Navigating Time

In physics, the fourth dimension is commonly identified with time, which, together with the three dimensions of space (length, width, height), forms a four-dimensional continuum called spacetime. This concept, central to Einstein’s theory of relativity, shows that time is not separate from space but is deeply interconnected with it. To fully describe an event in the universe, you need four coordinates: three for spatial location and one for the moment in time when it occurs.

Then God [Elohiym – God the Creator] said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”             Genesis 1:26-28

In the above passage, Elohiym, God the Creator, is a plural noun and translated as Let Us, a reference to the Trinity. That the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit are all creators is consistent with the Scripture since the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Logos, is creator in John 1:3 (All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being), and the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit is Creator in Job 33:4 (“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life”). If God is three-dimensional, His creation would reflect that three-dimensionality. Man consists of a body, soul, and spirit, according to 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit [pneuma – immaterial, spiritual] and soul [psuche – immaterial, mind] and body [soma – material, physical] be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The environment in which man exists can also be defined as three-dimensional. Mass has length, depth, and height, while the material world exists in three forms: liquid, solid, or gas. Even time, although a fourth dimension, is linear and is measured as past, present, or future. Looking at the world of microbiology, atoms are the basic building blocks of all matter and chemistry. Most of the atom is empty space. The rest consists of three basic types of subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Even the world unseen to the naked eye follows this same tripartite construction.

It could be construed that the three-dimensional physical realm must have time, either past, present, or future, to exist. In a sense, this physical realm represents the game pieces, and time is the gameboard on which the pieces play; without a gameboard, the game pieces cannot exist.

In Him

"The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for [pselaphao – feel for] Him and find [heurisko – discover] Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist [have our being], as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.' Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."                   Acts 17:24-31

While in Athens, Paul engaged with some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, who brought him to Mars Hill. There, Paul explained what the Gospel was all about; he used the occasion to describe the strange deities he was preaching. In light of an altar to an Unknown God, Paul began teaching them about this God. The above passage utilizes the philosophers’ perspective to provide a foundation for the God of the Bible. He would determine their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation. According to Barnes Notes:  

Their limits and boundaries as a people: by customs, laws, inclinations, and habits, He has fixed the boundaries of their habitations and disposed them to dwell there. We may learn:

(1) That the revolutions and changes of nations are under the direction of infinite                             wisdom.

(2) People should not be restless and dissatisfied with where God has located them.

(3) That God has given sufficient limits to all so that it is not needful to invade others;                     and

(4) That wars of conquest are evil. God has given people their places of abode, and we have no right to disturb them or attempt to displace them violently. This strain of remark by the apostle was also opposed to all the notions of the Epicurean philosophers and yet so obviously true and just that they could not gainsay or resist it.

Paul quotes from Epimenides, from the poem Minos, and addresses Zeus as follows:

They fashioned a tomb for you, holy and high one,

Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies.

But you are not dead: you live and abide forever,

For in you we live and move and have our being.

Many did not believe in Zeus’ immortality; Epimenides wrote that Zeus was not only immortal but was the source of life. Paul was comparing their perception of Zeus to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything. Man’s boundaries and habitations are ordained by God’s perfect plan to create a need for God and, therefore, a desire to seek after Him. This seeking requires faith beyond the five senses if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. This verse paints a picture of a blind man who recognizes God's existence but cannot see Him, so he feels for Him. The conclusion of that search is to find the One in Whom we live and move and exist.

Man’s Choice

If each of us is a chess piece, with different roles and purposes (i.e., pawn, knight, queen, bishop, king), and time is the chessboard, then the game each one lives is defined by the choices he makes on his board (in time). A bigger game is being played between the Lord and the devil, and it is up to each to decide whether he wants to make his own decisions or let the Lord, by the Holy Spirit, order his steps. This is the free will given to Adam from the beginning to honor the Lord's wishes or decide matters for himself.

According to Isaiah 46:9-10, “Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.” Without an eternal perspective, man is left to figure out his own course in life apart from God’s counsel. He must use his own abilities, intuition, experience, and/or external advice to choose his next step. The perfect will of God is not in his purview.

Making the Most of Time

Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise [aphron – lack of understanding] men but as wise [suniemi – comprehension], making the most of [exagorazo – redeem] your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation [asotia – a prodigal], but be filled with the Spirit.            Ephesians 5:15-18

Paul encourages followers of Christ to walk purposefully, with precision and accuracy, not like sleepwalkers, as many Christians today are. Time is the most precious commodity we have, and we should manage it as such. Navigating time allows the believer to take advantage of all of the opportunities the Lord provides within the playground called time. The quality of the believer's walk is directly related to his ability and willingness to discern the will of God, not as a prodigal, but being fully led by (filled with) the Holy Spirit.

Seek First

"For this reason, I say to you, do not be worried [anxious] about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”                              Matthew 6:25

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "So, do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”          Matthew 6:33-34

One of the great battles that man faces in his effort to navigate time is his battle with anxiety and worry. When left to fend for himself, man must solve his own life concerns and future without any guarantees of future success; he is subject to great anxieties and emotional responses to his challenges. When he tries to navigate time without God’s direction, his fear of the unknown causes distress that is many times managed with various forms of medication. So much of life is outside of man’s control. Jesus’s answer is to seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and tomorrow will take care of itself. Seeking first His kingdom means the believer has taken God at His Word in providing for man’s basic human needs: food, clothing, and shelter. He puts his relationship with God as his primary interest.

Worrying about tomorrow does not help either tomorrow or today. If anything, it robs us of our effectiveness today - which means we will be even less effective tomorrow. Someone has said that the average person is crucifying himself between two thieves: the regrets of yesterday and the worries about tomorrow. Jesus died on a cross between yesterday and tomorrow; He has solved man’s problem of worry. Regret and worry about the past and future rob believers of today’s blessings. Jesus is the God of today. Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58). Consider the following illustration of the peace the believer finds in the present moment:

Several years ago, an art gallery ran a contest to see who could create the best painting that portrayed the idea of peace. There were many worthy submissions. There was a magnificent painting of a sun setting over the tranquil waters of a pristine beach. Another depicted lush pastures with rolling green hills and a placid lake. Still, another entry showed fresh snow in the mountains with a small log cabin glowing with the light of a warm fire within.

Yet, none of these peaceful scenes won the prize. Instead, the most unlikely contender won first place. It was a painting of a storm with lightning flashing and winds blowing through the trees of a rocky cliff. But if you looked a bit closer, you could see why it won. In the cleft of the rocks was a mother eagle, her wings spread over her six sleeping chicks. It was the picture of peace.

The Bridegroom

Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to them, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. “But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out, and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."                             Matthew 9:14-17

Jesus pictured the relationship between His ministry and that of John the Baptist using a patch and a wineskin. John was a reformer seeking to bring about repentance (change of mind and direction) among those steeped in the traditions of Judaism. Jesus, however, was not out to patch up an old system, like sewing a new un-shrunk cloth on an old garment, which would then tear, or pouring new wine into old wineskins, which would then burst. His purpose was to reveal something new. He had come to lead a group out of Judaism into the kingdom based on His Kingship and His righteousness. True righteousness is not built on the Law or on Pharisaic traditions. The new covenant relationship in Christ has the Holy Spirit to complete his walk.

An Appointed Time

In Ecclesiastes 3:1, Solomon introduces a discussion of time when he says, “There is an appointed [opportune] time for everything [actions & events]. And there is a time [as a duration] for every event [activity – what one desires] under heaven." The essence of this verse is that God has given time as a gift to be managed, so we can discern its greatest meaning and find His will amid its details. It also brings up the idea of seasons of life when conditions or events govern different periods of life: "A time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” The summary of the passage is found in verse 11, where God has made everything beautiful or appropriate in its time. The highest quality of life is found when man seeks God’s purpose for each day.

The believer’s walk with God is not defined by the exact steps of other believers gone before. Rather, it is finding the unique pathway prepared before each one by God, so it is unique and a road less traveled. Although we recognize the Biblical foundations of our lives as provided by the apostles and prophets and learn to follow God by watching others, it is up to us, led by the Holy Spirit, to find the particular steps He has prepared beforehand for us to walk. This includes not only the footsteps, but also the stride and pace in which we walk. Identifying that pathway is many times not so simple; we learn to trust the Spirit. The many who have gone before are our example and our encouragement that God desires to see His people blessed in this life as well as the one to come.

There is No Other

“Gather yourselves and come; draw near together, you fugitives of the nations; they have no knowledge, who carry about their wooden idol and pray to a god who cannot save. “Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me. “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.                      Isaiah 45:20-22

From His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth; He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works. The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength.                           Psalm 33:14-16

In Isaiah 45, the Lord appealed to the Gentiles to turn from wooden idols and be saved from coming destruction. They were to note the prophecies God had given, acknowledge His uniqueness as the only God, and turn to Him, because eventually everyone will acknowledge His sovereignty. So that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).

In Psalm 33, the psalmist states that God sees all people from His exalted position in heaven, His dwelling place. He sees even their inner thoughts. God does not save the self-confident. Those who look to a king, or human strength, or a horse cannot find deliverance. Rather, the LORD saves and preserves those who trust and hope in Him. Time stands still when man puts his trust in the Lord and His perfect will.