9/17/2023 0 Comments Kairos moment bethlehemTo understand the fullness of time in relation to the birth of Jesus we need to go back to the prophecies surrounding his future arrival. Sometimes I’m too preoccupied with my own problems to discern God’s promptings.Was there a set, planned time for Jesus' arrival? I’m afraid of feeling awkward or looking foolish, so I fail to step out in faith. Sometimes I let fear dictate my decisions. I hate to admit it, but I miss more kairos moments than I seize. As a parent, it’s discerning the teachable moments that can turn into defining moments for your kids. It’s discerning the critical moments when you need to make a difficult decision. Hearing Him means discerning the holy moments when you need to drop to your knees. Discerning those moments is part of hearing God’s voice. Is kneeling going to solve all our political problems or resolve all our political tensions? No, but it’s not a bad place to start.Ĭhronos time may be measured in minutes, but life is measured in kairos moments. The spiritual and emotional response was visceral. And in a way I never could have predicted or planned, it turned into a holy moment, holy ground. I wasn’t sure how these national leaders would respond to it, but I took the risk that I felt the Holy Spirit was asking me to take. ![]() I felt impressed to ask everyone to kneel for prayer. It was a prompting that went past protocol. But as is often the case, the highlight wasn’t anything I said. To be honest, I was a little nervous and had a difficult time figuring out what to say. The devotional I shared was during the first session of the day, an optional session, so I was impressed that a few dozen members of both the House and Senate showed up. That’s the example Paul set in his “all things to all people” ministry. My rule of thumb is, if I have an opportunity to preach the gospel, I’ll preach to either side of the aisle. ![]() In fact, I had to weave my way through a thousand protestors and a police barricade to get into the hotel where the event was held. I recently spoke at a congressional retreat during a very tense political season. If you make the most of an opportunity, it can turn into a defining moment. If you miss the opportunity, it’s an opportunity cost. And it literally means “making the most of every opportunity.” (Ephesians 5:16 NIV) (Ephesians 5:16 KJV) It’s not the word chronos it’s the word kairos. The psalmist tells us to “number our days.”12 And I believe in Vince Lombardi time: if you aren’t fifteen minutes early, you’re late! But the apostle Paul took the idea of time management one step further when he told us to redeem the time. Time management, as in chronos, is important. The ability to evaluate those variables is kairos. The arrow must actually be aimed off target in order to hit the target. But if it’s a long distance away, a seasoned archer knows that a vast array of variables will affect the flight path. Logic suggests that an arrow be aimed right at a target. Kairos is an archery term that denotes an arrow that is fired with sufficient force to penetrate the target. It’s the critical moment or the appointed time-“for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14) It’s carpe diem, “seize the day.” Kairos is qualitative it captures moments. Chronos is quantitative it counts minutes. The second word for time is kairos, and it refers to the opportune time. So we have to be very careful not to put Him on our clock, in our box. It’s how humans measure time, but God exists outside the space-time dimensions He created. In other words, you can’t grasp the present once it’s past.įinally, and most significantly, chronos is a human construct. To symbolize the transience of time, Chronos had a full head of hair in front but was bald in back. He moved so fast that once he passed you, he was impossible to catch. And it is linear, moving in only one direction.Īccording to Greek mythology, Chronos was a short god with muscular legs and winged heels. Chronos is sequential-past, present, future. ![]() It’s where we get our English word chronology. The first is chronos, and it refers to clock time or calendar time. There are two words for time in the New Testament.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |