07/05/2020
Do we make good use of every hour and minute in our lives by doing the will of God as if we knew that in a short time we would be called away, and our task here might remain unfinished? Time is limited, and is evil towards us in this regard, but it also reveals how precious it is if we use it wisely. How diligent are we in doing the will of God, and how careful are we in the application of our time in His service, and towards His purpose?
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”
Ephesians 5:15-16 ESV
There was a time in my life when I faced death. I was drowning in a lake, and looking back on that defining moment I realize that my thoughts were not on what was happening to me in that instant, but what would become of my family, and how they would go on without me. In the moment of my finality, I faced a fear of the unfinished, and regretted wasted moments, that I had left as unfinished business. Each of us has regrets regarding things we have or haven’t done, but there will come a time when we will take our last breath, and how wisely we spend our time now in the world, and in our faith, will determine the height , depth, and breadth, of those regrets.
“yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.””
James 4:14-15 ESV
One of our greatest callings is to witness to those around us. We are told to do so within our close sphere of family and friends, and we are told to go out, and speak to those outsiders who need to hear the gospel message of Christ. In answering this calling we are also reminded to use our time wisely, but how often do we let opportunities to speak God’s Word go by without so much as a whisper? Are we Guilty of wasting our time?
“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.”
Colossians 4:5 ESV
This is how we should approach our precious time in service to God, but He is not a hard hearted task master, and tells us to set aside time for all of the seasons in our lives. He tells us specifically to eat, heal, build, laugh, dance, gather, find , embrace, Love, make peace, and yes... to even to while away some of our time in thought, but interwoven into each of our seasons is our relationship with God, and Jesus Christ. Each moment, the good and bad, should include them as a part of it, and thus make our life joyous, productive in the spirit, and complete. Our seasons mark the time in our lives, and His word regarding them tells us that each has been given number of hours to be spent there. In other words, we are to move wisely through life, and not waste our time in any one season... each one, like every minute, has a purpose, and is precious, but only if we wrap God, and His will for us around them, and let our love for Him run through them.
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV
So, today is not a day to simply contemplate the will of God, and how it applies to our lives; today is a day of action in which we are meant to make the best use of the season we are in, and the time we are allotted here on this earth. Today is a day to abide in the divine, and work God’s will into all we do. This is how we seek wisdom in time... this is how we avoid the regret of the unfinished.
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for every second of my life, from the first gasp I took as an infant, to the last breath I will one day exhale. Thank you Lord for each season I experience, and the wonders it brings. I thank you especially Father for that moment when I met Jesus Christ, and by his redemption, and transformation, he redirected my life towards you. Help me Holy Father to live each moment as if it were my last, and to weave my relationship with you into, and throughout, all that I do. Strengthen me Lord, and awaken me if I slumber, or prod me along if I relax in a particular season for too long. Don’t let me linger without the anticipation, and desire, to seek you always. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God whose hand guides me throughout my days, and who orders my steps as I serve you. Praised be your name for the wisdom you give me, as I do your will, and for its presence in every breath I take. Great is your Word Father, and powerful its effect on my soul, and all those souls to whom I deliver it. You are merciful in this way Lord, and your grace is like sweet oil over me... making the way for your Son smooth, as He has entered into my life, and abides in me now. Hear my prayer Father as I begin each day by inviting your Holy Spirit to join me, and help me manage my time wisely. Keep me Father, and with my final spark in this body let me continue on, without regret, into eternity with you.
“What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.”
Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 ESV
Rich Forbes