It is so apparent as I spend time with people of all ages, that many are not spending their precious time too wisely. Some have chosen a pity part over life. Jesus came to give life and that life more abundant! Today we are talking about time, redeeming the time.
Did you hear about the widow grandmother who rode her Harley on a 30,000 mile adventure to every one of the fifty State capitals? She was asked many times why she would take that kind of a risk and her reply was, "Sometimes you just gotta get off your duff and go." Pretty good advise, don’t you think?
There are some misconceptions about time:
1. I just need to buy some time...did you know that with all the money in the world you cannot even buy a moment of time? In the Bible there is a story about a woman who had spent all the money she had because she was sick and weak because she had uncontrolled bleeding. All the money she had could not stop the bleeding, could not make her well, could not give her badly needed strength to go on. But when she heard about Jesus, her faith began to build. She struggled with all of her might to get close enough to Jesus, simply to touch the hem of His garment. You see she could not buy time but she touched the Hem of God’s garment and was healed. God controls our time, we cannot buy it.
2. I think I will make a little time. Do you remember the Bible story of the fool who saw how plentiful hus crop was and decided to build bigger barns? Jesus called him a fool because his life was going to be taken from him that night. If we could make time, I am sure we would but it is a Him-possibility. That’s right, Him! God! Makes time we cannot.
3. I need to make up for LOST time. Friend there is nothing we can do about the time that has already passed. I know we all have regrets. We have not used our time as wisely as we should. I wish there was something I could do about all the time I have wasted doing unprofitable things. But there is only one thing we can do, and that’s use the time we have left wisely.
4. I don’t have time to study the Bible. You have time for the things that are most important to you. It is not as much that you don’t have time as it is you will not make it a priority.. When you don’t want to do something, any excuse will do. "If you wait for all green lights," someone once said, "You’ll never get going." How true that is. You have time left, the question is, "What are your top priorities? because that is where you will spend your time.
I think it is time! Time! Time!
"So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. Psalm 90:12
I like to think about time as something we sow. We do not actually sow time but we sow something with the time allotted to us. We can spend our time being a miser and having a philosophy of "What’s mine is mine and you can’t have it." Or we can choose to take what belongs to others and say, "What’s your’s is mine if I can get it." But the best way to live is to say, "What mine is yours if you really need it." This is the philosophy that Jesus taught about greatness. He said, "If you really want to be great you must become a servant to all." Wow, that’s a great use of time, wouldn’t you say?
It’s time:
1. To CRY about a wasteful past.
A. Turn it loose
B. Don’t try to drink your troubles away. Someone oncwe said, "You can’t drown your sorrows, they float.
C. Remember the song, Touch of the master’s hand? It was about an old violin at an auction. The auctioneer didn’t even think it was worth much so he started the bidding at one dollar and he got the bidding all the way up to three dollars. Then an ole man took the violing and the bow and played a beautiful song with it. The bidding took a different turn $1000, $2000 and then $3000. What made the difference? The old violin in the master’s hands. We have made many mistakes in our life but if we would put our lives in the Master’s (God’s) hands, our life would begin to count for so much more. Yes we need to cry about the past but crying is not enough. We need to use this time wisely. Giving our lives to God is a great way to begin. Why not put your life in the Master’s Hands today.
2. It is time to CONTROL the present. In the old hymn, Take time to be Holy, there is a line that says, "Each victory will help you some other to win." In other words each victory will help us with future victories. Taking control over the parts of our life that we do control is a very wise thing. Like the Grandma Motorcyclist, "We just need to get off our duff and go."
Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Matthew 23:37
The religious people of Jesus day were so focused on the petty internal things that they missed the Messiah. We get so busy with the same little things that we see an entire generation headed for Hell. Times have not really changed in that regard. So the time we have is precious. The Lord would still like to gather us under His wings. Think about that, "Under His Wings."
1. He knows we live surrounded by DANGER
2. He gives us an OPPORTUNITY FOR REFUGE
3. He gives us access to His POWER.
4. He does all of this because of His COMPASSION.
5. He makes SALVATION AVAILABLE.
6. We have a RESPONSIBILITY TO RESPOND.
3. It is time to CONSIDER the time that lies ahead.
I read about a bumper sticker that said, "If you want to run with the big dogs, you have to get off the porch." The porch is obviously safer at least for the time being. There is tremendous risk to getting off the porch with no apprarent guarantees. There are three guarantees though:
* You will always reap what you sow
* You will always reap more than you sow
* You will always reap later than you sow
We need to press on - Philippians 3:13-14
We need to spend less time worrying - Philippians 4:6-7
Pause and stop your worrying
The Remedy Is to Pray
The absolute promise is Peace
As you look at the future SET GOALS. If you shoot an arrow in the air it will land somewhere but you might not accomplish much in mastering the art of archery. But if you set a target up and you begin to practice hitting the target, over time you may be quite successful at shooting arrows. The key is to have a target. For Paul it was the resurrection of the dead. For me it is to live a full and abundant life in Christ. What is it for you?
As you look toward the future MAKE FEWER PROMISES - Most people overcommit. By doing this they do not have the time to do the best things in life. Learn to say no and yes at the right times. This is a real art. Understand that to be stretched is alright but to be overstretched is almost always regretful. Make fewer promises but reach for your goals.
As you move toward the future Practice More - For me it is Practice what you preach. Do not just say these good things we have been talking about. Do not just know about these good things but practice them more. James says, Do not merely be hearers of the Word but be ye doers of the Word.
Time Time Time - It is a moment by moment decision that we make to redeem the time. Make it for good and not for evil and you will be tremendously blessed in this life and forevermore. May the Lord Bless You as you practice His principles for your life.
