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LEARN & GROW
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Week of November 22, 2009
KEY VERSE
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. (2 Peter 3:8 / ESV)
CENTRAL TRUTH
Having the proper time perspective is critical to how we live our lives.
DEVOTION
Two years ago, on the 18th anniversary of my father-in-law's death, I came across this verse in my study time. My mother-in-law missed him terribly. Eighteen years was a long time to have been without him. While I was reading this Scripture, the Holy Spirit urged me to do the math, so I reached for my calculator. The difference between a single day and a thousand years, of course, is a factor of 365,000. I pondered if a person lived 70 years on earth, what would that equate to in God's heavenly time perspective? Seventy years times 365 days equals 25,550 days, times 24 hours equals 613,200 hours, times 60 minutes equals 36,792,000 minutes, divided by 365,000 equals...100 minutes? Wow! If that was true, I thought, what further meaning did that hold?The first thing that came to my mind was that although my father-in-law had been dead for 18 years, in God's time perspective, it had been less than 26 minutes. At lunch, I explained to my mother-in-law that although 18 years does seem like a long time to us, she and her husband were apart over eight hours each working day. An earthly 26 minutes of separation was not painful because she knew she would see him again soon. Perhaps this explains why God allows his children to undergo trials and suffering. To us, trials seem like forever. In God's heavenly time perspective, even a ten-year trial is less than 15 minutes. Which one of us has not been sick, hurting, under stress or missing a loved one for 15 minutes? The second thing that came to my mind was: who spends all their time, talent and treasure on just the next 100 minutes? Yet, isn't that what we are doing when we concentrate all of our time and energies, investing and planning for just our lifetime here on earth, without eternity considered in our time perspective? Most financial planners advise their clients to invest for the long term. Perhaps we should alter our time, talent, and treasure investment portfolio to include a heavenly time perspective.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- What other related ideas can you think of when considering an eternal perspective of time versus an earthly one?
- Given this expanded time perspective, what changes in the way you spend your time, talents and treasures might be beneficial for you?
- Using your calculator, multiply 70 years times 365 days times 365,000 to see how many days an average lifetime would be in heaven from OUR perspective. How does that change your thinking?
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