Do You Have The Time?
How many times have you heard this question? This used to be asked of those wearing a watch by those who were without one and unaware of the time of day. This situation is highly unlikely today as even folks who don’t wear a watch carry a mobile phone and we all know – there’s an app for that! At the same time there are many, whether they wear a watch or not, that often complain they don’t have time for many things that are needed in their lives. Often enough, these same folks are the ones that also claim there is not enough hours in the day.
The first account of a day in the Bible is found in Genesis 1:5 and refers to the first day as created by God. The latter part of that verse reads: And the evening and the morning were the first day. The phrase “evening and the morning” is used again five more times in Genesis chapter one, and references five other days as they were created. Genesis 1:14 shows that God created, and then separated the lights to mark time. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: This indicates that all days are of the same length. Every day has the same number of hours, so the claim that there are not enough hours in the day is not a valid one.
Perhaps more important than how much time one has each day, is what one does with their time. It is true that time seems to “get away from us”. We need to focus on what we do in the course of a day, or week, or even a month. In Matthew 6:33-34 we can see that Jesus taught to put first things first today and that tomorrow can be addressed when it becomes today. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
This should remind us that “today” is all we have. We are not ever guaranteed a tomorrow. James 4:14 reminds us that the present time is all we have. 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. The brevity of life also was addressed in the Old Testament in Job 14:1-2, so none today can claim to not know. Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. 2 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. For us to worry about time, and what we are going to do with what time we have often directs our focus away from that which is most important.
Do we “take the time” to read and study the Bible? Have we taken the time to “seek first” the kingdom of God and His righteousness? Are we interested in taking care of that which is most important? In Matthew 16:26 Jesus pointed out that the soul is the most important possession man has. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Why then do we not use what little time we have to make sure our soul will spend eternity with God? Should this not be the most important thing for us? Those things which are of the most importance to us are those things we will “spend time” doing. If our soul and its eternal destiny is important to us, we will not only spend time on protecting our soul, but we will also put forth whatever effort is necessary to ready it for eternity.
God has repeatedly informed His people (Christians) in His New Testament Word that one must not only take the time to get ready, but they must also stay ready. In Rom 13:11, written to the Christians in Rome - folks who had already obeyed the gospel and were children of God - needed to “wake up” and used their time wisely. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. We can then look to Ephesians 5:16 we see why we are to use our remining time properly. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Does this not tie right in with what Jesus taught in Matthew 6:34 in the Sermon on the Mount? (scripture above) The sermon on the Mount was full of “Pentecost Pointers”. The teaching there was to the Jews to remind them the “time” was soon coming in which they, and ultimately all of mankind would have access to the kingdom, which is the church, purchased with the blood of Christ.
On the day of Pentecost, AD 33, the doors of the kingdom were opened to all the Jews gathered in Jerusalem that would be obedient. Those that “took the time” to listen, hear, believe and obey were granted entrance to the kingdom. We know from Acts 2:41 about 3,000 obeyed. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. We also know that many others in Jerusalem were like many folks today. Many today don’t have time for Jesus and His saving blood. 2Corinthians 6:2 tells us the time to obey is now. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) Do You Have the Time?
Dennis Strickland – Mooresville church of Christ
