Kairos: Sacred Time, part 1

Last updated on: January 10, 2012 at 10:00 pm by Rev. Jared V. Ingle

5 Comments

Kairos: Sacred Time, part 1 2012-01-10T22:00:00-05:00 Rev. Jared V. Ingle

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This time of year, we’re all thinking of time: Father Time, New Year’s Resolutions, Bucket Lists, etc. Actually, by this point in the year, we’re often regretting the fact that we’ve already given up on our New Year’s Resolutions. Some of us are participating in special prayer events or fasts that our Churches facilitate at the beginning of each year. With the New Year comes a fresh new start, the possibility of change, and the opportunity to reflect on what really matters in life.

Perhaps Paul was thinking along these lines when he began to close his letter to the Galatians. How are we spending our time? Are we taking advantage of every opportunity? Are we taking advantage of every opportunity with those who matter? We’re going to look at a couple of verses that Paul uses to bring out the sacredness of time.

Galatians 6.9: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (NIV)

Paul wraps this verse with the challenge – don’t give up! He starts with, Let us not become weary in doing good, and ends with if we do not give up. In the original language, weary means to be utterly spiritless, to be wore out or exhausted. Give up is from the same word group as weary and is actually closer in meaning to faint (as found in the KJV). Both weary and faint are used of laborers who become exhausted in their work.

Paul says we can become weary and faint in the Lord’s work. We can faint, pass out spiritually, give up, and give in to apathy. This is a call to persevere, to endure in the Lord’s work. If Paul were speaking today, he might say the Christian walk isn’t a sprint, but a marathon, so pace yourself! The Lord’s work, doing good, is a sacred trust so don’t give up!

The reason we don’t give up is because at the proper time we will reap a harvest. The NLT reads At just the right timeand the KJV says for in due season. This implies that it will happen in your time, when it’s best for you. When who says it is best for you? We often think we know what time is best for us, but we must keep in mind that God determines our season.

What is this time or season of harvest? In the Greek, the word is kairos. There are two main words for time in the Greek – chronos and kairos. “Broadly speaking, chronos expresses the duration of a period, kairosstresses it as marked by certain features . . . Chronos marks quantity, kairos, quality.”[1] Chronos explains the order of time, kairos the divine plan for time. Paul is saying there is a divine season. God has a plan.

At the proper time – in due season, in kairos, in God’s divine plan – we shall reap. This is more than methodically sowing seeds in the spring and reaping in the fall, or giving a little money and expecting great return. That mindset for spiritually sowing and reaping is shallow. God is involved as we work the fields, and He will produce a spiritual harvest.

Paul is returning to the spiritual sowing and reaping of Galatians 6.7-8. Galatians 6.7: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8: For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Don’t give up sowing good! Do the Lord’s work! Plant good seed! Trust His sacred timing, and He will bring about your season of divine harvest! We may take for granted the fact that time is in His hands, but do we really believe that our lives and times are in His hands?

[1]W.E. Vine, “Season (Noun),” Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words(1940), Blue Letter Bible, entry posted Apr 1, 2007,  http://www.blueletterbible.org, (accessed January 27, 2010).

Formation

Uncategorized

Previous Post

December 21, 2011

Impact Appalachia

Next Post

January 16, 2012 Kairos: Sacred Time, part 2

Recent Comments

5 Comments | Leave a Comment

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Communion Cruz Ingle Crystal Ingle Early Church Engaging Culture Ethics & Society Family Formation History In Dialogue Jared & Crystal Kingdom of God Majority World Church Mateo Ingle Messenger College Mission Narrative Pentecostal Church of God Prayer Shepherding The Sermon The Writings Theology Theology & Psychology Traverse City Uncategorized Vernell Ingle Word Study

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 May 2017 March 2017 March 2014 February 2013 January 2013 October 2012 July 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 August 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the first appointed deacon?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Nicolas Philip Barnabas Stephen