TIME

018 – FEBRUARY 2005

SPENDING TIME

PS 90:12 “SO TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS, THAT WE MAY APPLY OUR HEARTS UNTO WISDOM.”

HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED THAT THE VERBS WE USE WITH “MONEY”, WE ALSO USE WITH “TIME”? WE SAY THINGS LIKE “I INVESTED SOME TIME WITH THE FAMILY.” I WASTE TOO MUCH TIME IN FRONT OF THE TV.” “THAT LITTLE TECHNIQUE HELPED ME TO SAVE SOME TIME.” OR, THE BIG ONE, ”LET’S SPEND SOME TIME ….”
YOU DO INDEED “SPEND” TIME. YOU CONTINUALLY MAKE DECISIONS TO SPEND IT. WHEN YOU SPEND TIME, YOU ARE MAKING A TRADE. YOU GIVE YOUR TIME FOR “SOMETHING” AND HOPE THAT YOU ARE HAPPY WITH THE TRADE.
WHETHER THE TRADE IS FOR WORK OR PLAY, STUDY OR ENTERTAINMENT, ACTIVITY OR SLEEP – YOU DO SPEND IT. IT IS GONE. YOU HAVE TRADED IT FOR SOMETHING.
YOU ACTUALLY WEIGH QUITE A FEW THOUGHTS AS YOU MAKE THE TRADE AND YOU BELIEVE THAT TOMORROW WILL BRING MORE. THERE IS AN INTERNAL GAUGE THAT SHOULD CAUSE YOU TO HAVE AN AWARENESS AND A VALUE ABOUT YOUR “TIME”.

JAS 4:13-14 “GO TO NOW, YE THAT SAY, TODAY OR TOMORROW WE WILL GO INTO SUCH A CITY, AND CONTINUE THERE A YEAR, AND BUY & SELL, AND GET GAIN.”
“WHEREAS YOU KNOW NOT WHAT SHALL BE ON THE MORROW. FOR WHAT IS YOUR LIFE? IT IS EVEN A VAPOR THAT APPEARS FOR A LITTLE TIME, AND THEN VANISHES AWAY.”

SURELY, “TIME” IS A MAGNET FOR SOME MONEY VERBS AND, ALTHOUGH THERE IS A SIMILARITY, I FIND IT A BIT UNEASY THAT WE MIGHT SUBCONSCIOUSLY COMPARE THE 2 WORDS EQUALLY. THINK ABOUT IT - THERE IS REALLY “NO COMPARISON”. IT ONLY DILUTES THE IMPORTANCE AND RELEVANCE OF THAT PRICELESS GIFT OF TIME.
I HEARD A WISE MAN ONCE SAY “WHENEVER YOU HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION BETWEEN MONEY AND TIME – ALWAYS CHOOSE TIME.”
GOOD ADVICE! … LOVING AND LAUGHING, HUGGING AND FORGIVING, SMILING AND PRAISING, AND LOOKING FOR GOD …
THE FACT IS - WE HAVE BUT A SHORT WALK IN THIS EARTHLY TREK OF OUR ETERNAL LIFE … AND WE SHOULD NOT PRESUME UPON TIME OR OPPORTUNITY.

2 COR 4:18 “WHILE WE LOOK NOT AT THE THINGS WHICH ARE SEEN, BUT AT THE THINGS WHICH ARE NOT SEEN: FOR THE THINGS WHICH ARE SEEN ARE TEMPORAL; BUT THE THINGS WHICH ARE NOT SEEN ARE ETERNAL.”

INVEST YOUR TIME INTO ETERNAL THINGS.
TRY NOT TO WASTE ANY OF IT.
FIND WAYS TO SAVE TIME.
AND, … SPEND YOUR TIME WISELY.