Time---Spend It Wisely
Christmas is one week from today and I find myself being caught up in the stress of things that still need to be done. We have had some unforeseen interruptions in my schedule, which I always plan very meticulously. Many of them have been God interruptions, times of helping others. And that is what living for the Lord Jesus Christ means to me----helping others. And here is where faith comes into the picture. You see, we must exercise our faith for what we perceive as the little things as well as the big things. I must exercise my faith for time. God cares about each of us. He cares about what we are doing. He cares about our earthly pursuits, as well as our spiritual pursuits. What He wants us to do is depend on Him to work it out. We are to lean entirely on Him at all times. His delight is to see us trusting in Him as our Lord totally. It gives Him great joy to take care of us. We are His children.
What is Christmas all about? Sometimes it is about those seemingly endless interruptions which are not necessary. But then there is special time set aside for a phone call to someone who has just lost their loved one before the Christmas season, time set aside to sit and visit with a friend who is lonely, time set aside to watch a television special with your spouse, time spent with your children, time spent with your parents. It is all about time, isn’t it. We here on this earth are time conscious. Time determines our day. Time----we go to work and come home. Time----we eat our meals. Time----we go to bed and get up. Time----it was created for man here on this earth.
When we all get to heaven (as the song says), we will be free from time because we will be living in an eternity mode. So, why don’t we as God’s children, who are already living the Kingdom of God way, start thinking in the eternity mode instead of the earthly time mode. Our time is in God’s hands and the Word of God says that we are to make the very most of that time, buying up every opportunity.
On that day when we all stand before the Lord, He’s not going to ask us how many dishes we washed or how many letters we typed or how many patients we saw in a day or how many hours we spent on the road back and forth to our job or in how many houses did we install their plumbing and electrical work. No! What He is going to look at is this: How many people did we speak kind words to? Did we stop and help that little boy who fell off his bike? Did we give money to that widow at Christmas to get not only gifts for her children but food for the table? Did we honor our parents? Did we spend time becoming intimate with the Lord? Did we teach our children to reverence the Lord? Did we take those precious moments to minister to a friend?
What are we doing with our time? I believe that is the question each of us needs to ask ourselves this Christmas season. Perhaps we need to make some adjustments for the new year. Time is just as precious a commodity as money.
I got an email from a friend today, and that email talks about enjoying the little things. It was so heart warming. It talked about bite-sized pieces of peace, love, enjoyment of the moment of time. How interesting that I should get it right as I am doing this Pearls for the day.
Today as you read this Pearls, ask the Lord to show you what you can do to make someone’s life more enjoyable. Husbands, how about taking some flowers to your wife this evening? Tell her how much you appreciate what she does for your family. Wives, make a special effort this evening to make the home a haven of rest for your husband and a place where your children and their friends like to come. Tell your husband how much you appreciate what he does for you and the family. Children, tell your parents how much you appreciate what they do for you, the time and effort and money they spend on you to make your world a better place. Parents, instead of gripping at your children about what they haven’t done, tell them how much you appreciate what they have done. Enjoy them while they are home. If they have already grown and are no longer at home, make a phone call to tell them you are glad they are your children. Tell your family you love them. It is remarkable what a difference you can make in someone’s life by expressing love to them in either a tangible way or vocally.
And most of all, take the time to tell the Lord how much you appreciate all He has already done for you and what He continues to do for you. Tell Him how much you love Him. Tell Him how grateful you are for salvation, for His great sacrifice for you.
Yes, time is precious. How are you spending it? How do you want to spend it? Once it is spent, it is gone. Don’t put off until tomorrow what the Lord is prompting you to do today. I endeavor to listen to Him when He tells me to call someone or to tell them I love them. Lately, as my dad gets older, I am taking the time to tell him how much I appreciate the kind of person he is. He is not perfect. None of us are. But the important thing is this: Ask the Lord to give you eyes to see people the way He sees them, to take the time with them that He would take if He were physically here on this earth.
Time----spend it wisely. It is a gift of God.
What is Christmas all about? Sometimes it is about those seemingly endless interruptions which are not necessary. But then there is special time set aside for a phone call to someone who has just lost their loved one before the Christmas season, time set aside to sit and visit with a friend who is lonely, time set aside to watch a television special with your spouse, time spent with your children, time spent with your parents. It is all about time, isn’t it. We here on this earth are time conscious. Time determines our day. Time----we go to work and come home. Time----we eat our meals. Time----we go to bed and get up. Time----it was created for man here on this earth.
When we all get to heaven (as the song says), we will be free from time because we will be living in an eternity mode. So, why don’t we as God’s children, who are already living the Kingdom of God way, start thinking in the eternity mode instead of the earthly time mode. Our time is in God’s hands and the Word of God says that we are to make the very most of that time, buying up every opportunity.
On that day when we all stand before the Lord, He’s not going to ask us how many dishes we washed or how many letters we typed or how many patients we saw in a day or how many hours we spent on the road back and forth to our job or in how many houses did we install their plumbing and electrical work. No! What He is going to look at is this: How many people did we speak kind words to? Did we stop and help that little boy who fell off his bike? Did we give money to that widow at Christmas to get not only gifts for her children but food for the table? Did we honor our parents? Did we spend time becoming intimate with the Lord? Did we teach our children to reverence the Lord? Did we take those precious moments to minister to a friend?
What are we doing with our time? I believe that is the question each of us needs to ask ourselves this Christmas season. Perhaps we need to make some adjustments for the new year. Time is just as precious a commodity as money.
I got an email from a friend today, and that email talks about enjoying the little things. It was so heart warming. It talked about bite-sized pieces of peace, love, enjoyment of the moment of time. How interesting that I should get it right as I am doing this Pearls for the day.
Today as you read this Pearls, ask the Lord to show you what you can do to make someone’s life more enjoyable. Husbands, how about taking some flowers to your wife this evening? Tell her how much you appreciate what she does for your family. Wives, make a special effort this evening to make the home a haven of rest for your husband and a place where your children and their friends like to come. Tell your husband how much you appreciate what he does for you and the family. Children, tell your parents how much you appreciate what they do for you, the time and effort and money they spend on you to make your world a better place. Parents, instead of gripping at your children about what they haven’t done, tell them how much you appreciate what they have done. Enjoy them while they are home. If they have already grown and are no longer at home, make a phone call to tell them you are glad they are your children. Tell your family you love them. It is remarkable what a difference you can make in someone’s life by expressing love to them in either a tangible way or vocally.
And most of all, take the time to tell the Lord how much you appreciate all He has already done for you and what He continues to do for you. Tell Him how much you love Him. Tell Him how grateful you are for salvation, for His great sacrifice for you.
Yes, time is precious. How are you spending it? How do you want to spend it? Once it is spent, it is gone. Don’t put off until tomorrow what the Lord is prompting you to do today. I endeavor to listen to Him when He tells me to call someone or to tell them I love them. Lately, as my dad gets older, I am taking the time to tell him how much I appreciate the kind of person he is. He is not perfect. None of us are. But the important thing is this: Ask the Lord to give you eyes to see people the way He sees them, to take the time with them that He would take if He were physically here on this earth.
Time----spend it wisely. It is a gift of God.
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 9:03 AM
<< Home