Ecclesiastes 3:1-22
Time: The Great Equalizer!
There is a season, A time for every purpose (activity; desire; deliberate willful acts) under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. 1-8
What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied (afflicted, oppressed). He has made everything beautiful (appropriate) in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know (perceive) that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to find satisfaction in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God. I know (perceive) that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before (to stand in awe of His presence) Him. That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been; and God requires an account of what is past. 9-15
Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, Wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, Iniquity was there.
I said in my heart, “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.” I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.” For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth? So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage or portion in life. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him? 16-22
Introduction – Time to a Pig
There’s the story of a man walking past a farm and noticed a farmer feeding pigs in a most unusual manner. The farmer would lift a pig up to a nearby apple tree, and the pig would eat the apples off the tree directly. The farmer would move the pig from one apple to another until the pig was satisfied, then he would start again with another pig. The man watched this activity for some time with great astonishment.
Finally, it was more then he could take. He walked over to the farmer and asked, "This is the most inefficient method of feeding pigs that I can imagine. Just think of the time that you would save, if you simply shake the apples off the tree and let the pigs eat them from the ground!"
The farmer looked puzzled and replied, "What's time to a pig?"
Certainly, time to a pig is much different than the time God has given us!
Knowing God’s Time 3:1-8
(14 couplets…under heaven)
Everything belongs to God: the heavens and the earth
In God’s timing everything is ALWAYS on schedule
Everything has been appointed but too often and sadly, too many of us spend our time the way politicians spend our money!
Birth and death (α and ω; the beginning and ending)
Psalm 39 gives us some perspective. In David’s complaint to God, he said, “You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You” (V. 5). He meant that to an eternal God our time on earth is brief. And He doesn’t want us to waste it. When we do, we throw away one of the most precious commodities He gives us. Each minute is an irretrievable gift—and an unredeemable slice of eternity.
“But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son” Gal 4:4-5
“Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come” and for My time has not yet fully come.” Jn 7:6,8
Planting and plucking
A pattern exists to plant and harvest
Casting Stones and gathering stones
There are times to frustrate our enemies by casting stones into their fields and gathering from ours to plow and to plant.
Silence and speaking
War and peace
There are times to defend ourselves and to pursue peace.
We see the sovereignty of God and the full range of activities in mans life in these verses
Illustration – Time Wasting
For many American workers today, time's a wastin' - literally. According to a new survey by America Online and Salary.com, the average worker admits to frittering away 2.09 hours per 8-hour workday, not including lunch and scheduled break-time. As a matter of practice, companies assume a certain amount of wasted time when determining employee pay. However, the America Online / Salary.com survey indicates that employees are wasting about twice as much time as their employers expect. Salary.com calculated that employers spend $759 billion per year on salaries for which real work was expected, but not actually performed.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The biggest distraction for respondents? Personal Internet use. 44.7% of the more than 10,000 people polled cited web surfing as their #1 distraction at work. Socializing with co-workers came in second at 23.4%. Conducting personal business, "spacing out," running errands, and making personal phone calls were the other popular time-wasting activities in the workplace.
Top Time-Wasting Activities (%)
1 Surfing Internet (personal use) 44.7%
2 Socializing with co-workers 23.4%
3 Conducting personal business 6.8%
4 Spacing out 3.9%
5 Running errands off-premises 3.1%
6 Making personal phone calls 2.3%
7 Applying for other jobs 1.3%
8 Planning personal events 1.0%
9 Arriving late / Leaving early 1.0%
10 Other 12.5%
Employees say they're not always to blame for this wasted time, however. 33.2% of respondents cited lack of work as their biggest reason for wasting time. 23.4% said they wasted time at work because they feel as if they are underpaid (if this applies to you, click on the Salary Wizard to find out what you are worth).
Top Time-Wasting Excuses (%)
1 Don't have enough work to do 33.2%
2 Underpaid for amount of work 23.4%
3 Co-workers distract me 14.7%
4 Not enough after-work time 12.0%
5 Other 16.7%
CATS VS. MICE
Are workers really expected to work 8 hours per day, non-stop? According to a Salary.com follow-up survey of Human Resource managers, companies assume that employees will waste 0.94 hours per day. They take this into account when they do their compensation planning. However, those managers privately suspect that employees waste 1.6 hours per day. In fact, employees admit to wasting 2.09 hours per day.
"To some bosses, that's a startling figure," says Salary.com's Senior Vice President Bill Coleman. "Others, though, will view this extra wasted time as so-called 'creative waste' - wasted time that may well have a positive impact on the company's culture, work environment, and even business results."
Time Wasted During an 8-Hour Workday Number of Hours/Day
Assumed by HR 0.94 hrs.
Suspected by HR 1.60 hrs.
Admitted by Employees 2.09 hrs.
WHO WASTES THE MOST TIME?
Who tends to waste the most time at work?
* Men vs. Women: Men and women waste about the same amount of time per day. This, despite the fact that most HR managers surveyed suspected that women wasted more time at work than men.
* Youngsters vs. Seniors: As the following statistics show, the older people are, the less time they waste at work:
Year of Birth Time Wasted Per Day
1930-1949 0.50 hrs.
1950-1959 0.68 hrs.
1960-1969 1.19 hrs.
1970-1979 1.61 hrs.
1980-1985 1.95 hrs.
Which industries account for the most wasted time?
Top 5 Time-Wasting Industries
Job Category Time Wasted Per Day
1 Insurance 2.5 hrs.
2 Public Sector (Non-Education) 2.4 hrs.
3 Research & Development 2.3 hrs.
4 Education 2.2 hrs.
5 Software & Internet 2.2 hrs.
Top 5 Time-Conserving Industries
Job Category Time Wasted Per Day
1 Shipping and Receiving 1.7 hrs.
2 Manufacturing 1.8 hrs.
3 Healthcare Related 1.8 hrs.
4 Finance and Banking 1.8 hrs.
5 Marketing and Communications 2.0 hrs.
HOW DOES YOUR STATE RANK?
Where does the most work-time get wasted? Regionally, the most time appears to be wasted in the Midwest, while the least appears to be wasted in the South. The biggest time wasters reside in Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky. Workers in South Carolina, Rhode Island, and Hawaii slack off the least.
Top 5 Time-Wasting States
State Time Wasted (hours/day) Salary Dollars Wasted (per year)
1 Missouri 3.2 hrs. $28.1 billion
2 Indiana 2.8 hrs. $25.1 billion
3 Kentucky 2.8 hrs. $15.4 billion
4 Wisconsin 2.8 hrs. $23.8 billion
5 Nevada 2.7 hrs. $9.8 billion
Top 5 Time-Conserving States
State Time Wasted (hours/day) Salary Dollars Wasted (per year)
1 South Carolina 1.3 hrs. $3.0 billion
2 Rhode Island 1.3 hrs. $805 million
3 Hawaii 1.3 hrs. $975 million
4 West Virginia 1.4 hrs. $1.6 billion
5 North Carolina 1.4 hrs. $8.1 billion
Salary Dollars Wasted column reports (for each state shown) the total value of all salary dollars actually paid by employers, for which work was expected but not actually performed by employees. The calculation assumes that employers expect, and therefore allocate no salary dollars for, the first 0.94 hours of wasted time per employee. Calculations also assume a standard five-day workweek consisting of 8 hours per day, and a U.S. average salary of $39,795.33 per year (Q1 2005). Census data for non-farm workers employed in each state (Q1 2005) was obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.
COSTLY BUSINESS
The average yearly American salary is $39,795 per year - or $19.13 per hour. If the average worker wastes 1.15 hours more than employers suspect, per 8-hour work day, that adds up to $5,720 per year, per worker in wasted salary dollars. So with the American workforce 132 million (non-farm) employees strong, the total in lost salary dollars adds up to $759 billion per year.
Adding It All Up Per Hour Per Day Per Year
Average hrs. American worker actually wastes 2.09 hrs.
Average hrs. American workers are expected to waste by HR .94 hrs.
Difference between expected and actual time wasted 1.15 hrs. 299 hrs.
Average American worker's annual salary $19.13 $153.04 $39,795
Total salary dollars wasted per employee $5,720
Total number of American workers (non-farm) 132 million
Total salary cost to companies $759 billion
Note: Time-wasted figures are based on an 8-hour workday (2080 hrs. per year)
If you are guilty of wasting a little time at work, and reading this far may indicate that you are, it may be comforting to know that you are not alone. Samara Jaffe, Director of Careers/AOL Find a Job Channel says that "it's nice to see that American workers aren't all work-minded 100% of the day, and that their employers are realistic about that too."
Some employees even told us other ways they waste their time at work, such as primping in the bathroom mirror and having running races up the staircase with co-workers. One respondent writes, "the hurried walk around the office is not only a great way to look like you are busy, but also a good cardio exercise." Other employees bring Game Boys or needlework to the office. And when all other time-wasting tactics fail, there is always staring blankly at your computer screen or out a window.
So take a few minutes to surf the web or socialize with co-workers. Then, get back to work!
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2005/07/11/wastingtime.TMP&ao=all#ixzz1psV6nKyh
Test in Time, A
One enterprising group of college students tried to literally manage time, but in the end it came back to haunt them. At this particular university the rule was that if the professor had not arrived in class within the first fifteen minutes of the hour, class was considered a "walk" and the students were free to leave - with no penalties for missing class. The rooms this school were equipped with the old style clocks where the minute hand mechanically ticked ahead after each minute. Some of the students discovered that they could cause the clock to jump ahead one minute if they hit it with an eraser from the black board. The professor of this class was not the most punctual so it became a ritual for these students to take target practice at the clock. After a few well-aimed erasers hit their target, bingo, 15 minutes had passed and the class walked.
At the end of the semester the final exam rolled around. The professor strolled into the room and passed out the test. He said, "You have one hour to complete it." He then proceeded to collect all the erasers in the room and gleefully took aim at the clock. When he had successfully jumped the clock ahead one-hour, the professor called "time’s up" and collected the exam papers.
Knowing God’s Task 3:9-15
Our purpose
(Everything is appropriate in both work and leisure; there’s both good and bad)
Our pursuit (to know God)
Our passions (to enjoy God’s gifts)
Our profession (believe and do)
God’s plan is eternal, perfect and immutable
Illustration – Eggs, Larger
I heard about a chicken yard with a big hen house, where a rooster had all of his hens laying eggs. One day, two little boys were next door playing football, with a brand new white football. One of them accidentally kicked the football over the fence, and it rolled into the chicken yard.
The rooster walked around and around the football, examining it carefully. Finally, he called out to all of his hens, "Come on out here, ladies!" When they had all gathered around, he said, "Now, girls, I don't mean to be negative, but here's the kind of eggs they're producing next door. You need to step up your efforts."
We can easily look with our eyes at someone else's life, someone else's success, and envy what they have. What we should be doing instead is focusing on the blessings that God has already given us.
Knowing God’s Tests 3:16-22
Man’s cruelty
Gross injustice and horrible ungodliness
Man’s depravity
The wickedness and evil nature of man
Man’s mortality
Judgment and eventually death
Illustration – Ignoring the Warnings
Listen to this description of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine:
"There were two electrical engineers in the control room that night, and the best thing that could be said for what they were doing is they were 'playing around' with the machine. They were performing what the Soviets later described as an unauthorized experiment. They were trying to see how long a turbine would 'free wheel' when they took the power off it.
"Now, taking the power off that kind of a nuclear reactor is a difficult, dangerous thing to do, because these reactors are very unstable in their lower ranges. In order to get the reactor down to that kind of power, where they could perform the test they were interested in performing, they had to override manually six separate computer-driven alarm systems.
"One by one the computers would come up and say, 'Stop! Dangerous! Go no further!' And one by one, rather than shutting off the experiment, they shut off the alarms and kept going. You know the results: nuclear fallout that was recorded all around the world, from the largest industrial accident ever to occur in the world."
This city, which formerly had 55,000 people, is now largely abandoned.
The instructions and warnings in Scripture are just as clear. We ignore them at our own peril, and tragically, at the peril of innocent others.
