Time is a battleground

The thoughts that have been expressed about women and fellowship have highlighted an issue that is paramount to us all. Time. We are all struggling to find the needed time to accomplish anything meaningful within our fellowship. Commitment to anything complex is something we all innately avoid, because of pervasive feelings of being over-extended. We cannot even arrive at a common time to get together. Yet there are many of us who truly desire and believe that we can grow at Sunshine. We believe that our fellowship can rise to new heights and God will work through us to reach our community. So for us, Time is a battleground.

We marvel at how much change has been experienced in the past century. Travel times are reduced, communications are greatly enhanced, and we now have a multitude of conveniences. Yet, despite it all, it seems quality of life is on the decline. We, generally, have accepted this absorption of our time as the result of natural and/or economic forces beyond our control. We complain often and seem to believe that there is nothing we can do about it.

I have a theory. Busyness is a direct function of our culture. Culture has to do with the trends and values of this world. Satan lies behind the trends and values of this world. Hence, Satan is keeping us busy.

What if we refuse to accept it? We may not know what to do about it, but at least we no longer passively accept it as inevitable. What if we start believing that God has a different agenda for us to pursue? Could we not make time a key focus of prayer? Could we not, with God's power, inspire one another to move counter to our culture? Is there not something deeply ingrained in us all that hates mediocrity, that is willing to take some risk in striving for something significant and meaningful?

When I was involved with my dad in racing, I remember being puzzled about a certain class of competitors. These were the guys who consistently finished in the middle of the pack or worse. Their cars were always the same. They made no mid-week adjustments. They loaded up and drove to the track, knowing they would not seriously contend for the win. I could not understand that mentality. In contrast, we won or came close to winning or broke down. Every time we went to the track, our thoughts were on winning the race.

This analogy may not resonate with all of you, but I think it relates to God's statement about the church in Laodicea, "neither hot nor cold...spit you out of my mouth." I believe that if we are to rise above mediocrity as a congregation, we must take the fight to the enemy. I think the battleground is Time.

I will confess that as of yet, I lack the faith to fully grasp the meaning of this common passage:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33