Don’t Be Fooled by the Illusion of Time

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Monday marked a unique occurrence in our keeping of time; it was Leap Day. Many people do not realize that we have the extra day because our standard calendar only accounts for 365 of the 365¼ days the Earth revolves around the sun. So to even things out, we tack on a day at the end of the already shortest month.

In reality, our calendars present an illusion of time to us. Cosmologically speaking, we do not actually have an “extra day.” Similarly, we celebrate the New Year on January 1st when in reality that day on any given year is nothing more than the day that followed the day before it. We reset our calendars, and make resolutions to live the next 365 days (or in this year’s case, the next 366) differently; seemingly “better.”

Our measurement of time within our days can also be illusory as well. In 13 days we will begin a standard of time measurement we call “Daylight Saving Time.” (Pet peeve alert: the word “saving” is not meant to be plural. It is not Daylight Savings time, as in a Savings account). I once heard a prominent Atlanta radio personality explain that we observe DST so that we can give the farmers an extra hour of daylight. Apparently, he never worked on a farm. Farm work is pre-dawn to post-dusk regardless of where the hands on the clock are positioned.

As we think about the supposed “extra day” we were given, let me present a question for your consideration.

For the most part, did you SPEND the day or INVEST the day?

All of this “extra day” and “extra hour” talk has stoked the burden in my heart for intentional living. Life is precious. At any moment any of our lives could be snuffed out. I choose not to live in fear of my life suddenly and unexpectedly ending, but I do, however, choose to live what days I have with purpose, meaning, and intentionality.

Consider the wise words of Moses and Paul:

So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12

…making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. – Ephesians 5:16

Not just on leap day and not just during DST, but EVERY DAY and in EVERY SEASON, are you living with intentionality toward the things that matter for eternity? Do you devote your heart to spending time with God? Do you invest the best of yourself in your family? Are you building your life out of the proverbial gold, silver, and precious stones that will withstand eternity’s testing fire?

Or… are you living your life as a consumer? Spending your time and energy making money to accumulate more of Earth’s transient offerings? Do you spend your days (frustratingly so) trying to make things come out to suit you, go your way, or benefit you?

I challenge you today to take a fresh look at your priorities, aspirations, and ambitions. Even if you achieve all you are seeking here on Earth, what will be of it when you are gone? The most important investment of time and resources are in those priorities that matter for eternity.

My Heart His Temple

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Recently, I read about the details with which the craftsmen Bezalel built the Ark of the Covenant and the accompanying items in and around the Tabernacle. You can read about it in Exodus 36-39. Some of the preparations stood out in my mind, as I realized the Tabernacle and Ark were not built haphazardly nor in a quick moment.

They used specific materials that were of the utmost quality. They didn’t skimp, take shortcuts, use leftovers, or “value shop.” From the readily available acacia wood to the exquisite metals like gold and brass, the craftsmen used the BEST materials available to them.

Also, I noticed the time and attention to details he gave to the project. This was not a shade tree project or something he did on weekends or in their spare time. This was his primary task and to it he devoted his BEST time and attention. He didn’t take short cuts or gloss over even the slightest detail thinking no one would notice.

Additionally, I thought about the breadth of the sacrifice for the project. People from throughout the camp sacrificed items they owned that were made of the metals needed for the project. They didn’t bring God left overs, they didn’t donate used up, broken, or outgrown things; they brought God the BEST.

Then, lastly, I realized they meticulously carried out the plans God gave them. They gave God what He wanted in the way that He wanted it. They didn’t build it their way but His.

As I thought about this, I thought about what I give God each day. Do I set apart the best part of my day to hear from Him and talk to Him? Do I give my BEST effort to speak for Him, serve Him, and live for Him? After all, the Tabernacle of the wilderness and the Temple of the Old Testament are pictures of the heart of the New Testament believer. Is my heart as meticulously designed as those structures and the articles within them?

Let me suggest some BEST practices for letting our heart reflect the same holiness as the Tabernacle and the Ark.

  • I should give God the time of each day when my head and heart are at their most attentive. I should read His word and meditate on its meaning and application for my life.
  • I should reassess and rearrange my priorities and schedules to reflect His place in my life. All other things on my schedule should revolve around my heart being His Temple and my life being His testimony.
  • I should not take shortcuts in my thoughts, attitudes, or actions, but rather keep my head clear and heart clean. I should immerse my life in the truth of His Word so that I am shaped by it and empowered by His Spirit.
  • I should do what GOD wants me to do for HIM, not what I want to do for HIM. I should build my days, one moment at a time, according to His building plan for that day.

These are but a beginning. In the comments below, feel free to share some ways you prepare your heart to be God’s Temple.

 

 

Priorities and Prepositions

How do you determine what and who are important in your life and how do you rank their importance when they compete for your time and attention? We call these our priorities.  How do you determine your priorities?

If you were to ask most people to tell you their priorities, they would recite to you a list beginning with what they consider the most important followed by other areas of life in descending order of importance.  Most Christians would begin their list by stating that God comes first, followed by such items as family, job, church, hobbies in some order.  We feel good that we put God at the top of our list, but does the Bible encourage such a practice?  Consider the following:

And He (Christ) is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. – Colossians 1:18

The verse does teach us that Jesus is to come first, that is what it means to “be preeminent,” but notice the preposition that begins that clause.  He is to come first IN all things, not above all things.  When we assign Jesus a place, even the top place, on our priority list, we fail to recognize His lordship in every facet of our lives.

When we give Him first place IN all things, however, we recognize that Jesus is the deciding factor in all of our priorities and decisions: how we appropriate our time, spend or invest our money, carry out our family responsibilities, perform at our jobs, play at our leisure, and serve at our church.  The primary question we ask when we make decisions about our life becomes “where is Jesus in this, what does He want me to do, how can I serve Him?”

Let me suggest a new priority paradigm.  Rather than thinking of your priorities as items on a list, think of your life as a wheel, your priorities as spokes in the wheel, but Jesus as the HUB. What are some ways you can begin reprioritizing your life today to put Jesus at the center of it all?

 

priority wheel

Three Questions That Set Priorities

How do you decide what you decide?  What goes through your mind as you determine what needs to be done or how you should feel about a certain matter?  Is there a framework that shapes who we are?  Is there a matrix through which design and order our days?  

Yes.  It’s called PRIORITIES.  We think, say, and do according to what we believe are the most important things.  Our priorities will determine, in large part, if we will live intentionally. The question then become how do we set our priorities?  How do we determine what is important?

For some, the goal is to make others happy, so they prioritize those things they believe will please the object of their desire.  For others, the goal is to make oneself happy, so they go about doing what they want to do.  Some set goals for achievement that they deem worthy and order their lives in such a way as to accomplish those goals.

For the believer in Jesus, the only way to be truly successful is to make it our aim to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9). In the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7, Jesus sets forth what successful Kingdom living looks like.  In Chapter 6, we find three important questions that help us determine Kingdom priorities that will please God.  Constantly asking ourselves and evaluating our lives by these three questions will help us be able to focus on what is truly important in our lives according to God’s perspective.

Question 1 – Where is my HEART? (6:19-21).  Does my heart gravitate toward earthly pursuits or do I first think of the eternal significance of my life and actions?  Paul encourages us to set our minds on things above (Col 3:1-4).  The most important things are those that have an effect for all of eternity.

Question 2 – Whom do I SERVE?  (6:24) We choose each day between two worldviews – secular or Kingdom.  We seek please one of two masters – flesh or God. The word Jesus uses is “devoted.”  Am I sold out totally to Jesus?  Do I seek to please only Him?  The most important things are those that most bring glory to Him.

Question 3 – What am I SEEKING? (6:31-34)  All to often we establish priorities based on self-preservation.  We want to get through this life as comfortably as possible and our priorities reflect that goal.  The Kingdom mindset is free to focus on the Kingdom of God FIRST and foremost because it recognizes that God takes care of those who focus on Him.

Think through these three questions.  Regularly evaluate your goals and priorities according to Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, and you will see a change in your priorities.

What Does Your “Big Picture” Look Like?

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Successful organizations and teams master the art of keeping the big picture in view.  What about you, as an individual, do you have a big picture for your life?

Without a sense of purpose, our lives are a series of loosely connected daily events and circumstances.  Without a big picture for our lives, we become a slave to the immediate or urgent.  The big picture helps us avoid decisions that drain our energy and waste our time, and make sound decisions based on purpose rather than immediacy.   God created each of us with a purpose in mind (Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalm 139:16), and we would do well to live our lives ON PURPOSE as well.

Today, I encourage you to work prayerfully on your GPA.  Take some time to think about the following areas, search Scripture, ask God for insight and wisdom.

GOALS.  Over the next few months, how do you desire to please God spiritually, in your family, on your job, with your health, and other areas God may point out to you?  What is the BIG PICTURE for your life?

PRIORITIES.  Given the goals you have set, what facets of your life need the most attention?  Where do you need to focus your attention and energy?  Does the way you invest your attention, time, and resources reflect the goals you have set?  Do you need to re-appropriate values in your life?

ACTIONS.  How are you going to align your daily activities to reflect God’s priorities for you?  What changes will you make to get control of your life so that you can offer it back to God as a gift of worship?

Once you’ve spent some time pondering, write a purpose statement for your life.  Share it with some people who will help you be accountable to what God has shown you, and begin setting priorities and making decisions that accomplish the BIG PICTURE.

Comments are open.  Thoughts?  Ideas?