City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh.

The Word

⁵⁴ He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. ⁵⁵ And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. ⁵⁶ You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? 

-Luke 12:54-56

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses teach us to recognize the present time and act accordingly. Jesus points to the hypocrisy of people who have the ability to discern what is happening and yet choose to ignore the present time. 

The Greek word for “present time” is kairos which has various meanings such as “Fitting season, season, opportunity, occasion, time. Of uncertain affinity; an occasion, i.e. Set or proper time.” (Strong’s Concordance). 

After years of studying the Torah, prophecy, and signs pointing to the Messiah, here He was standing right in front of them–a significant spiritual moment–and they acted like it wasn’t so. Perhaps the Jesus standing right in front of them didn’t fit the idea of the Messiah they had imagined, so they disregarded all the evidence pointing to His identity and missed a divine moment God specially crafted for them to experience. 

How often do we miss opportunities to get closer to God because what is happening does not fit the description of how we think it’s supposed to be? Perhaps if the people Jesus was addressing let go of what they thought the Messiah was supposed to be and instead focused on everything He is, acknowledging all the evidence pointing to His Messianic identity, they would have seen things differently. Instead, they were spiritually blind, and Jesus called it out. 

Application

Are you too caught up in what’s going on around you (the world’s climate) that you are missing an important spiritual moment the Lord wants to share with you? As I’ve heard it quoted:

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

-Origin unknown

Start fresh with the Lord today. Ask Him what He is trying to show you. Regularly take moments in your day to attune to God and discern the present time. What do you see? What do the spiritual signs point to? 

Prayer

Father God, I don’t want to miss a single moment with You. I want to spend my time attuned to Your presence, so I can live in a way that honors and glorifies Your holy name. May Your name be praised forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.