Thinking about time

They say we live in a space/time universe, and that God is in eternity, beyond "space," and outside of "time." He always is: When we were, before we were, or after we are, He is.

So what do we know about time? Well, what time is it? No, really it isn't. We mark out a spot on the clock, and tag a name onto it. Twelve Noon, say. We watch the clock and, if it's really precise and accurate, we can say that when it reaches that time, that's what time it will be. If we look closer at that perfect clock, we find a problem. As soon as it reaches that "point," it's already past! The more precisely we look at Twelve Noon the smaller, and less significant it becomes. Is it Noon for one second? For the first part of that second? As soon as it's 12:00:00.000000(etc.)1, that time is over.

Pretty lame thing to think about, perhaps, but if we apply that "great revelation" to everyday living we can use it to help get things done. The time I appointed to do X has to go to X, or I wind up stealing time from Y or Z if X is going to happen. Ties in with some Bible advice there, such as "whatever you do, do it with all you've got" from Ecclesiastes (believed written by King Solomon when he was old, and had come to his senses), or "walk circumspectly, redeeming the time for the days are evil" from Paul to the Ephesians. Good thing to put up on my own wall, to be sure! (John Wesley was so aware of this aspect that he kept a journal for every hour of his life, and accomplished more in his own day than most before or since, even with all our "time saving devices!")

Speaking of the Bible, though, there are some other ways this ties together as well. As much sensationalism as has been generated in the Press in the past few years, it's plain enough to most people today that these are the "Last Days." Just what that means, though, is wide open. We all know that at some "point in time" each of us will breathe our last. In both pictures a "time" is coming. We may have warnings, and we may have false warnings, but we know that a time, a moment like "Twelve Noon" is going to come at some point. Cheery thought, isn't it? It does
get a lot better, because it also says, "Now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation." There may be some notes left on this, that that "today" was written a long time ago, but a careful reading does show us that the "time" is the time that the Gospel of Christ is being preached, as it is today. Now is the time, and anyone who knows the Lord will say, "There's no time like the present!"