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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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As
Time Rolls On... Mark Brouwer has some keen insights on how we measure time: "The first mechanical clocks appeared in the 13th century, and signaled a subtle shift in the way we measure and think about time. They ushered in the concept of exact time – no longer just dawn, noon, mid-day – now 6:03, 12:00, and 3:20. Today our ability to divide and measure time has grown into insane proportions. For example, a cesium clock divides a second into 9,192,631,770 parts. As James Burke wryly observes, now we can capture the
”'smallest elements of existence and learn more and more about less and less.”' We can divide time into the smallest of increments, but in so doing we miss the big picture." “Exact time” actually does confuse us, because marking duration by a clock can give us a false impression of time... The
clock is round; it moves in circles, endlessly repeating.
Digital clocks give the same impression. They make you think that time
is cyclical. You go through a day, but the next morning when
you wake, it's the same time again. It can seem like an infinitely
repeating cycle; every day, time repeats itself. But it doesn't! And
the dawn of each year reminds us of that. At some point we realize
that the days add up, and after we've lived them…. they're gone, never
to return. The
Bible gives great and practical insight into this subject. In Psalm
90 we're instructed to pray, “So
teach us to number our days, Instead
of “killing time” we
should be “redeeming the time”
(Ephesians
5:15-16), making the most of our limited time by focusing on those
things that are most important: our family, our friends, and… our
relationship with God! When
we look at the big picture, we realize that it is our relationship with
God that is MOST important, for it has eternal consequences: “For
the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). God
loves us so much that He gave His Son to die for our sins (Ephesians
1:7) so that we might live with Him forever (1 John 2:25). God has
promised to give eternal life to those who believe
and trust Jesus (Acts
16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confess
Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) in His name
for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). How
we use our time NOW determines our eternal destination. God
has decreed: the best – and eternally blessed – way to use our time
is to follow Him in submission and service! Isn’t
it about time for YOU
to follow Him? David A. Sargent, Minister Church
of Christ at Creekwood To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchzip.com Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org
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