The Time of our Lives
Stewardship of Time
Introduction
“Consider a story from the February 1998 edition of Readers Digest, which tells about a couple who “took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their 30 foot trawler, play softball and collect shells.”
At first, when I read this (John Piper writes) I thought it might be a joke. A spoof on the American Dream. But it wasn’t. Tragically, this was the dream. Come to the end of your life – your one and only precious, God-given life - and let the last great work of your life, before you give an account to your Creator, be this: playing softball and collecting shells. Picture them before Christ at the great day of Judgment: “Look, Lord. See my shells.”
That is a tragedy. And people today are spending billions of dollars to persuade you to embrace that tragic dream. Over against that, I put my protest: Don’t buy it. Don’t waste your life! (John Piper, Don’t waste your life)
This morning we are discussing the importance of being a good steward of our time. But time is life. How we spend our time will reveal how we will live our lives.
We have all heard the figure of speech, “wasting time” – For example, for me, I’m in the grocery store following my wife around like a lost puppy and then I bump into your friend who’s following his wife around (you know, spending good quality time together), And he asks me, “so, what are you doing?” Oh, just “wasting time” OR just “killing time”
I understand the figure of speech, but when we really think of it…
If we are “Wasting time” – We are really “Wasting our lives”.
We are wasting the God-given moments that He has entrusted to us, to live in such a way that is pleasing to Him.
This morning, my prayer is that we would not come to the end of our time here on earth, and say, “I’ve wasted my time, I’ve wasted my life”
In order to discuss “Time management” in our lives, as Christians– it becomes very apparent that talking about scheduling and using a daytimer – misses the true essence of what “Time management” is, and how we are to approach the use of our time.
We have all been encouraged in our lives, to “make” more time for God. In prayer, in reading Scripture, in serving others…We all have these ideals of the perfect Christian life and how it should hopefully look each day. And yet, if you are like me, these ideals – remain just that – ideals.
I have really sensed that we would benefit much more here this morning- by not necessarily pushing more “ideals” on us, although I believe the ones I mentioned are very important, and need to be a part of our lives.
But rather, to force ourselves to ask ourselves the real important questions about our life, and why we are here on this planet Earth.
At Breakforth last week, KP Yohannan asked us to all add a 100 years to our current age.
In a 100 years, none of us will be here. Our lives here on earth will be over.
The question for us, “What are we really living for?”
“Why were we created?
At the end of our life here on earth, will we be able to say that I made the most of my life!!
1. Our Sole Purpose is to Glorify God
For many here today, this is nothing new. But for all of us, it is a time to refocus, to evaluate how we spend our time. If we really believe this, we have to ask the question, “How can live each day, doing everyday, normal stuff, for the glory of God?”
First of all, I think we all need to be reminded of why our sole purpose in life is to glorify God.
First,
If you are a Christian…
A. You are not Your Own
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
* CONTROL – change of ownership
B. You are a New Creation
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”
* Power and slavery to sin -BROKEN
Focused on self to Focused on GOD.
C. You are Dead to This World
- Galatians 2:19-20 – “For through the law I died to the law so that I might be alive for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”
* NOT OUR PASSION’S and WILL – BUT GOD’S
D. You are Christ’s Ambassadors
- 2 Corinthians 5:20 – “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
Glorify – to make much of
- to magnify
- to point to
- to give the credit
Paul gave us a very strange command:
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” - 1Corinthians 10:31.
2. We are to Live each moment for the glory of God.
So often, in our lives, we feel pulled in 15 different directions, and we don’t know what to do, or where to invest our time. It reminds me of this, rather modern translation of Psalm 23.
“The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me into deep depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy, for activities sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task, I will never get it all done,
For my Ideal is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines,
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressures shall follow me
All the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration
Forever.”
Jesus Lived it! – John 17:1-4
– “Father the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”
A. We are God’s Workmanship
- Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
• GOD HAS A PLAN FOR US
• ASK EACH DAY- “LORD, how can I be used today to bring you glory?”
B. We are to Find true value in life
- Philippians 3:7,8 – But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him.”
• Where do we turn for meaning? –Work, Money, what others think of us?
• TRUE VALUE – KNOWING CHRIST AND BEING KNOWN BY HIM
C. We are to Make the Most of our opportunities
- It’s about being intentional in everything that we do. Not the question, “Is this bad for me” but, “How will this activity or this action show that I want Christ to be magnified in my life (To glorify God)
Asking, “is this bad?” will rarely yield a lifestyle that shows that living for Christ is the most important thing in your life. We need to change the question from a mainly negative, mediocre question, to a positive, God-glorifying question.
CHOICES - TV
- MAKE DISCIPLES - Matthew 28:18-20 – “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
- SERVE – READ MATTHEW 25:31-46
- “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Conclusion
Our time here on earth is short! Let us not waste our lives!
READ AN ESSAY that was written by a 17 year old guy named Brian.
IN YOUR BULLETIN this morning is a Bible Tract.
Maybe we have been discouraged in our lives, feeling like serving God, and trying to glorify Him isn’t really worth it. We need to remember our Saviors promises to us.
Revelation 22:12 – “Behold, I am coming quickly and My reward is with me, to give to everyone according to his works.”
Hebrews 6:10 – “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”
May the way we live moment of every day to show that God is more precious to us than life itself.
May we not come to the end of our life and say, “I’ve wasted it!”
