Of Time and a Season Part 7

“a time to weep and a time to laugh”

 “Jesus wept (Jn.11:35).” It was His physical sight at the death site of His friend Lazarus where His perfect humanity openly grieved. When we talk about time and seasons, John 11 opens up a series of understandable attitudinal events in a pre-crucifixion season. Personal and cultural expectations, critical religious leadership, spiritual ignorance, personal doubt and despair, grief, hopelessness dominate the…

Of Time and a Season Part 6

 “a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,”

 This verse may carry one of the more constantly recurring themes in the passage, killing and tearing down which is certainly amended by the positive themes of healing and building. First, consider this. The world leads from negativity; the ‘woe-is-me’ variety to…

Of Time and a Season   Part 5

Let’s continue our trek through Ecclesiastes 3. When we use the Hebrew Scripture it’s important, we follow Jesus’ lead and see everything in a spiritual perspective. When Jesus talks about time it is always in a spiritual context. When He teaches, it is the same. His miracles and healings are loaded with spiritual intention. When Jesus becomes central it is the Holy Spirit who brings Him…

Of Time and a Season Part 4

 There is no more timely passage right now than the timing passage that names timed activities for our timing needs, Ecclesiastes 3. Let’s break it down, dissect it, or as the Brits say, ‘unpack it.’ For us in the season of a particular crisis, which lasts for a physical season, there is a spiritual season and the moments within that season the…

Of Time and a Season Part 4

 There is no more timely passage right now than the timing passage that names timed activities for our timing needs, Ecclesiastes 3. Let’s break it down, dissect it, or as the Brits say, ‘unpack it.’ For us in the season of a particular crisis, which lasts for a physical season, there is a spiritual season and the moments within that season the Lord has provided. Social distance give us a…

Of Time and a Season Part 3

Note how Ecclesiastes 3:1 uses two words to define the idea of self-conscious being, seasons and times. “For everything there is a time (a specific happening, choice, decision) and a season (the context in a choice and decision is dealt with) for every activity under heaven (the ultimate context). A specific example…

Of Time and a Season Part 2

 Why all this talk about time when we are facing a national crisis? Because following God in it depends on knowing what time we have and how to use it.

So, let’s continue looking at our time subject spiritually. Again, there are two kind of time, world time, chronos, and God’s time, Kairos. A world time event is what we do, where it takes place,…

Of Time and a Season Part 1

 “Would you like to “turn back the hands of time?” Hold on. What is time and its hands? First of all, time is a concept. Concepts are invisible. If there are hands, they are figurative. It’s us who give them ‘life’ by believing that ‘the hands of time’ exist and have some ethereal power to guide us. Time machines and time travel, time fascination and treating time as a living reality are…

A Time and a Season

 When I was in college, I ran track. I was a distance runner and had to run every day to get ready for track season. Each day called for a routine of early rising, classes, study time, exams, afternoon practice and working at night in a shipyard. When the first meet of the season came, the usual nervousness set in. You stand on the track ready to start, waiting for the starter’s gun to go off.…

Virus Victims or Virus Victors?

 If there is anything a crisis does it is to make you conscious of time. And when we speak of time we have to keep before us that there are two times, world (calendar) time and spiritual time. I have put three ‘time’ articles out there for you to peruse with the idea that spiritual time is primary. Though the word ‘time’ is used, they are totally different in nature and purpose. Like…

Real Clockwork

 I’m sure you’ve heard the expression ‘running like clockwork.’ Dwell on that for a moment. As Paul called us to understand the need for love in ‘the present time (Rom.13:11),’ it seems to me that the fruit of the Spirit gives us the atmosphere in which to practice ‘clockwork.’ So, the first thing he wants us to do is understand what the present time is.  …

Understanding the Present Time

 That’s part of vs.11 serving as a context for us to look at authority and Paul’s take in Romans 13. There are three authorities we have been given: God’s, man’s and self. The last obviously, is the most important because it opens the door to what God is building in our minds and hearts through the self-sacrifice of obedience. When the self puts God first, then the source of authority…

Is It Ever the Right Time?

A husband and a wife are having a confrontation. She wants to bring up a touchy relational issue. She is coming out of deep concern about a child’s behavior. The husband has just come home from a tough business meeting. “We’ve got to talk and it’s now,” she says. He replies, “Can’t we talk about it later? I’m done in. It’s just a bad time.”…