LIFE-TIME
LUKE: 10:38-42
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered,
“you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Time is a precious gift from the Lord our God. All of us shall one day account for the time we spend as Christians. We are stewards of our time and we all choose to control every minute of it as given to us by God. Jesus Christ had about three years of ministry work and the effect of those few years is still being felt many centuries after his death and resurrection. In Genesis 5:27 the Bible depicts of Methuselah to have lived for 969 years, then he died. There isn’t much told of him except for the children borne of him. This can be identified with the lives of many a Christian. They merely live lives that lack substance and quality. We all ought to live productive lives of which time management becomes an issue if we are to emerge victoriously in this endeavor.
A successful Christian is that brother or sister whose time management is influenced by the Lord. There’s a sister who had her business almost collapsing, then she devoted her time to the Lord. You could see her in the church praying and fasting. She rarely missed morning devotion and she was present in the Lunch-hour services that we held daily. She also used to be punctual in the daily evening services in the church. Then the business started picking so well. The more she continued in prayers, the more the customers came. This eventually led her into prophesying to the church that God had told her that the lunch-hour meetings would end. She somehow wanted to take advantage of the afternoon sales so that the business could flourish the more. Then she forgot about the church to an extent that she even had her business open on Sundays. This didn’t go on for long since the business started crumbling down bit by bit.
Time as an asset becomes valuable depending on how one spends it. Many people do not bother looking at their watches whenever a sumptuous meal is placed before them but when it comes to fellowship or church service, everyone becomes time sensitive. Those who are employed never risk getting their workplaces late for fear of being penalized, yet many opt to go to church at their discretion. We never struggle with our watches in our own businesses but many believers are still unable to cope with time when it comes to issues that concern God, yet we claim that we are mature in faith. This is a lie of the devil. I am not advocating for church services to go beyond the service’s stipulated time, rather, the attitude should conform with our faith.
Christians should understand that the Lord desires our fellowship just like a parent desires to have fellowship with his children. Many times we choose to deny God of this favour, and we do it ignorantly and willingly at our own volition. This is sinful. When your parent invites you for a forum and you opt to attend at your own time and pace, this is a simplified form of rebellion which can culmnate into one’s final destruction. Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the only thing that could not be taken away from her. I have witnessed Christians being sacked, retrenched, demoted, while many others losing their assets. It is good for us to appreciate the wealth and properties that the Lord has blessed us with, but it is dangerous for us to give time to those things inplace for our fellowship with God. There’s great danger for those Christians who worship their businesses. Our God is a jealous one. He is not ready to share His glory with just a kiosk.
I met a friend of mine, a member of a church which is strict on matters of time. He was complaining before a church elder that he was locked out of the sanctuary during the Sunday service simply because he was late. This may not sound sensible to an extent, but I believe that a person will offer to spend his/her time to that which the individual values most. I once used to avoid church service for a football match, or watch cartoon in the TV. Play computer games etc. How come people never miss dates, appointments, hobbies, yet there are apologies for the home cells! God expects to see you there in person since many send excuses that their spirits are there with the rest!
There are those Christians who boast that they never miss Sunday services while on the other hand fail to attend midweek services or evening fellowships. That is not enough! You are only lying to yourself since we don’t attend church to please the lay leaders or the pastor but to have communion with God. Actually, many church services, on average, do not exceed three hours. When I was working on the mathematics, I realized that three hours in a month of four Sundays, totals to 12 hours ( 3 x 4 =12 ). This sums up to 144 hours in a year ( 12 hrs x 12 months = 144 hrs in a year ). Therefore, 144 hrs divided by 24 hrs in a day makes 6 (six ) days in a year! We all know that a year has about 366 days, and therefore taking 6 out of 366 we get 360 days. Imagine! A believer who has never missed a church service in a year has only attended a total of six days! what about the 360 pending days? Should you boast anyway? I assume that for those 6 days you attended church services you have been prompt and fully blessed.
Let us receive the challenge positively and change the way we perceive our relationship with God in regard to time. Be it in Bible study prayer, fellowships or Sunday school. And we shall have chosen that which cannot be taken away from us.
