“He who kills time, kills himself… for time is what life is made of.” Dad said, “To preachers, orators, and young lovers, time is but an illusion.” Yet to all of us, time is very important. How many of us would not give all we have, for more time? Maybe a “do-over.” Jesus said, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4). Someone said, “Everything comes to the one who waits, except the time lost in waiting.” Killing time, wasting time… is slow suicide.
We only have a little time on this earth. If you are thirty years old, (all going well), you have approximately 8,000 days left to live with modern medicines and advancements. If you are forty years old, that becomes 6,000. If you are fifty, that leaves you with 4,000 days. Modern advancements in medicine, exercise, healthy living of course may give more time, and hopefully a quality of life. Solomon said, “Teach us to number our days so that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”
“The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.”
Now is the only time you have… Live, love, toil with a will to accomplish. Place no faith in tomorrow.
“Be very careful then, how you live – not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). The King James Bible says, “redeeming the time”, which literally means to “buy up opportunities.”
The ancient Greeks saw “opportunity” as a “half-bald-headed” woman. You may grab her by the hair as she comes, but cannot when she comes back and passes you again.
The Hebrews writer says to Christians… “GROW UP!” You should be more advanced, to the point that you can teach others. Lazy Christians who want only to be spoon fed with a spiritual milk bottle instead of growing to the point where they can handle ‘meat’, are wasting time (Hebrews 5:11-14). Here are some more phrases in Hebrews which encourage us to GROW UP, and quit wasting time… “Pay more careful attention” (Hebrews 2:1), “Fix your thoughts on Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1), “Do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:8, 15), “Be careful” (Hebrews 4:1), “Hold firmly to the faith we profess” (Hebrews 4:14), “Approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:10). Jesus did not waste time! He “learned” and he “became” (Hebrews 5:7-10). He accomplished his mission in about THREE YEARS (or about 1,095 days).
Time is opportunity! Opportunity to learn, to grow, to become, to do, to encourage, to save, to teach… There is nothing we can do about time past except cherish memories, learn lessons. Today we can come to Jesus for the gift of his grace to deal with the past that haunts us. What should we do about tomorrow? If you get a ‘tomorrow’… don’t waste it!