What are we doing with our time? Our time is a precious commodity and it begs consideration as to what we are doing with it.
It seems as if we just finished with Christmas, and now we are into the season of Lent. We are still having some cool weather, but Spring is upon us. Time is passing so quickly. The whole thing is a blur. From sun-up to sun-down, it seems as if it is but the blink of an eye. The Bible gives us some things to consider when it comes to how we spend our time…
John 9:4…As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
Proverbs 27:1…Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
Psalm 90:12…Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Romans 13:11…And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
Ephesians 5:15-17…Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do no be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
2 Peter 3:8…But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and thousand years are like a day.
Our time here on earth is finite, fixed, numbered. We have just so many days allotted to us, what are we doing with those days? Its clear from what we read in the Bible, the time we have is not only short, it is not determined when it will end for us. We are enjoined to make the most of our time. To spend the time wisely. We are encouraged to do the works of God in the time we have. We are also told when our time here on earth is over, the time we then spend with God has no beginning or ending, it is not reckoned the same as time on earth.
I believe its hard for us in our mortal state to truly understand time apart from how we experience it in our lifetimes. What we do know is it does pass quickly. What we do know is, we have no idea when it will end for us. What we do know is, once time passes by us, it cannot be recaptured. Our time is experienced in the present, and its fleeting.
So what do we do with these days that are passing? Its Lent, so we have set aside this time to reflect on where we fall short in doing God’s will. We have time to repent of misspent time. We have time to get in touch with God’s will for us. These are all good ways to spend our time. But the most fruitful ways to spend our time, it seems to me, is by sharing God’s presence with others. We do that by caring for those who are on the margins of life. We do that by listening to others in their times of distress. We do that by sharing time with those who are lonely. We do that by giving our resources AND our time to make the world a better place for all.
I have to wonder if time would seem to pass as quickly for us if we portioned it differently? By that I mean, we tend to think of time as ours. We spend it doing those things that are mostly centered on us. What if instead, we spent most of our time in helping others, lifting others up, being who God calls us to be? Would the time seem to pass as quickly? Maybe it still would seem to fly by. But what would our recollection of time past be like? Would we feel the time which God has given us was well spent, and therefore more akin to time with God?
Think about that. We read that a day with God is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day. What does that mean? To me it means when we are doing and being who God calls us to be, time stands still. When we are living in the presence of God, even if the day is far spent, we are closer to salvation than at any other point in time. May your time, and my time, be well spent and find us living each moment with God.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom