God's Gift of Time

"Time is given us to use in view of eternity."  - Harry Ironside

While gathering my notes for today's message I came across this poem by an anonymous author. I'd like to share it with you here. It is titled: The Clock

"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power.
To tell just when that clock will stop, at late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own, live...love...toil with the will...
Place no faith into tomorrow, for the clock may then be still."

This made me think about how I perceive time and its relation to my life. Like many of us, I sometimes forget that time is a non-renewable commodity. Naively assuming that there's always tomorrow (Proverbs 27:1).

Each of us has only a limited amount of it, and once it has been used up it is gone forever. It is easy to get so busy living our lives that we rarely stop to think about this, but we should.

The Bible presents us with some good metaphors relating to the brevity of life, such as: vapor (James 4:14); a breath (Psalm 144:4); grass (Psalm 103:15-16); wind (Psalm 78:39); a shadow (1 Chronicles 29:15); water spilled on the ground (2 Samuel 14:14).

Given our pre-ordained number of days (Job 14:5), it is crucial that we use each one of them to its fullest. By this, I am not just talking about taking a world cruise, parachuting from a plane, or running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.

While it is true that Our Father wants us to enjoy the earthly beauty and blessings he has furnished to us, He also desires that we are aware of our heavenly obligation to Him, who provides all of this.

Therefore, we must consider the choices we make, the things we pursue, and our destination or where we are headed. That we are here is not accidental. Each one of us exists for a purpose. And that purpose is simply to glorify God (Isaiah 43:7).

Truthfully, we only have so much time to get this right. Our lives are the definitive "one-time-only" deal. Yes, we can still have fun and live life, but there has to be a place for glorifying God, too. And, this will take some commitment (Psalm 100:2–3).

We must worship God with gladness, and acknowledge and praise Him (Psalm 100:2). After all, He is our Creator and Father. This also includes living our lives in relationship and faithful service to Him (1 Samuel 12:24; John 17:4).

Others may think of this as being boring or humdrum, or a waste of time, but nothing could be further from the truth! Think of this as preparation for the greatest adventure that any one of us could ever experience here on earth (1 Corinthians 2:9).

We only know time while living here on earth, and it is fleeting. Time does not exist in eternity, which makes it even more important to use it wisely. God gave us the gift of time to see what we do with it.

As in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), it is up to us to make the best use of the resource (time) that we have been given. God will not tell you or force you how to manage it. The decision is yours alone. But don't wait too long. The clock is ticking....

Scripture: Mark 13:32; Colossians 4:5; Romans 13:11; Ecclesiastes 3:11; Acts 1:7

Prayer: Dear Lord, though my time here is short, my love for you is endless; help me live each and every day to its fullest in Your name, amen.

May your day be blessed,

Blake