it took me to write these words, I saw many more. What is it I’m seeing so many of this morning? Actually, I’m only seeing one at a time. Let’s call them MOMENTS!
During my habitual time of listening to Christian Music to start my morning, I confess I was distracted–again. Instead of simply praising God in worship–I was thinking. Thinking about what to write this morning. Sometimes my words just flow out–most times I have to seek and seek hard on what to write. This morning was one of those latter times. As the music was playing in my earbuds, I was trying to find an idea for this morning. It was then, above my own thoughts, I heard the Spirit say, “Listen to that song, please!” Truthfully? He had been trying to get my attention the whole time–but I was lost in my thoughts.
Well, I listened and the song was “Keep Me In The Moment” by Jeremy Camp. And it was at the line in the refrain I heard ever so clear which said: “Keep me in the moment, I don’t want to miss what You have for me.” I knew what I was missing, so I sat my thoughts down, put them in the corner and told them not to move until I was ready for them to move. And as I lost myself in that Moment of worship, it was then I saw them–one at a time. Moments where God is present and offering me so much–much more than I deserve. He’s offering me His Presence. And with that presence, I find everything I need for anything!
Whatever you are facing in This Moment–remember that God is also present. Whatever the battle you face in This Moment, God is there waiting for you to put Him in the game. He will fight for you–and He’s a great fighter. He’s never lost a battle. Don’t let another Moment pass you by where you fail to see The Faithful Presence of your Heavenly Father. Every Moment He is with you. Remember these words of David who at first thought he found a Moment where God was not with him:
Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there! If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, You’d find me in a minute— you’re already there waiting! Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!” It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.
Psalm 139:7-12 (The Message)
And to help you see This Moment, here’s the song from Jeremy Camp:
Long before the Wacky World Web, it was the U.S. Postal service that faithfully delivered the email equivalent of spam: Junk Mail. Most of them had these infamous words: Time Sensitive, Open Immediately. Oh my gosh! We better open that letter up or we are going to miss out on something absolutely fantastic; so wonderful that if we don’t open it up our lives will somehow be less fantastic and wonderful. Hopefully no one feels that way. This type of Snail Mail has a special location for it: We call it File 13. For the pitiful souls who do not know the meaning of File 13, I’ll explain it to you: It’s the trash can!
And once it is placed in File 13, no one wakes up in the middle of the night rummaging through File 13 to find that piece of mail and see what they almost missed; at least I pray not! Though in these times, I would not be surprised if people did this–not in the least surprised. But–there is another Time Sensitive, call it a package, that many people place in File 13. It’s is called Time! It is delivered to us–well–all the Time. And it is “Time” Sensitive. When it’s gone, it’s gone–novel idea! And when it’s wasted–you can’t go back. It’s like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube after you sneezed as you were applying it to the toothbrush. Once out it doesn’t go back in!
Not only is Time being wasted by so many–there is an even a worse phenomenon happening–it’s called Trifling it away. We don’t use this word much anymore–but we should. It’s spending the most important gift of all on things that can only be described as niggling, nugatory, vapid, jejune, banal–and if you don’t know the meaning of those words, here’s a word your size: Valueless. Would you go into the convenience store to buy a candy bar and give the clerk a hundred dollar bill and walk away without the change? Of course not! (I use this illustration fully aware that with the current inflation, that is what a candy bar may cost–when you add the extra taxes government wants to add because you aren’t eating healthy foods!)
So, starting right now–not today, because that gives you the opportunity to continue Trifling away this Sensitive gift called Time–open up this gift to all the adventures and opportunities that are awaiting you! And do not forget that opportunities often come with challenges–but the good ones are worth whatever challenges there may be. Time is to be used wisely. I don’t mean we live like a Gloomy Gus! God wants life to be enjoyed. But it will never be fully enjoyed by Trifling it away. Trifling has hard and painful consequences.
Tons of items have that mandatory Best If Used By date. So does your life–but that date isn’t stamped on the bottom of our feet. Today you may get that Time Sensitive phone call about the extended warranty for your vehicle because everything that makes your vehicle go has an expiration date. Milk has an expiration date. Our life has an Expiration Date–you just don’t know that date. Here is a Truth that will stand for all Time from James chapter 4 and verse 14–“What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears.” (CEV)
Use your Time in ways that increases the value–of your own life and the lives of others! And you will not get a phone call offering you an extended warranty for your life. Wait a minute–as a matter of fact–you are receiving that call RIGHT NOW and it is TIME SENSITIVE! Jesus said in John chapter 10 and verse 10–“A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” Don’t Trifle your Time away. Make it like a Chocolate Truffle–a sweet delicacy meant to be enjoyed!
This is the first of my latest Message Series, “Kairos Living In A Chronos World)
I have a riddle for you.
It’s free, but it’s priceless.
You can’t own it, but you can use it.
You can’t keep it but you can waste it.
Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.
In one person’s hands it brings hope and in another person’s hands it
brings pain.
It can crawl or it can fly, but it has no hands, legs or wings.
Think you know the answer? It’s Time! Let’s take a look at today’s passage found in
Ephesians 5:16-17 (NLT):
Today we begin a new series called Kairos Living In A Chronos World. The 1 thing you need to remember from today’s message is a question: What Are You More Interested In–Counting Your Days, Or Making Your Days Count? Let this question roam freely in your mind this week. In fact, I will beg you NOT to answer this question until you have spent a lot of time thinking about it.
Have you ever slowed down enough to do serious
reflection on time? When it comes to
“time”—what thoughts do you have? What
effect does that word “time” have on your emotions? Are you overwhelmed? Frustrated?
Fulfilled? Stressed? Fearful?
Anxious? Happy? Joyful?
Depressed? Discouraged? How do your emotions respond to “time”?
Think about how often we use that word
“time”: What time is it? What time is the next doctor’s
appointment? I can make it on time. There’s not enough time in a day to get
everything done. What time is
practice? What time does the movie
start? It’s time to move on. It’s time to give up. And, my favorite, TIME OUT!
Our word “time” covers a variety of settings,
each with its own unique “ambiance”.
Verse 16 says, “Make the most of
every opportunity in these evil days.”
Some of you may be more familiar with the KJV: “Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil.”
While our language has only 1 word for “time”, the classical Greek has 2
words—words that have different meanings:
Chronos and Kairos. Both words are accurately translated as “time”—but they are diametrically opposite in meaning. So, let’s spend the first Sunday in this series looking and exploring at those 2 words. Bonus information, the word in this text is Kairos:
1. Chronos
Here is definition for Chronos: Chronos is a duration that can be measured. It has a certain set of values. Seconds, minutes, days, weeks, month, years, decades, centuries, millenniums, is how we measure Chronos. Chronos Is Quantitative Time. A second here has the same quantity as a second at the Beach or in the Mountains. It just seems longer here. The duration of a second in the U.S.A. is the same duration in every other country.
Chronos Time is the ticking of the clock. Chronos is where we get our
word chronological. To keep up with
Chronos we wear these things on our wrists called a watch. Do you know why it’s called a watch? It’s so we can watch Chronos go by.
Chronos
Time Is Found In Our Agendas, Calendars And Bulletin Announcements. Chronos gives
identifying labels to those measured durations.
The labels are not just the units of measurement, but about the power that
Chronos Time has to drain and debilitate those held captive by Chronos Time. Chronos is driven by very human-centered sets
of values.
Each day contains 86,400 seconds of time—which
represent 1,440 minutes—which equal twenty-four hours each day. It never fluctuates or varies. And truth is we live in a Chronos
World. You have appointments,
places to go, bills to pay, TV shows to watch, church to attend, practices,
games and recitals to attend. And all of
this happens in that measured duration of Chronos. Now let’s look at that other word:
Kairos
Kairos cannot be measured by the ticking of a clock, but
by the beating of the heart. Here is the definition for Kairos: Kairos is when God steps into time and space
and does something incredible. Kairos are the moments that are Right, Ripe
and Rich with meaning. Think about each of these:
Kairos are the moments that are RIGHT. They fit into the rhythms of life as The
Creator intends. Debbie and Sandy love
to work jigsaw puzzles. And there’s the
truth about jigsaw puzzles: Each piece
will only fit where it is made for. Kairos
never contradicts God’s Design and Purposes—It fits perfectly.
Kairos are the moments that are RIPE. They are moments designed and prepared by God
for His Image Bearers. Have you ever
read something or had someone call you and it was words that you were needing
in that moment? This is what Ripe means.
Ripe means it is the perfect moment. The Time was Ripe when He called
Abraham. Ripe when He called Moses. Ripe when He anointed David to be King. Ripe when Jesus was born in that Manger. Ripe when He died on that Cross. And Ripe when He conquered death!
Kairos are the moments that are RICH with
meaning. These are the Epiphany Moments, when the
Light Bulb comes on and clarity happens for us.
Epiphany Moments—Discovery Moments that define and redefine us—that
shape and reshape us—that form and transform us—only happen in Kairos Time.
Kairos are the moments provided by God to know Him
more deeply. Kairos is about
seizing the opportunity God provides in that moment. Chronos drains life and hope out of
us but Kairos
enriches our lives with hope, love and grace.
Understanding these differences, what you need to decide is this: Will You Live ON Chronos Time Or IN Kairos Time?Where Chronos Is Quantitative Time, Kairos Is Qualitative Time. Chronos Time measures seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and years. Kairos Time reveals and expresses quality moments that first changes us, and then changes our surroundings. It is easy to think that our time is the most important time. It is easy to be controlled and consumed by Chronos Time. But What Are You More Interested In–Counting Your Days, Or Making Your Days Count?
Every one of you will face multiple defining moments
in your lifetime. Defining MomentsAre The
Moments That Will Shape And Determine Your Character, Your Attitude, Your
Altitude And Your Future.
It
changes your future course by changing how you see your life. Defining Moments happen in both Chronos Time
and Kairos Time. But Defining Moments
that will transform your life into that life marked by holiness are never found
in the Chronos Time of schedules and calendars, but only in Kairos Time of
following Jesus. The reason why your
life will remain empty and dead in Chronos Time is that Kairos can’t be
planned, and it certainly can’t be forced.
Kairos Time does not wait for you to fit it into your schedule. It simply happens, and if you miss one—it’s gone and won’t come back. This doesn’t mean that there will be no more Kairos Moments. More Kairos moments will indeed come, but they are new and different ones. Kairos Moments happen one at a time. Unlike network TV there will not be any reruns of what you missed. This is what makes them priceless.
The “Kairos” Opportunities we face in 2019 speak into
what is God calling this church to be!
And with this in mind, it’s important to ask—are we a community of people who
simply gather each Sunday with good memories to celebrate—or
Are We A Community Of People Who Are Willing To Listen To The
Stirring Of The Spirit, Who Are Ready To Explore New Ideas And Who Are Prepared
To Embrace Where Change Needs To Happen And To Be The Church In New, Creative
And Even Uncomfortable Ways?
The decision you make today about time—is a decision only you can make. Your Next Steps will be your answer to this question.
“Where Do I Need To Change So
That I Will Experience More Kairos Time And Less Chronos Time And Am I Willing
To Do It?”
The
answer is as unique as you are. Perhaps
it’s spending more time in the Bible.
Maybe it’s having that dedicated time to pray. Maybe even change HOW you pray. Maybe it’s getting to know your neighbor better. Maybe it’s in stopping your voice of fear
about our future. Will you live BY Chronos
Time, or will you live IN Kairos Time?
As
we step into this moment of Holy Communion—it can be for you a Chronos
Moment—where you step in and do something.
Or—it
can be for you a Kairos Moment where God steps in and He does something. It all depends on that 1 Thing You Need To
Remember:
Are You More Interested In Counting Your Days, Or Making Your Days Count?
When
Jesus walked this earth as one of us, He was more interested in making His days
count. And we see it here on This Table.
Kingdom Pastor 