Time

Aug 20

"You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer."

- Job 14:5

"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin."

- Mother Teresa

In 1964, the Rolling Stones sang a song entitled, "Time Is On My Side… Yes it Is!" And the truth is, back in 1964, I believed that time was on my side. BUT today, at the age of 67, I'm not so sure.

According to the National Census Bureau for 2021, the average global life expectancy age for women is 77 while the average life expectancy for men is 70… in America it's slightly higher but the Covid-19 pandemic has decreased these numbers somewhat. The problem is in knowing whether a person is above average or below average, right? But if we live to be 70 years of age, we will have lived 2,207,520,000 seconds. It seems like a lot until I look at my watch and see the seconds flying by. Job believed that God has determined the number of our days… that God set a time limit on everybody's life. You may or may not believe that, but this is what we know for sure - our time is running out!

We all have a limited amount of time on this planet, which means we can over-eat, over-spend, over-achieve… but we cannot over-live. You can make more money, you can make more friends, you can make more food… but you cannot make more time. At some point your time runs out, which means, what is far more important than how much time it is… is what are you doing with your time? Because your time is the most valuable thing that you have, since there is only a limited amount of it for every person. So, in light of this fact… the most important question I can ask is: How can I use my time wisely? Since time matters!

The Apostle Paul wrote:

So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.."

- Ephesians 5:15

Scripture is calling us to redeem the time! How often have we all said, "Oh man, I wasted my time on that"... or "Shoot! I gave away too much of my time!"... or "Wow! I misspent that time!"... or "That was a bad investment of time!" Followers of Jesus believe that our time is a gift from God, and because of that, out of gratitude for such a valuable gift, we need to manage it in order to make the most of it… Because our time is equal to our life. Your time is your life! So, what's the wisest thing I can do with my time?

Recently I read a story in The New York Times about a 96 year old secretary who died and left a dizzyingly huge philanthropic gift of $6.24 million to the Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side to fund educational scholarships for lower income children. Her name is Sylvia Bloom, and her friends could not believe it. It was the largest single gift the social service had received in its 125-year history. How did such an unassuming, simple living, hard-working secretary from Brooklyn, who always drove an older Chevrolet, amass such a fortune? Well, she made small deposits, from her weekly paycheck, into an interest-bearing account in her neighborhood bank… and ear-marked those funds for a worthy cause that she believed would make the world a better place. We build a Good Life the same way… by making small deposits of time, consistently, over time… in healthy exercises… in healthy relationships… in healthy eating… in healthy devotional time… in healthy service projects that over time will build something amazing!

Twenty years ago, I got my dream car… a 1969 Camaro. The problem was that it was a rusted wreck from front to back and the engine did not run. But I believed and made the choice... that by making little deposits of precious time during my evenings… over time… I could restore this car, and it could one day be driving a classic. I was passionate about the project!

However, My wife, Candace, was not! You see, at the time, I had a college age daughter and a high school son that Candace believed needed a dad who was present… a dad who was making little consistent deposits of time into their hearts and minds… so that tomorrow they could step into life strong and healthy because they had acquired skills and developed confidence and experienced thrills and chills with a dad they knew loved them and believed in them… cause he invested his time in them.

So, I had to ask myself… what is the wisest investment of my time? A 1969 Camaro, or a son and daughter? Duh! Since what I wanted most tomorrow was to be best friends with my adult daughter and son, I slowed down the Camaro project and invested my time in building those relationships today. The result? Years later, after the kids were out of the house, I finished the Camaro… and the day Sarah came to inform us that she had fallen in love and was getting married, she asked me, "Hey, Dad… think you could drive me down the aisle in your Camaro?" Ha! I don't believe that ever would've happened had I not made the wisest investment of my time years earlier!

Since your time is the most valuable thing you have… since you cannot get any more than what you have been given… invest it in those things that matter most: the relationships, the exercises, the things Jesus said would give you the best life on this side of Heaven.

What do you need to do now to begin making consistent little deposits of time that will give you tomorrow what you want today?

Pastor Harry

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