This is the Time
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INTRODUCTION:
The year 2004 draws to a close. People will tune into their TV or radio, or they will read in magazines and newspapers the events that shaped the last year. You will also find the experts making predictions about the year set before us. These pundits have been trying to forecast the future for years. For instance in 1967 experts predicted that by the turn of the century technology would have taken over much of our lives. (Now if you stop there you would say the experts were right; we do live in a technologically advanced society.) However these same experts said that with all the advancements in technology, the average American work week would be only 22 hours long, and we would work only 27 weeks each year. Our biggest problem in the new millennium would be deciding what to do with all of our free time! (I don’t know, maybe I’m the only one who still hasn’t figured out how to let technology set me free from the drudgery of a 40 hour or more work week?)
Most of us would agree that we are busier today than at any other time in history. Instead of having free time our calendars and palm pilots are filled with activity. Everything happens at a fast pace. We’re always in a hurry. We talk fast, walk fast and eat fast. Am I the only one who would like to get off the tread mill of life and slow down?
How will we fare in 2005? Will we find ourselves six months from now wondering what happened to January? What will we do with the 365 days allotted to 2005—how will we fill the 8,760 hours that make up the next year?
When 2005 draws to a close will we look back with joy or regret? Will we look forward with anticipation or fear?
Let’s pause for a moment and remember the only time we have to live is the present. We cannot go back and relive the mistakes of yesterday, nor can we jump into the future to see what tomorrow holds. THIS IS THE TIME! What will we do with the time given to us day by day in 2005?
• Ephesians 5:15-17 (NIV)
[15] Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, [16] making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. [17] Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
• (The Message Bible)
[15] So watch your step. Use your head. [16] Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! [17] Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.
1. Use your time wisely.
Notice again what Paul says in verse 15: “Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise—watch your step. Use your head.” Paul underscores this thought again in verse 17 saying, “do not be foolish—don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly.”
Why should we use our time wisely? Why not just live our lives carefree and easygoing? Couldn’t we just relax and live life as it comes?
Paul tells us bluntly, “The days are evil—these are desperate times!” The young preacher Timothy is given a similar warning.
• 2 Timothy 3:13-14 (NIV)
[13] . . . evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. [14] But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it.
Live your life wisely Timothy; watch your step and guard your heart lest you be led astray. We must be careful how we live our lives—use your time wisely.
But what does using our time wisely look like? In a word it looks like Jesus! Paul puts it like this in Ephesians 5:1-2 (NIV):
• [1] Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children [2] and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
If we want to use our time wisely and not live carelessly then we should live like Jesus. Follow Jesus’ example and live a life of love and then we won’t come to the end of a year (or the end of our lives) and feel like we have wasted our time. Using our time wisely will leave no regrets, just as Jesus had no doubts, misgivings or sorrow in how He lived His life. Even as Christ endured the pain, suffering and shame of His death upon the cross He had no regrets.
• Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross.
Who would think you could find joy in being crucified? Yet Jesus knew what it meant to use His time wisely even at the hour or His death.
We need to learn to live our lives—to use our time wisely like Jesus. Two of the greatest enemies of our time are regrets for things we have done in the past and anxiety about what will happen to us in the future. Too many of us are living our lives either in the past or dreaming about the future. Jesus understood THIS IS THE TIME. He didn’t fill His life with regrets or anxiety; Jesus lived for the present—He used His time wisely.
We can use our time wisely by living our lives like Jesus, but is there anyone still wondering what that looks like? How can you and I be wise in 2005? Paul gives us two important keys to the wise use of our time: understand [1] your time is limited and [2] your time is for God.
2. Your time is limited.
Paul said we will make wise use of our time by “making the most of every opportunity.” God gives us opportunities each day to serve Him; we have the chance to use our time wisely. However, we all only get so many opportunities—one day our time will run out and we won’t get another chance. Therefore, while we still have the chance, with each opportunity make it your best.
• Psalm 39:4 (NLT)
Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.
• Psalm 90:10 (NLT)
Seventy years are given to us! Some may even reach eighty . . . soon [our years] disappear, and we are gone.
Some of us may think 70 or 80 years sounds like a long, long time. I can remember thinking 40 was old, and now I know better because I’ve past 40 and I’m not old!
If you and I are going to use our time wisely, then we must remember our time is limited. The psalmist said we should learn to number our days.
o Several years ago People magazine had an article called “Dead Ahead.” It told about a new clock that kept track of how much time you had left to live. You could purchase one of these clocks for about $100. This clock calculated the average lifespan of 75 years for men and 80 years for women. So when you entered your birth date and sex the clock would tell you the amount of time you had remaining until “death.” It’s a good idea for all of us to remember our time on the clock is running out—the sands are falling through the hour glass, and then time is up.
Now if I live to be 75, that means I have a little over 32 years, just 386 months or around 281,808 hours left to live. This may sound like a long time, but then over half of my allotted time has already expired—with each passing second the clock ticks closer to triple zero and game over.
Use your time wisely because not only is your time limited, you have no guarantee that your time will extend past today!
• James 4:14 (NLT)
How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.
o James said our life is like a mist; it’s here and then it’s gone. I’ve walked in the fog so thick you can hardly see 10 feet in front of you, yet as the fog clears we begin to see more and more clearly. The same can be true with our lives—the longer we live the more clearly we can see how quickly time goes by and then our life is over.
o For those of you still in the fog and not able to see as clearly, perhaps this will help you understand how time can seem to fly so quickly for some, while for others it seems to drag on endlessly. Picture for a moment two young lovers spending two or three hours together—their time together passes by so quickly and then it’s over. They can’t bear to be separated and their time apart seems to drag on endlessly. Now imagine the parents of these two young lovers: the time their child spends together with their boyfriend or girlfriend seems to drag on and on (it’s the same 2 or 3 hours, but what could they be doing that takes so long?) and all too quickly the couple has yet another date!
o Time is constant—24 hours per day. However, the passing of the hours is relative—for one will crawl while for another it flies.
Time is in short supply—your time on earth is limited, so use it wisely. Guard your time, because Satan wants to rob you of your time. Our most precious possession is the time God has given to us. Satan wants to take as much of your time away from you as he can.
Time is wasted in the momentary pleasures of sin. Imagine the time wasted in drugs and alcohol—time spent seeking pleasure in pornography, illicit affairs, homosexuality—time lost through gossip, rumors and malicious talk—time taken through laziness, fear, and worry. These and others are the sins Satan will use to rob us of our time.
And don’t make the mistake that it is only through sin and evil intentions that Satan would steal your time. The devil is a clever thief—he will rob you of your time with good things too.
o Do you remember Martha? She was busy with all the details to prepare a good dinner and was upset that her sister sat at Jesus’ feet. Indignant she asked Jesus to send Mary in to help her—there was important work to be done if everyone was going to eat a good meal.
• Luke 10:41-42 (NLT)
But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! [42] There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it—and I won’t take it away from her."
You and I make the same mistake as Martha—we get caught up in the routine of life and miss out on time spent with Jesus. Satan will use good things to keep us from having the best. Be wise! Don’t let the devil rob you of your time.
Dr. Richard Swenson wrote the book Margin: The Overload Syndrome in which he discusses one of the major maladies of our time—anxiety and stress. Swenson says millions of people suffer from the overload syndrome. We are overloaded with our COMMITMENTS; overloaded with POSESSIONS—things we simply must have; overloaded with our WORK; and suffer from INFORMATION overload. What are we to do with our heavy load?
Jesus gave the best prescription to cure overload—KEEP HIM FIRST IN YOUR LIFE. Make certain Jesus is your number one priority—be sure your primary focus is upon eternal things and not on the stuff of life, this is how we can keep from being overloaded and letting Satan rob us of our time.
We each have 8,760 hour per year—just 24 hours per day. Let Jesus permeate and fill your time; keep Him first in all you do. Make the most of every opportunity, because time is running out.
If we are going to use our time wisely and learn to live our life following Jesus example, then not only do we need to remember our time is limited, we also need to learn our time belongs to God.
3. Your time is for God.
Paul said, “do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is—make sure you understand what the Master wants” (verse 17). We aren’t just to live for ourselves. We are to live our lives to please God. Our time is not our own—our time is for God.
• 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)
. . . Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
How often do we make living our lives for God a mystery? We see God’s will as a giant puzzle with pieces scattered here and there (and no picture or guide to help us figure it out).
Nothing could be further from the truth. God has made His will know to us—it is right here in the pages of His word. Furthermore God has placed His Holy Spirit within our lives to lead us in God’s will.
So what is God’s will? Look again at Ephesians 5 and see what it says God’s will for our live is.
• Ephesians 5:17-21 (NLT)
[17] Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. [18] Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. [19] Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. [20] And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. [21] And further, you will submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
What is the number one priority God has set for your life here? How does God want you to learn to use your time wisely as you live in obedience to His will? God’s will—His greatest desire for your life is for you to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
This is God’s will—not for you to be under the influence or control of the things of this world—God’s will is for you to be directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit living in you. Let me say it again—God plainly shows us His will within the Bible and more importantly God has given us His Spirit to enable us to understand and live according to His will.
Notice the connection Paul makes. With the Holy Spirit in control of your life you will then overflow with songs of praise. You will overflow with thankfulness to God because the Holy Spirit has energized your life. And look what comes next (verse 21)—WE SUBMIT TO ONE ANOTHER not in our own ability, but through the power of the Spirit which is leading and directing our lives.
Folks it’s simple—without the Spirit of God in your life it is impossible to live your life for God. You cannot know God’s will for your life apart from His Spirit living in you and making it known.
If you allow the things of the world to have the first place in your life—if you give yourself to the influence of wine and pleasure, then you will not know or live according to God’s will. Without the Holy Spirit, your life will fall apart. Instead of submitting to one another, you will be quick to look out for number one—quick to fight for what you want.
This is the time. 2005 lay before us as a clean slate; no mistakes; no regrets. What will we do the time God gives to us in 2005?
In the New Year may we learn to use our time wisely—to daily live a life of love following Jesus example in everything we do. May the Lord help us to know our time is limited, and out time is for Him. Lord help us to use the 8,760 hours set before us that we will call 2005 wisely for your glory and honor.
Let’s not forget that with the passing of each day—as each hour goes by—we are one step closer to our Lord’s return. THIS IS THE TIME!
• Romans 13:11-12 (NLT)
[11] Another reason for right living is that you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. [12] The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don’t live in darkness. Get rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light.
Use your time wisely—2005 could see the return of the Lord
Remember your time is limited—2006 may never come.
Let the Holy Spirit empower you to use your time for God—each day and for all eternity we can give ourselves to Him who made us and in love gave His Son for us.
