Do you have the time?
What time is it?
You look at a clock because time matters.
There are days on the calendar reserved for special occasions. Lunchtime happens around noon. We have bedtimes, playtimes, times to go to work and times to clock out. We reserve times to meet for coffee, to chat, to study and wake up in the morning. Time holds us together and seems to determine whet we do and when we do them. So often, however, we live by the clock and fail to consider the larger picture.
If you ask God what time it is, He might not remind you that it is time for breakfast. He might tell you to think more highly of the time you have been given.
Time is to be treasured, not measured. And how you prioritize it determines how you use the time you have.
Losing track of Time
All of us have “lost track of time.” When we do, there is an innate sense something went wrong and something indeed was lost. A measure of something you had is gone and cannot be regained. This makes time unique. You have a limited amount of it. Then… it’s gone.
Ask a wealthy person on their death bed what they wish they had more of. Their response is not that they want “more money.” They wish they had more time. Only as it slips away do they realize what the real treasure is and how so much of it slipped through their lifetime, unnoticed. All they saw was money when they were alive. They always had time enough to make more money. But in the end, there is no amount of money that makes more time.
You can also lose time by being lazy, pursuing a meaningless career, or being stuck in an addiction or destructive lifestyle. There are a lot of ways to give our time away to pursuits that have no lasting value.
And again …you can never get that time back and you can never make more of it.
Jesus asks “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) His words call every decision you ever made into question. Are you intentionally living for eternity?
Every moment come from the Master’s hand. Time is a gift from God and should be used to bring Him glory.
Instead of allowing time to be lost, make the use of it an act of worship. Carpe diem! Seize the day! Don’t lose another moment God has given you.
You have the Time
“Redeeming the time” is a popular phrase that is now often used to motive people in the marketplace, but it is best used in Bible-language:
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:15–17)
The Apostle Paul tells the church they should be aware of the world around them. Don’t be stupid or unaware that the times we are living in are evil. However, because you and I are in Christ and alive in this generation, there is hope. We can make a difference. We are Christ’s ambassadors, placed here to redeem the time that is being used (or lost to) evil.
Can I tell you a secret? The church is often naïve. It is easy to stick together inside a building on a Sunday morning, smile at one another, talk about the music and worship experience… without feeling God’s burden of love for a lost and dying world outside… who strangely enough, also seem to be unaware. Listening to politicians who say their people are good seem to forget they have a responsibility to make and uphold laws to prosecute the bad people.
Christian people do not think everything is good and acceptable.
Likewise, Christians are not here on earth to say they are right and everyone else is wrong.
Christians are here to live in real time and redeem it as it happens.
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, be aware of the evil in the world while knowing that God is good. You are different and will be a difference-maker when you let your light shine before men.
You are alive at this time to redeem the time . You don’t have time on your hands. There is no time to spare. The time is yours! You have been entrusted to tell the time what it must be used for; good or evil.
In official meetings such as courtrooms and boardrooms, when a person is authorized to speak, the person in charge (PIC) may turn to you and say “the floor is yours.” The time is yielded to you. It is your turn to speak. In similar fashion, I can imagine God in heaven looking at you and giving that authority to you, right now, saying “the time is yours!”
Time for One Last Step
God’s accounting is different. Those who follow Jesus will be in heaven with Him. Those who don’t will be without Him. However, everyone will give an account of their life. (There is no tax evasion in heaven.) Heaven will not inspect your bank accounts or number of “friends” following you on social media. Jesus is not impressed by your popularity or “influence” on culture.
Heaven inspects your time. That is what you must give account for.
The Apostle Paul provides some sage insight:
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” (1 Corinthians 9:24)
Every race has a time limit and a finish line. They don’t last forever. When the race is over, every participant will be held accountable for how they used that time. The emphasis here is not coming in first, but being intentional. If we don’t use the time we have, we may never finish.
Beware, however, the finish line is not the only line. The finish line is for finishers, but eternity is a different kind of line. It is a different “boundary.” Instead of being one thousand steps ahead of you, the line of eternity runs parallel. It remains one step away from you all the time!
One step to the side can end your time. Life as you know it will change dramatically.
Right now, you and I have time for one more step. There will once be a last step. Treasure each moment by focusing on the race
Time is of the essence.
Are you faithful and fruitful? Time will tell.
