86,400 and Counting

86,400. That is an interesting number.  When God created the earth, on the first day, He created light. He then separated the light from the darkness, and the light He called day and the dark He called night. Then the Bible says that cycle of light and dark was the first day. From the very beginning, God created 86,400 seconds in one day for us to utilize. He then gave us the freedom to squander them or use them wisely.

Each day holds the potential for numerous God ordained moments in which we can encounter Him. Sadly, most of us go through the average day giving God lip service or a token few moments of Bible reading followed by a canned prayer asking Him to bless our day.

In Ephesians 5:16, Paul encourages us to “redeem the time...” When Paul wrote Ephesians, Greek was the universal language. In Greek, two words can be translated “time.” One is the word chronos, where we get our English word “chronology.” Chronos refers to time as a sequence, and the measurement of that sequence. “What time is it?” “It is 10:00 in the morning.” That is not the word Paul employs.

Instead, Paul uses the Greek work chairos which refers to specific moments of time – opportunities. He is encouraging us to recognize and seize the divinely appointed opportunities that may be a part of that 86,400 second day. So, how do we miss these divine appointments? Why do we not see the opportunities God places before us each day? I believe the key is found in the verses that surround Ephesians 5:17.

Ephesians 5:15 encourages us to pay attention to how we live, to live as wise people not foolish people. One of the reasons we miss divine appointments is because we simply aren't paying attention. In the Bible wisdom always refers to a Biblical worldview. We fail to see a chairos because we choose to live from a secular perspective rather than training our minds to view life Biblically. Let me encourage you to make Bible reading a part of your daily routine. In the morning, read a small passage of Scripture, ask yourself what it means to you, then watch all day for that very truth you have just learned to arise in your life.

In Ephesians 5:17, Paul challenges us to “understand what is the will of the Lord.” We tend to miss God encounters in our day because we are not on the “look-out” for what God wants out of our life. Maybe we busy ourselves with self-satisfaction, or maybe we seek to satisfy a family member, friend, or boss. We encounter God when we make it our aim to fulfill His desires for our life each day.

Ephesians 5:18 calls us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. As a comparison, Paul refers to one under the influence of alcohol. The alcohol influences how a person speaks, walks, acts. In the same manner, we can allow the Holy Spirit to “inebriate” us to the point that He guides our thoughts, actions, and behaviors. Allowing the Holy Spirit to influence us on a daily basis in an actual God encounter in and of itself, and He leads us to experience God each day in increasingly profound and amazing ways.

The key to making the most of those 86,400 moments of each day is to surrender them to God. Read, meditate on, and apply the Bible to your life each day. Ask yourself what God wants in each circumstance of your day. As the Holy Spirit to control your thoughts, words, actions, and emotions. I promise you will be AMAZED at what God can do with just a FEW of those 86,400 seconds in your day. There will NEVER be a dull moment.