Wasting Time

John Beekman, missionary to Mexico and Bible translator:

If I live, as some people say, on borrowed or extended time (in reality there is no such thing; God has appointed the time of death for all men), then it is time that is the substance of my life. If I waste a half hour here or an hour there, then the project I happen to be working on is delayed from completion by the amount of time I wasted.

As a Christian I know I am only a temporary resident here on earth. It*s true that here we have no continuing city, but I believe life is vital. It is meant to be much more than a parenthesis between conversion and heaven. For one thing, life is the place where real Christians are made. For another, life is a gift just as eternity is a gift to us because of our personal faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, I believe Christians should place as much value on the here and now as they do on eternity.

There are many things for which we don*t have enough time, strength, money or opportunity. Those are things the Lord may not want us to do anyway. Not giving enough time, strength, money or opportunity to do a particular thing may be God*s way of guiding us.

If we are willing we will always have enough time to do God*s will.
If we are willing we will always have enough strength to do God*s will.
If we are willing we will always have enough wealth to do God*s will.
If we are willing we will always have opportunity to do God*s will.
God will always provide everything we need to do His will.

The only thing that will ever keep us from doing God*s will is our desire for our own will. We need to know how valuable time is. The past is gone. The present is all that we are guaranteed in this mortal life. When I was young and foolish I had a dream about owning a time-machine. It wasn*t an original idea with me. In the time machine I would be able to go into the past and correct mistakes. I would be able to go into the future to see what would happen and then come back to the present and prepare for what I knew about the future. If we trust the Lord we don*t need a time machine.

James 4:14: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

God gives us time. God is concerned about us doing the right thing at the right time. His timing is perfect. Our timing is not. We must respond and obey God at the right time and in the right place. Whatever time we give to serve God will make the rest of our time more profitable. We must choose to use our time for God or for self. Using our time for self is at worst sin and at best a waste. If we waste all of our time on self, God might just as well take our lives. I believe there are times when the Lord ends a life that is used totally for self. None of us know how much time we have left in this life, but we ought to commit as much as possible to the Lord. We ought to ask His direction in what we do with our time.

Psalm 37:7a: Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: . . .

Psalm 37:9: For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

When we withhold our time or anything else from God we will eventually lose it anyway.

Matthew 16:25: For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Giving your time to God will not detract anything good from your life. Giving your time to Him will add and multiply immeasurable blessing to your life. Giving your time to God will be the most profitable thing you can do with it. How much of your time are you giving to Him? I challenge myself with that same question.

Praising God is a wise use of time.
Praying to God is a wise use of time.
Studying the Bible is a wise use of time.
Preparing to serve God is a wise use of time.
Fasting is a wise use of time.
Meditating is a wise use of time.
Doing unselfish things for others is a wise use of time.
Resting is a wise use of time.
Recreation is a wise use of time.
Working is a wise use of time.
Exercise is a wise use of time.

Exercise improves circulation and health for all of our body parts, including the brain. Keeping our bodies and brains healthy can give us more opportunity to serve God. If we use our time without thought of what God wants we are sinning. Using our time for self equals laying up treasure on earth. Using our time for God equals laying up treasure in heaven. We shouldn*t be stingy with God. If we give sparingly of our time to Him, He will give sparingly of blessings to us. If we give generously of our time to Him, He will be generous with His blessings to us.

Most of all the Lord Jesus wants you and if He has you, He has your time.

2 Corinthians 12:14: . . . for I seek not yours, but you: . . .

If you are willing to give your time to the Lord Jesus you can say along with King David in Psalm 31:15: My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

Care to discuss Wasting Time with Ron?

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