The Time of Our Lives
Time = life.
That's a very basic and simple formula that applies to all of us. If you run out of time, you just ran out of life. And what you do with your time is really, in the end, what you do with your life. Thus, wasted time is a wasted life.
That's why the apostle Paul wrote that we are to "be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16) He wasn't saying to be careful, as in to walk on egg shells through life, as much as to be intentional and purposeful with how you "redeem your time." Likewise, the psalmist looked at the big picture of life and prayed, "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12) Both verses remind us that how we handle the time of our lives is a mark of wisdom, or lack thereof.
So what are you doing, intentionally, with the time you have today to make sure you're not wasting your life?
Do you remember David Cassidy? If you are my age or older, I’m sure you do, especially if you’re female. Many of us will remember him from being the lead singer of the musical group The Partridge Family, and starring in the ‘70’s sitcom by the same name. And, he was the heartthrob of many a teenage girl during that time.
Cassidy died a few years ago, at the young age of 67. And according to his daughter, Katie, his last words were, and I quote, “So much wasted time.”
I have no idea about David Cassidy’s spiritual condition, but I fear that many of us, chasing the same things of this world that he did, may come to the end of our lives, and look back with regret, and say the same thing: “So much wasted time.” That’s what happens when you focus more on what you do for a living, instead of what you are living for.
Time is short. I saw a meme recently that I screenshotted because it really hit home. It said, "Time is the only currency you spend without ever knowing your balance. Use it wisely."
Dr. Benjamin E. Mays summed it up so well in this short poem:
I have just one minute,
Only sixty seconds in it,
Forced upon me—can’t refuse it,
Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it,
But it’s up to me to use it.
I must suffer if I lose it,
Give account if I abuse it.
Just a tiny little minute—
But eternity is in it.
More simple wisdom about being good stewards of our time from Dr. Mays. It may only be a minute, “but eternity is in it.” So live your life today, with purpose and meaning, because you are living it for the Lord, for the sake of eternity.
I am grateful for each of you, and I am praying for you. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
--Pastor Ken
