Purposed Urgency

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10 (NKJV)

Today we’re going to start our devotional a bit differently by doing a linguistic deep dive. So, strap on your thinking cap because we’re going to thoroughly examine the key word that unlocks the meaning of the proceeding exhortation: opportunity.

In order to get the full weight of this word’s meaning, we need to go back to the original language where we find its Greek counterpart to be the word kairos. This is one of the more fascinating and important words that appears in the Greek New Testament. It is closely associated with the concept of time. In fact, the English Standard Version of the Bible translates it as “time” 64 times and the King James Version of the Bible translates it as “season” 13 times. 

Kairos does not convey time as a generic succession of moments, as we do when we say that we’re “killing time” or “just passing time.” No, instead kairos is pointing to a very specific moment in time which opens up a unique opportunity for a certain action. A moment when things are finally brought to a point of crisis, a decisive epoch that has been long anticipated. It’s like that moment when the hero in a film finally emerges to fulfill their purposed destiny. 

Beyond this, kairos also implies a fixed and definite period of time in which to act. As a season has its limitations, so does the “kairos” to do something important. It implies a sense of responsibility and urgency. It’s the sense a sports fan has when their team is down by one with just a handful of seconds on the clock. Win or go home, do or die, the time is now, that’s the momentous weight of Kairos.

Now, reread the exhortation under our consideration: “Therefore, as we have opportunity (or kairos), let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Do you see the sense of purposed urgency in this passage? This isn’t a matter of doing something good if you’re able to get around to it after you’ve wrapped up the rest of your day. Instead, the heart of this verse is telling us to focus our lives in such a way that we base our lives on doing good to all, and especially our fellow believers, because the clock is ticking and this is the moment to step up and fulfill God’s purpose for our lives by doing good. Will we?

PAUSE: What did you learn by taking a closer look at the word opportunity? How does this change your understanding of this divine command? How will this understanding effect the way you order your life?

PRACTICE: Do good this week for a member of the household of faith. Do something kind for a fellow brother or sister!

PRAY: Father, show me this week who I can bless from Your house. Put a name on my heart of someone in need of encouragement, and give me the words that will speak life, truth, and peace into them. Amen.