Three miles an hour is a good pace

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savor the moment”

Our Bible verse for today: “Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” 2 Peter 3:8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Three miles an hour is a good pace”

This morning I want to continue our thinking from yesterday regarding the pace of our lives. I noted that too often we blow through our days, just skimming the surface of life rather than slowing down, going deep with people and situations, and savoring the moments of our lives.

I also want to return to an illustration I used in a previous devotional recently from the Japanese Christian and professor of theology, Kosuke Koyama. In that devotional I told you about a book he wrote with the title “Three Mile An Hour God.” The title comes from the fact that the average human, when not in a hurry, walks at a speed of approximately three miles an hour. That’s the average speed of a leisurely but steady stroll. It’s the speed at which we notice, appreciate, and enjoy our surroundings. We’re moving, but we’re not rushed.

Koyama’s premise is that God Himself is never in a hurry, and He seldom pushes us to hurry either because under normal circumstances, hurry is neither necessary nor helpful. Instead, He walks with us through life at the speed that is best for us – three miles an hour. Moving, but relaxed and enjoying the trip.

That should describe us most of the time – relaxed and enjoying our trip through life. Read the Gospels. Jesus was never in a hurry. If our Lord didn’t allow Himself to get frantic and agitated and rushing from here to there, and if our goal is to be more like Him, then perhaps we need to slow it down a bit.

Peter’s point in 2 Peter 3:8 (above) is that God is outside of time. Time doesn’t apply to Him. Time is a construct God created within which human affairs unfold and are measured, but God is eternal and He is unaffected by time. Therefore, a day is the same as a thousand years to Him and a thousand years is like a day. God has eternity to work with and therefore He doesn’t need to rush. And the same is true for us as well – we have eternity to work with too.

So, do we really need to rush so much? Since God walks with us, and since our best speed under normal circumstances is a leisurely three miles an hour, I can picture God with His hand on my shoulder saying, “Whoa, slow it down a little, Jim. What’s your hurry?”

Good question. What is my hurry? A leisurely three mile an hour stroll through life is a good pace.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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