Seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years, decades, all are parts of the precious commodity of time which slips by as stealthily and quietly as the clouds on a summer day.
Ephesians 5:15 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Psalms 90:10 “The years of our life are seventy or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone and we fly away.”
James 4:14 “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a time and then vanishes.”
Kenneth Wuest- (excerpts from preceptaustin.org)The word TIME (Gk = kairos) is better translated OPPORTUNITY and refers to a fixed and definite period of time during which something can be accomplished that cannot be accomplished after the time has passed. The idea of kairos is not “clock time” (Gk – chronos) but what one writer refers to as “kingdom opportunities.” Wuest adds that Paul’s “idea is not to make best use of time as such, which is what we should do in the sense of not wasting it, but of taking advantage of the OPPORTUNITIES that present themselves.” The time/opportunity for bringing forth fruit is the spring SEASON (kairos) in which the tree bears fruit, in contrast to late autumn, when there is no fruit. And so kairos is the time which God allots to each believer to bring forth for themselves “spiritual fruit.”
Sammy Tippit, an evangelist, writes in his book, Fire in the Heart,
“There’s one thing I won’t be able to do in heaven: bring the lost to Jesus.
Our lives should be about seizing opportunities. I Peter 3:15b, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.”
From Wuest:(preceptaustin.org) The word OPPORTUNITY is derived from the Latin “ob portu.” In ancient times before modern harbors, ships had to wait for the timing of the tide before they could make it safely to port. Thus “OB PORTU,” described the ship waiting “FOR PORT,” ready to seize the crucial moment when it could ride the tide into safe harbor. The captain knew that if he missed the passing tide, the ship would have to wait for another tide to come in. God gives each of us many “ob portu’s”, but we must be spiritually wise and Spirit filled in order to see and seize them. As Charles Swindoll said “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities (ob portu’s) brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” Shakespeare’s famous line from Julius Caesar conveys the same thought: “There is a tide in the affairs of men (an “ob portu”), Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat; And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures.” In short, KAIROS conveys the sense of an “opportune time,” a “window of opportunity”.
Jim Croce from the 70’s wrote the song If I Could Save In A Bottle. The words were of his love for his family. The song came to mind, when I was thinking about what to write today.( I believe God does that sometimes. He reveals things from out of no where and from very unusual places). But in my spirit I felt the Lord saying, Is this the longing of your heart? “Then I save every day til eternity passes away just to spend it with you” Yes, Jesus, Yes that’s my heart. But I fail to seize the opportunities to spend time with you now!
Jim Croce singing If I Could Save Time in a Bottle
Missed opportunities. Wasted lives. Below is a picture of the grandfather and grandmother. Two of the most influential people in my young years. They provided for me, they cared for me when I was sick, they protected me from so many things, and they saw to it that I had a way to church every week.
My grandfather was a strong but quiet man. So kind and loving. My memories to this day will bring tears to my eyes just to see him and think of his love for me.
But he came to Christ late in his life. His goodness and kindness was a little bit of the “good ole boy” style. I am a good person so God will let me into heaven! But one day he realized that his goodness would never be good enough. God’s standard was perfection! No man except Jesus had ever been that perfect. Once Grandpa realized that he could never be good enough, there was a change in him. I remember sitting with him in church one night while we were singing an old old hymn. Wasted Years, wasted years, O How Foolish. (Lyrics below written by Red Foley)
Wasted years, wasted years, oh, how foolish
As you walk on in darkness and fear
Turn around, turn around, love is calling
Keeps calling me from a life of wasted years.
Have you wandered a lot on life’s pathway
Have you lived without love, a life of tears
Have you searched for a great higher meaning
Or is your life filled with long wasted years?
Wasted years, wasted years, oh, how foolish
As you walk on in darkness and fear
Turn around, turn around, love is calling
Keeps calling you from a life of wasted years…
The people sang that song, and the tears began to flow. He was so burdened about the life he felt he’d wasted for Christ. Yes, He loved his family, provided for them in every way he could. He was kind to his neighbors. So many good things he had done in his life. But his children were lost. I pray they turned to the Lord in time but he grieved over those years that he did not bring his children to know about Jesus. I watched it and I am convinced that although he maybe failed his children, many of his grandchildren have reaped the rewards of his prayers at the altar on his knees praying for his family. But the missed opportunities were past and grief and regret were a constant companion.
I am so thankful that I know my grandparents are waiting for us in heaven!. We won’t have to save time in a bottle. We will spend eternity with Jesus and each other.
My prayer is that I will be that influence on my children and grandchildren. I pray that their lives will not be wasted but they will redeem the time. Making the most of the years Jesus gives to them. Time is a precious commodity!
Seize the moments. Look for opportunities to bring others to know Jesus.
Carpe Diem,
Treading on,
Freda Reynolds
