Heritage Bible Church

Time is a gift from God. As with any gift,its value is determined by how it is used. How you use your time will determine how significant your life is to yourself,to others,and to God. Some years ago I purchased some cards that presented timeless truths about time:time is a daily treasure,and a limited resource,and an earthly trust.

Time is a daily treasure which attracts many robbers. Each day we receive 24 hours of time. That is 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds. Also,each day we have certain tasks and responsibilities to do. Obviously,these items,appropriately,will take up much of our day. But sometimes time-robbers steal seconds,minutes,and hours from us so that we cannot fulfill our responsibilities. I have tried to identify some time-robbers in my life:

– Delay in decision-making. I must not jump to conclusions,but I must not postpone making a decision after understanding the issue,gaining as much information as I can,and seeking God’s guidance.

– Distractions. The world has many attractions that can quickly become distractions. It is easy to spend hours on the computer reading e-mails,visiting various sites,social networking,etc.,instead of accomplishing more important goals. Hobbies that become obsessions also gobble up time that should be used in fulfilling responsibilities.

– Procrastination. When I postpone doing something,I rob from tomorrow. I must do today’s work today.

– Lack of priorities. When I fail to set daily priorities,I find I waste a lot of time doing insignificant things. Priorities help me accomplish the important things and keep the urgent things in proper perspective.

Time is a limited resource which much be invested well,or lost. In Psalm 139,David described just how much God knew about him,even before he was born:“Your eyes have seen my unformed substance and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me,when as yet there was not one of them”(Ps.139:16). Even before we were born,God allotted to each of us a limited number of days to live here on the earth. Like money,we can invest our time in a project,activity,or person. Unlike money,we cannot save one hour or one minute to be used another day. We use it or lose it. We invest it or are divested of it. Moses prayed,“So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”(Ps.90:12). Paul echoed those words when he advised Christians to walk carefully as wise persons,“redeeming the time because the days are evil”(Eph.5:16).

Time is an earthly trust which can produce eternal treasures. Jesus said to His disciples,“My time is not yet come,but your time is always ready”(Jn.7:6). A truth that can be gleaned from His statement is that God has entrusted us with our time and we don’t know when our time is up. But while we have time,Paul counsels us,“Let us not be weary in well-doing for in due season we shall reap,if we faint not”(Galatians 6:9). We all get weary sometimes. Discouragement,depression,and discord can drain our energy and fog our vision so that we are ready to quit. But there are treasures we can lay up in heaven that cannot decay,be destroyed or be stolen (Mt.6:19-20). May we faithfully commit our “today”to the Lord and live for Him so that there will be a treasure in our “tomorrow.”

Time is a gift. Let us protect it from robbers,invest it in worthwhile things,and use it to gain eternal treasures.