Do You Have The Time?

I am always amazed at what people tell me they either have time for or not for. Do you ever think about time?  About how you use it?  About how it controls you or how you control it? Have you ever thought about how many calendars you have?  Or clocks?  Or watches?

Time seems to always be slipping away.  We never seem to have enough of it for the "important" things in life.  Our relationships suffer because we don't have enough.  The number one reason given by people for not reading more is "there's not enough time."  The number one reason given for people not doing devotions with their family - "there's not enough time."  The number one reason for not playing more with our children - "there's not enough time."  Over and over again we hear this complaint.  "I would, but i don't have the time."   A whole electronic calendar and alarm industry has developed because "I don't have time...."

Could it be perhaps, that we don't have the time, because we have given it away?  Misused it?  Abused it?  Could it be that we don't have the time because we don't manage our time very well, we don't keep the important things on the clock and let time slip by?

I had a class in college that started at 7:30am by the record book.  But the instructor was always at least 10 minutes late - every day.  We trained well, after two weeks all the students arrived 10 minutes late.  Found out that the professor had 7 kids - all going to school.  We cut him some slack - till we realized that he was 10 minutes late to his 9:30am class too!

Do you have that aunt, uncle or friend that when you invite them to dinner you secretly tell them 30 minutes earlier than your start time?  I do - more than one.    What is that about?  Why is it that time seems so precious to so few and so misused and abused by so many?

A good friend of mine told me once that how people used their time told what was important to each and every person.  I think its true.  Another friend said that people who are late all the time usually are guilty of the sin of pride - thinking that their schedule, their activities are always more important than everyone else's.  I think its true.  The Bible tells us that time, every minute is a gift from God.  How we use it is very important.

So let me ask you this question:  How do you use your time?  Who does it glorify?  You or God?  Who does it serve?  You or God?  Who reaps the benefits for how you use your time?  You or God?    Want to know a great secret?  If your time glorifies God, serves God, benefits God - it will also benefit, serve and glorify you.  If it doesn't?  it won't matter what you do with your time - it will only be wasted.

Time is the one precious commodity we really have.  How we use it either will change the world or cement it into place.

Keeping track of the time....I have to go.

Pastor David