A Precious Commodity.

Although Christ-followers have a bright and glorious eternity before us, God daily gives us a precious commodity that burns away faster than high-test fuel in a race car.That commodity is time.It’s interesting that we use phrases that refer to time just like it was gold, silver, or money. Here are a couple of examples:“How did you spend your time today?”“Don’t waste your time!”Even Ben Franklin had a saying about time:“Lost time is never found again.”The older we get we realize that time is a precious and fleeting part of life. Because time is limited, The Bible instructs us to redeem—or make the best use of—our time in the present evil days (see Ephesians 5:15).The reality for most of us is that we have to balance time with God, family, church, work, school, and other activities into a limited number of hours each day. Some days we find it easy to manage time, while on other days time seems to spin out of control. It’s easy to slip into feelings of guilt at the time we could have spent better. Rather than sinking into a sea of guilt, perhaps it’s best to instead turn to the Author and Giver of all our days and ask for His divine help in overseeing and managing our time. A life of worshipping God includes yielding our time and priorities to Him and then being flexible and prepared when he calls us away from what we had planned.This morning I prayerfully committed the day ahead to God. I planned on working from home, stopping by the church, and then spending some dedicated time with our daughter Annie who was in town before flying overseas to see a friend and then teach in Germany. By late morning Annie and I were able to talk while driving to some stores, and then we ate lunch together at one of her favorite restaurants. After lunch, she stopped by a well-known coffee shop while I bought a shirt at the store adjacent to it. I thought the day would proceed according to our plans.However, as I was leaving the clothing store, I saw a man fall backward and hit his head hard against a pillar. I went over to him (I learned his name is Jim) and asked if he was okay, and then saw he was bleeding. I immediately asked the store manager for help and called 911 while another man also helped attend to him. In a matter of a couple of minutes, the EMTs arrived and carefully attended to Jim who was alert and smiling. This accident reminded me how fleeting time is. I’m sure Jim had no idea when he woke up earlier today that he would lose his balance and end up in the emergency room. I also had no idea that I would be one of three people who would assist someone in need. But the Lord of us all days knew! Although not on my top 10,000 list of favorite things to do, I walked away believing God was helping me redeem—make the most of—my time.Making the most of our time begins by entering into an intimate conversation and relationship with God and allowing Him to order our days according to his plan. I’m convinced God loves to teach and grow us in this area.Some lessons God is teaching me about time:

1. Even though time right now is fleeting and a precious thing, God has an abundant eternity awaiting us. Always remember this when navigating through life.
2. We belong to God and our time belongs to him. Since this is true, it’s essential to commit our time and plans to Him.
3.  It’s good to plan! God is a God of order, and it’s okay to order our time and priorities.
4.  It’s also important to be flexible and ready when God interrupts our plans with His kingdom one. Remember that The Holy Spirit can accomplish the things we can’t finish when we put His work first.
5. Pray for and seek balance in time: with God, family, work, activities, and rest. Rest is vital! By the way, I took a ten-minute rest this afternoon before finishing this blog.
6. Finally, don’t obsess too much about time. God has got everything under control so don’t let time become your master.

There are some beautiful Scriptures about time that I often pray, especially during the days that seem to be out of control:

“My times are in Your hands...”Psalm 31:15

“Teach us to number our days,that we may gain a heart of wisdom”Psalm 90:12

“ In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps”Proverbs 16:9

“ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.2nd Corinthians 6:2

I pray that your life will be blessed by sacred time with God and the people He puts in your path.God bless you!Chris Atkins