A matter of time

Monday we had our prayer and reflection time as usual. As we are at the changing of the year I selected 2 Peter 3:8-9.

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Psalm 90 concurs in verse 4:

“A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.”

If a thousand years are truly like one day, it means that Jesus left only two days ago and we may have to wait a few more days before He will return. Reason for not returning is the love of the Lord for all people as he wants everyone to come to repentance. Can you imagine that you would wait two thousand year? In our western context three years is about the horizon we can handle. If we look at Asia people still make plan for 50 or even a 100 years, unbelievable we say from a western standpoint.

Due to the ideas of the Manicheans St. Augustine had to reflect on the concept of time. Because time, as a separate existence of  past, present and future, is inexpressible, Augustine proposes that one refer to time as, “three times, a present of things past, a present of things present, a present of things to come.” [1] [2] He continues to elaborate on this issue to conclude that God always has been and always will be.

If you look at our own work and the time we spend on earth and compare this with a thousand years, it changes ones perspective on what we do and can do. It allows us to look at ourselves a bit from the standpoint of eternity. If we do this we can ask ourselves the question what is most important to do? Is it what we are doing right now? Or are we keeping ourselves busy with more unimportant matters?

For us at 3xM we feel blessed by the many responses coming from our partners when we look back at our past 25 years. We feel that we are part of the Lord’s mission to share the Gospel with unreached people over this globe. As we are working in an unlimited mission and have limited means as our NL Chairman Gerrit Taute always says,  it remains important for us to ask the question:

Am I doing what the Lord wants me to do right now?

 

 

[1] Augustine Confessions 11.26.33

[2] http://www.academia.edu/4173454/Augustines_Understanding_of_Time_and_Eternity