Luke 10:38 – end; Psalm 39:4-5
The dictionary helps us to define some of the words in our topic, let’s take a look at them.
Tragedy: an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe.
Busy: occupied with or concentrating on a particular activity or object of attention.
Mis-spent: spent wrongly or unwisely; wasted:
Life: One’s essence
Time: duration regarded as belonging to the present life as distinct from the life to come or from eternity; finite duration.
In light of the above topic, let’s take a moment to read aloud or memorize these scriptures:
1) “…Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42) This scripture reveals how Martha was misusing her precious time.
2) “LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered–how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” Psalm 39:4-5
3) “Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise; redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Ephesians 5:15-16 ASV
Whatever you spend your time on determines what you become, therefore, time is very valuable and must not be wasted. Unfortunately, due to various reasons many people continue to waste time in pursuing goals that are not productive or fruitful. Any time we spend on doing something that is not our calling is a wasted portion of one’s life. This is why one must seek to know one’s purpose in life.
To be busy means to be occupied doing something, working at or involved in doing or working out something.
When we are busy doing the right thing and being productive, there is happiness and satisfaction and God is glorified.
John 15:8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
God spoke His will into our lives since the day He created us. In Gen. 1:28 (ASV) He said,“And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
The biggest tragedy in life is the failure to fulfill this great goal and purpose of God for our lives. Whenever we engage in spending our time unwieldy, we are calling tragedy into our lives.
God said we should go ahead and be fruitful, do something tangible in life; set goals and achieve them instead of gossiping and busy-buddying all around.
The next purpose of God for us is to multiply. This means you and I are to increase, grow, reproduce and enlarge our fruitfulness.
Then, fill the earth and subdue it. If you are a soul winner, do it that everybody will know what you do. If you sell Akara, produce it in a way that nobody can compete with you. If you a cleaner, do it in a manner that all the companies around will know your excellence to the point of always wanting to award contracts to your company – without you needing to bribe them.
Finally, you and I are to have dominion. Here, God gives us the authority to dominate the market in whatever we are producing, and have control over all creations of God, not to be afraid of them but to do with them whatever we chose.
In order for these purposes and prophecies of God to be fulfilled in our lives, we have to spend our God-given time wisely.
EXAMPLES OF BUSY BUT MIS-SPENT TIME
Time spent on idle talk lead to transgression but the talk of righteousness bring about food and blessings (Proverbs 10:19-21)
Time Spent on Social Media
Nowadays, some people spend so much time on Social Media activities, making themselves seem so busy. For instance, young ones are busy on their cellphones all the time – even while in church, depriving themselves of the spiritual meal they badly need.
Unknown to many, this type of unprofitable busyness leads to loneliness, hence a disconnect from their loved ones. In the name of being busy, many people work so hard at the expense of spending quality time with their spouses and children. At long last, one’s joy has been stolen. What a tragedy.
Time spent with friends as opposed to family
When you spend more time playing with friends than with your family, a breakdown of family unity and fabric will be the result. Please remember that it is your family members that will remain with you in times of trouble and old age. If your children don’t know you, then you have a problem on your hands.
Time spent on hatred and offenses: KING SAUL: 1 Samuel 26:20
1) Saul was busy pursuing David for 8 years of kingship (1 Samuel 21-31), instead of spending time in the palace deciding on the affairs of the citizens of his nation. He lost focus.
2) He slaughtered 85 priests, not counting their families and animals (1 Samuel 22:6-19), mobilizing but wasting the resources of the entire national army (1 Sam. 23:7-8).
At last, Saul’s end was a tragedy.
Time spent on lusts: SAMSON:
1) Samson spent a greater portion of his life and energy on women and selfish purposes (Judges 16:1, 4): In chapter 15, he killed 1000 men because of Timnah.
2) At last, his end was a tragedy (Judges 16:18-21 & 28-31).
Time spent on doing good works without having Jesus
One could serve as a philanthropist but not know Jesus. Any such work will unfortunately end in tragedy, because the absence of Jesus leads to hell fire (John 3:18).
To avoid tragedy:
Start spending time on prayer, study, research on how to become fruitful
Become self-disciplined: (Uninstall some application from your phone)
Avoid distraction – as was necessary in case of Martha. Jesus said to her, “…Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42)
Do something each day that gets you closer to your dreams (Ephesians 5:15-16)
Maximize all opportunities as they arise. Paul maximized all he had, spent all….an (2 Tim. 4:6).
May God help us all. Go ahead now and become fruitful, multiplying, filling the earth, subduing it, and taking dominion over all in Jesus name.
