Believe 18 - Offering My Time Series

Believe 18 - Offering My Time

Ephesians 5:15-17

February 22, 2015

One of my strange quirks is playing with numbers. I was doing that this week as I was thinking about TIME. Do you know what this number represents?

86,400 Good, you know that’s how many seconds are in a day. Now, let’s see how good you really are. What does this number represent . . .

1,761,177,600

That’s how many seconds I was alive when I hit my 56th birthday in November. That sounds like a big number, but when you boil it down, it’s only 56 years of living. But how much living do we really do? How well do we use our time?

Well, statistics show this about the average person. We spend . . .

11.5 years at work

2.5 years washing clothes

6 months waiting in lines

20 weeks on hold

11 years in front of the TV

4.3 years eating

5 years on the internet

5.3 years doing housework

26 years sleeping

136 days women spend getting ready

46 days men spend getting ready

OK, that’s the good / bad news. But in all seriousness, the question is what do we really do with our time? And how can we bring glory to God by offering our time back to Him.

In Psalm 39:4, David wrote ~ 4 Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.

Moses wrote ~ 10 Our days may come to 70 years, or 80, if our strength endures . . . for they quickly pass, and we fly away. – Psalm 90:10

Isn’t that a true statement, our years quickly pass and life may seem fleeting. I realize that for some of you younger folk, 70 or 80 years sounds like a long, long time. In fact, I can remember when I thought anyone over 50 was old. Now, they are just middle aged. It is all rather relative, isn’t it?

For teenagers dating and talking together in the car, an hour or two seems to fly by, like a blink of an eye. But for mom and dad worrying about what’s going on out in that car, an hour or two seems like an eternity.

Let’s look at what the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. In Ephesians 5:15-17, he wrote this . . .

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. – Ephesians 5:15-17

So, what is Paul telling us about our time. Here’s the sermon in a sentence: Since our time on earth is limited, let’s make the most of the time we have left, bringing honor and glory to Christ.

Let me explain a little . . .

Paul said, 15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

He is saying BE CAREFUL! Have you ever heard those words from your parents? Have you ever said them to someone else? I say it every time Joshua gets in the car and drives. I say it to Debbie, I even say it to friends when I know they are driving while we are talking.

I remember when Joshua and Zachary were little and behind our house the city was digging and putting in new pipes and there was a mountain of dirt in our back yard, and they had their trucks and tractors out there and they were digging and climbing and exploring and it was a blast for them, but a little nerve wracking for parents, because we couldn’t always see them. But we always told them BE CAREFUL. We say that when our loved one is climbing onto the roof. BE CAREFUL. In other words, watch your step. Think about your every move. Plan it before you execute it.

We all need to be careful. Now Paul is telling us a little more than just be careful when playing or doing something that could get you hurt. Paul is telling us, be careful in how you conduct yourself. When Paul refers to our walk, it’s the same when Christians talk about their walk with God. It’s about how they are living their lives. Is your life bringing glory and honor to God, or are you an embarrassment to God? You may be the only one who can give an accurate diagnosis. Because that takes into consideration what you do behind closed doors when nobody can see you, accept God!

So, we need to conduct ourselves in a manner which brings glory and honor to God. If we do that, we are doing right. We are careful about how we conduct our lives, the unwise person is considered foolish because they are rejecting God's leading. They refuse to follow God’s will in their lives. Maybe they know it and refuse to follow it, or they just don’t care and do their own thing, because that gives them more pleasure, so they think.