A few weeks ago, I wrote in my journal during ministry "Distracted by time. Deceived. We reap what we sew." Here is why: our teams have met many individuals who are just waiting to one day feel conviction that they need to be saved. They know of Jesus and the Gospel story and yet they wait. They believe, but do not receive his saving grace. So they ask to come back and try them again another day, perhaps they will feel differently then it seems. And we do go back, day after day because we are finding out more than ever that time is precious.
The pastors here impress the urgency of salvation saying thing like "we are not promised another day, the young or the old". While they are absolutely right and wise to say so, I feel that God's concern is not simply what happens to these people on the other side of eternity, but this side also.
We are distracted by time. We take so much foregranted. We let moments, days, whole seasons pass us by unnoticed, unappreciated, half-lived. God did not purchase our life back with his precious Son so that we could live boring, plain, righteous lives for a short period and then die to be with Jesus in a float ethereal Heaven. Jesus died and rose to conquer the grave so that we would never have to taste death, so that we would live rich, joyful, abundant lives. We have a gift in every moment, every wK or ride, every shared meal or cup of coffee, every encounter with friend or stranger, and every moment alone. A gift to commune with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to rejoice and worship and feel and seek and grasp and soak and burn and shine!
We are distracted by time. Focused on the past or the future, but rarely the present. Fixate on living on our terms til the last possible moment of life and then "accepting Jesus" on our death bed. But life, Zoe, abundant life is here now.
We're distracted by time. There are those who see this life as finite and so we try to grapple and suck all we can of what we desire. There are some who see time as eternal and so they feel no pressure to burn brighter each day because they think they have limitless time to make up their mind about God. So instead of living Alive, both these groups live Dead. Alive enough to breathe and move and work day in and day out, but not alive in the fullness of Christ. The kind of alive in which we have wonder, adoration, passion, peace, prosperity and love spilling over.
We are distracted by time. Too much time, not enough time, but the point is the time is now. It always has been and always will be. We have a beautiful life; its time to start living it. Savoring the juice of watermelon, relishing the laughter of friends, basking in the sunshine, shouting, singing, and dancing Alina to sweet melodies, creating Hungary with our hands, taking pride in our work, smelling the intoxicating aroma of brownies… God is in it all, bursting out, unable to be contained. Throughout time He reveals himself in our lives, his goodness, his love, all for us to discover in a million moments per day.
We are distracted by time. Now is the time. Now is the time to "taste and see that the Lord is good". Now is always the time.
