It used to be – if you wanted to know what time it was you might look up at the sun and say “Well, it looks like it’s about 12:30” and everybody’d be happy with that. But not anymore: In Washington D.C. - on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory - there’s a concrete building that houses something called the “U.S. Directorate of Time.” Inside this Directorate of Time are a number of atomic clocks, that use vibrating atoms of hydrogen and cesium to determine what TIME it is. But not just any time… they determine the exact billionth of a second. And then the results of these atomic clocks are averaged out and fed to into America’s “Master Clock”, and the measurements of Master Clock are sent (along with the results of similar clocks around the world) to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures outside Paris – which is the ultimate timekeeping authority.
That seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to, to be able to say “It looks like it’s about 12:30.” But (in reality) time is extremely important to our modern, computerized culture. For example, without that precision knowing the exact billionth of a SECOND we couldn’t synchronize the tracking satellites in space, and thus … our GPS would become useless.
So, TIME is very valuable to our culture. And the Bible tells us TIME is also very valuable to God. Ephesians 5:15-17 says “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the TIME, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
What’s that talking about? Well, a lot of Christians compartmentalize their time. They think in terms of – this is MY time … and then there’s GOD’S time. GOD’S TIME are things like: Time for Sunday school; Time at Worship; Time attending a church function. THEN, there’s MY TIME - Time with my family; Time to spend at work; Time to clean my house; Time to go shopping; Time I spend entertaining myself… etc. etc. etc.
So, for a lot of people - TIME is divided into MY time and God’s time.
Someone (though) asked the question! “Is that how Jesus thought about HIS time on earth? Do you think that there was ever a time when Jesus just said “This is my time. I don’t want to worship/ pray/ be religious. I just want the Father to be OVER THERE for awhile, and I’ll be OVER HERE. I want my time!”
Now, do you think Jesus ever thought like that? NO!!!! Everything Jesus did was on the FATHER’S TIME. Jesus didn’t compartmentalize His life. Jesus was ALL IN all the time. And as I thought about that, something suddenly occurred to me. Now, this is my opinion… and I can be wrong. But IF I’m right this could make a big difference in how we view our Christianity. You see, I think the problem for a lot of Christians is this compartmentalizing thing: This is my time… and that’s God’s time - and never shall the twain shall meet.
ILLUS: Just to help explain what I’m thinking, I want to share the story of a man named Tex Walton (1973) who was part of a church in WV. Tex was a very conscientious young believer who got to think about tithing. Now when we think of tithing, we think of giving a tithe (10th) of what we earn each week to Jesus. And Tex was doing that (giving a 10th of his income to God). But then, he got to thinking about giving a TITHE OF HIS TIME to God as well. The way he reasoned was there were 168 hours in a week. And a 10th of that would be 16.8 hours. So he figured that after accounting for the time he spent in church each week he still had 1 hour and 20 minutes left over each day to give to God. So, he divided that up that hour and 20 minutes into two 40-minute periods every day - 40 minutes for Bible study and 40 minutes for prayer every day (Sparks)
Now I have to admire Tex - he was a dedicated believer. But I think he had it kinda backwards. He was still thinking that he had HIS TIME (9/10s of every week), and then there was GOD’S TIME (1/10th of every week). Thus, Tex invested 1/10th of his life each week FOR God. ONE 10th of his life. And that was 9/10th of a week LESS than what Jesus did during His ministry. NINE-10ths of Tex Walton’s life was still HIS, not God’s.
Like I said, I admire Tex. He wanted to give MORE of his life to Jesus. The problem was Jesus didn’t want MORE of that man’s time, Jesus wanted ALL of that man’s time. Just like He wants ALL of your time, and ALL of MY time.
In Colossians 3:17 we’re told that “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do EVERYTHING in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Everything you do, you should do in the name of Jesus. EVERYTHING! Every day! Every hour. Every minute. What I think of as “my time” … really isn’t mine because it all belong to Jesus. YOU (and I) ARE NOT OUR OWN!
Our life is not ours. Our talents aren’t ours; Our possessions aren’t ours; And our TIME is not ours. When we accepted Jesus by faith/repentance/baptism we turned everything over to Him. EVERYTHING (including all OUR time) all became God's. Paul says it this way: “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” I Corinthians 6:19-20
Everything you have (including your time) - it all belongs to God! The TIME you spend on your relationships belongs to God and, how you spend your time in your relationships should always reflect who you belong to… Jesus.
Now I’m going to “tinker” a little with this passage in Colossians 3. I rarely ever do that, but I have a purpose here. Colossians 3:17-21 starts out saying: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
You’re a servant of Jesus, so do everything in His name.
(And this next is where I’ve tinkered with the passage) Wives, (as a servant of Jesus - spend your time with your husbands) submitting to them as is fitting in the Lord; Husbands, (as a servant of Jesus - spend your time with your wives) and love them, and do not be harsh with them; Children (as a servant of Jesus - spend your time with your parents) and obey them in everything, for this pleases the Lord; Fathers, (as a servant of Jesus - spend your time with your children) and do not provoke them, lest they become discouraged.”
You’re not your own! Everything you and I do should be done as a servant of Jesus. And so, we should spend time with our families as a servant of Christ. Your life is on loan. You’re not your own, you were bought with a price - so submit, love, obey, and don’t provoke. Do these things with your time.
And then… (in the next couple verses) God gives us a promise “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24
THERE’S A REWARD for doing this!
And then Paul tells us how we should to treat those are outsiders: “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making THE BEST USE OF THE TIME. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” Colossians 4:5-6
In other words, don’t be judgmental or harsh with non-Christians. Just treat them with kindness. Be gracious to them. And gently talk to them about Jesus. Walk with others like Jesus did.
My point is this: everywhere we go, and every one we meet is a mission field for us.
These are places and people where we can witness to people BY HOW we treat them. That’s why Jesus said “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
So when should I let my light shine? Everywhere I go and with everyone I talk to. I should always strive to reflect the Jesus I belong to.
Now, that addresses how I can make the best use of time (God’s Time) with others. But now, how should I make the best use of time with God Himself? Well, 2 things come to mind. One is to just read the bible.
ILLUS: I’ve been visiting a man in jail lately named Dale. He’s a nice guy… very polite. However, it was obvious he was not all that into Jesus. But then, one day I met with him and he’s all excited. He had started reading the Bible for himself and he was on fire. And he’s not just reading the Bible… he’s soaking it up. It was like food for a dying man.
ILLUS: When I was at Purdue years ago, I realized I had never read the Bible. I wanted to be a preacher, but I’d never read the book for myself. And I had no desire to read it because I'd been told it was a boring book. But I made a deal with God - I set the Bible where I could see it. And then I prayed “God you know I don’t want to read this book but I know YOU want me to read it. So, WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT… I’ll read a few words. I also bought a Bible Dictionary and a Bible Commentary to help me understand parts I wouldn't understand. And I started reading. In fact, it got to the point where I couldn’t put the book down. I had to keep reading! The book consumed me! I had to read it! And it helped me to use my time better to understand God and His will for my life. TO UNDERSTAND GOD.
So first… read the book! It’s the most powerful book ever written! And next, spend time THINKING about God. (The Bible calls that…Meditation). DAVID WROTE: "When I remember you upon my bed, and MEDITATE on You in the watches of the night." Psalm 63:6
"I will ponder all your work, and MEDITATE on YOUR MIGHTY DEEDS. Psalm 77:12
"On the GLORIOUS SPLENDOR OF YOUR MAJESTY, and on YOUR WONDROUS WORKS, I will meditate." Psalm 145:5
Meditate on God. Think about Him! And did you know that you can MEDITATE ON GOD… all day long! I’ll be walking out of my house and I’ll start meditating (THINK ABOUT) what God has done in my life. And I’ll thank him for my house, my car, my grandkids. I’ll be walking into the church building, and I’ll start meditating (THINK ABOUT) what God has done in this church and the different ministries people do in this congregation. I’ll be driving down the road, and I’ll start meditating (THINK ABOUT) about God has done in the world around me – all the beauty of trees and the rivers, and even the marvels of what mankind has been able to build.
And this constant thinking about God leads me to TALK to God and thank Him for all He’s done in my life, and in the world around me. And this thinking about what He’s done begins to give me confidence in what He can do when I ask for something.
My point is this: the best use of TIME is to meditate/ think/ focus on God. And that thinking about God gives me peace, because I know what He’s done already, and so I know what HE CAN DO when I ask in prayer.
CLOSE: Next Sunday is Daylight Savings Time. They call it that because they’re trying to SAVE daylight! Now, I don’t know if it works or not, but that’s the thought. Time is precious… and so folks try to manipulate time to get the most out of it.
Someone once said that time is a gift from God, and none of us knows how long we’ll have that time (i.e. none of us know how long we’ll live). Our time doesn’t last forever. And so God tell us to make the most of our time, and He’s telling us that he wants us to live each moment with a constant awareness of making our time count for Him.
INVITATION
