#ReimagineDISCIPLESHIP...as both Kairos and Chronos
Being Generous in the NOW
Written by Dynamis Ministries
n our culture today, the number one resource that is in the highest demand is time. Our days are filled with commuting, work meetings, deadlines, running errands, taxiing the kids and so much more. And in this Christmas season especially, the limits of time are even more magnified with all the extra activities filling our calendars. We’re all feeling this pinch right now! It’s no wonder we often feel like we don’t have enough time in the day to do everything we need to do. But there is hope in changing our perspective of time just a bit.
In God’s word there are two concepts of time that are important to understand. Chronos is one concept of time. It’s the measure of seconds, minutes, hours, days and years. It’s the way most of us are familiar with time. It’s the time we live in most regularly and the time we use to order our days. But there is also a second concept for time: kairos. Kairos is more of a qualitative measure of time. It refers to an opportune moment or an appointed time for God to act. Kairos is God’s time. It’s those divine moments in the day where we can see God opening up doors of opportunity and inviting us to step in.
This understanding of kairos time relates to growing our generosity potential in a big way. All of our expressions of generosity stem from what we at Dynamis call a “spirit of generosity.” A spirit of generosity is a posture in life that is selfless and looks to others first. It’s having an awareness as we go about our day that is attune to the needs around us and being willing to respond in the places God is affirming. Operating in this spirit of generosity has a strong connection to living in kairos time. As we grow our spirit of generosity, we can begin to be more aware of moments in each day that are God appointed opportunities to act.
Oftentimes, God sends us opportunities to be generous in the here and now that may not be in our plans. These are kairos moments where God may be nudging us to move, and we can respond with action. In a hilarious way, it’s kind of like Clark Griswold in the movie Christmas Vacation when cousin Eddie shows up unannounced. This arrival wasn’t in Clark’s Christmas plans, but when it’s revealed that Eddie is down and out, Clark generously takes him and his family in - extending hospitality, feeding them and even buying gifts for Eddie’s family.
While not all of our lives will be interrupted by an eccentric relative living in a RV, we can all relate to those kairos moments when God sends opportunities our way to be generous. Yet to make the most of these kairos moments we need to first have an awareness of them and be available to act. One way we can lean into this more and make ourselves available for God’s kairos moments is through prayer. In this moment right now, whatever time constraints you may be facing, we encourage you to take a pause in your day. Center your heart and mind on Christ with a few breath prayers and say this prayer for yourself:
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Heavenly Father, I praise you for your love and goodness. You generously love me with an unfailing love, and everything I have to give is only from what you have first given me. I invite your Holy Spirit to bring to my attention an awareness of the needs around me. Grant me to ability to act generously when opportunities come my way. I am making myself available to spread your light to others. Direct me according to your will in a spirit of generosity. Amen. |
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