Time is Not Replaceable, It's Redeemable

I guess with the Mount we've been gone over time, that could happen. But I will tell you that, according to the atomic clock, church started at 1.28. So we were actually early. But it's good to be here with everyone. I think I'd mentioned last time I was song leading that you actually had the Apartian men back and we would be around. Actually, the way things have worked, we're going to be out for the next four weeks.

Again, three of the weeks we're going to be trying to do different things with the Hancock's before they go and go back to Florida for seven to eight months while we have family around. We'll enjoy that.

And it's fun each year. They call whenever Thanksgiving is. You think you know when Thanksgiving is. You wait each year to see when the Hancock's call the Hancock Thanksgiving, which is the last weekend before they go to Florida. Just so you know, if you want to look on your calendar, it's whatever that third week in September is.

That's Thanksgiving, according to them. Well, that kind of leads into today's message. Today, we're going to discuss the topic of time. Time. People use time. They waste time. They spend time. Einstein had a theory about it. People make a living evaluating how people use it. And I guess if you looked at it at a very strictly mathematical way, there's a lot of time each day holds. You have 24 hours, 1,440 minutes. Or if you really want to get picky about your seconds, you have 86,400 seconds in every day. Another thing about time that's interesting is that it's uniform. It is not discriminatory. We're all limited to the same 168 hours in a week, whether you're a janitor in a grocery store or you're the president of the United States.

And we all have that same amount of time to accomplish tasks, and we probably have pretty much the same objectives, the same desires for our time. And that would be to make the best use of our available time to accomplish the things that we feel are truly important. Yet, for most of us, I would argue that our daily cry is, if only I had more time!

It's probably pretty rare, if ever, that you hear people ask or wish for less. And I would challenge you if you've heard anyone over the age of 30 say how slowly it passes. That's another funny thing that happens over time. Queen Elizabeth I, when she was alive, was the richest person in the world. Yet, when it came time for her to die, her last words were actually, I would give all my kingdom for one more moment of time. Fascinating thing for somebody to say and then conquer. But that was her last known words. Time management experts and philosophers are very fond of reminding us that our time is our life.

And you'll hear me reference in different ways that concept throughout today's sermon. Our time is our life. Each human has been given a certain amount of time that will occur on earth. And our lifespan is non-renewable. Once gone, it's forever lost. So if you think about that, as a result, whatever controls our time controls our life. And because of that, time is our most treasured possession. But, truth be said, we often act as if it's not. The thing that makes us as Christians a little different in how we time manage is the source of what we consider important.

And of course, that source is God. So please turn to Isaiah 57 in verse 15. Isaiah 57 in verse 15. I think a good starting place as we learn about time is to consider how God looks at time. And what He wants us to learn from time management. So we'll start in Isaiah 57 in verse 15. And it says, For thus is the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy. God inhabits eternity. It is so easy for us to look at that word and just lose all that's included in it. Eternity means perpetuity, forever, continuous existence.

So since God created time, then this crazy mind-boggling thing that, you know, I have conversations with Drew, and ultimately, we can't understand this. It doesn't, you know, how do you wrap your head around the fact that God was around forever, therefore He was around before time? But that's what we learn. Turn next to 2 Peter 3, verses 5 through 9. 2 Peter 3, verses 5 through 9. We've probably all heard that the universe is made up of at least 10 dimensions, and you will read different things that have a different number of dimensions that are out there. A dimension is simply the different facets of what we perceive to be reality. So every day, we experience the first three dimensions. And you all are very familiar with them, and they would be length, width, and depth. Or if you want to get into the mathematical side of it, the X, the Y, and the Z axis. Those are the first three dimensions. The fourth dimension is time. So let's get a little perspective on how God looks at time. 2 Peter 3, verse 5. There are millions or billions of years that are covered in those couple of verses. It really just flies through time. Verse 5 starts with creation, and God before creation. Verse 6 zooms forward to the Flood. Another time that God kind of cleansed the earth. Verse 7 extends out to when the heavens and the earth are going to be ultimately destroyed by fire sometime in the future. God is unrestricted by time. And so we see that highlighted in this next verse that's well known. Verse 8.

So verse 8 is that well-known fascinating concept that with God one day as is a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. But verse 9 clarifies why we're even told that fact. Verse 9 says why it matters, and that perspective allows God to be long-suffering toward us, even when we massively screw up. God is willing to work with us over time to help us move toward ultimately coming to repentance. That's his whole objective and why we were here in the first place. And even though God is not controlled by time in the same way that you and I are, he still puts a lot of emphasis on it. Some examples could be the area that God has set aside certain times that he's blessed. We're here on the Sabbath. We observe the Holy Days. Those are times he created for our benefit that teach us the important lessons of his plan. Frankly, a little jump start to say refocus. You lost your prioritization of time. Get the priorities right again. That's part of it. God also always acts at the right time. Always.

Though to us it may seem like he often makes us wait longer than we would desire, but he always acts at the right time. The point is God created time as a tool. A tool for you and a tool for me to learn from. Turn next to Psalm 90, verses 7-12. Psalm 90, verses 7-12. As we read this next verse, I'd like you to remember the lesson in 2 Peter about a day being a thousand years to God. That was contextually shared in relation to God being patient with him wanting us to come to repentance, him wanting us to obey. Psalm 90, verse 7. For we have been consumed by your anger, and by your wrath we are terrified. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance. For all our days have passed away in your wrath. We finish our years like a sigh. So, this section is showing very clearly that God is aware. He is very aware of our sins. He is very aware of our misuse of time. He sees us living for our selfishness, for our desires. And then the next verse brings that concept of time into perspective. Verse 10. The days of our lives are seventy years, and if by reason of strength they are eighty years. Each person has a set amount of time for our lifetime.

The cartoon character Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes, once made the comment, God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now, I'm so far behind, I'll never die. Well, it doesn't work that way, but it's a very Calvin logic to the world. The days of our lives, or the length of our days, are seventy to eighty years. Even with the gift of modern medicine, we haven't been able to extend the average lifespan beyond what God declares. And so we realize that our existence is finite. It's not replaceable. So notice next how God views the way most humans choose to use their available time. Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow, for it is soon cut off and we fly away. Who knows the power of your anger, for as the fear of you, so is your wrath. Depending on how our time is spent, life can be only labor and sorrow. Well, thanks, Dan. That's depressing.

With that humbling reality, verse 12 then frames this lesson about time and God. So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Being told to number our days means that we should recognize how short life is, and as a result, how precious every day is. That's what we're being encouraged to think about. And that should lead us to make a full use of our available time. Hey, should being the key word, right? We can all look back and say, eh, I should. Have you used that time better? But God wants us to recognize that every minute does count and should be used in a godly way. We were put in this universe of time to learn lessons. Turn now to the best known verse about prioritization in the Bible. Turn to Matthew 6, verse 33. Matthew 6, 33. Are you and I investing our time wisely? Are we investing our time wisely in God's eyes? Because God reveals to us what is truly most important in life. And as you know, we're coming into the Sermon on the Mount, and in this Jesus famously said, But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. So what you see when you combine these two sections of Scripture is this fascinating if-then formula of either success or failure based on how we choose to live our lives, how we choose to use our time. We have the power to determine how our life will turn out. Psalm 90, it spoke of life being only labor and sorrow, but that's actually the result of God's judgment. God's judgment for a life not lived with wisdom. And if we live according to our own pleasures, then no matter what we think is right, what we think we've accomplished, it's going to be a waste. It's not enough to plan and to use our time in a well-thought-out way that seems best to us. We must plan to live in a way that God sees is right. That's what he's wanting us to align with. So Christian time management means learning to use time as God wants us to use it. And to become more like God, we need to learn to have his priorities. So Matthew 6, 33 makes clear, seek first the kingdom of God and God's righteousness. As you know, the kingdom of God, it pictures the perfect government of God that will bring peace and plenty to this earth for eternity when Jesus Christ returns. Seeking God's righteousness means striving to live the right way and obeying God's laws, his beneficial laws, which are based in love of how we're supposed to live.

And to participate in that future kingdom, well, we must be prepared for that time now in how we use our time. We need to learn to use God's priorities to improve our lives and to align our daily lives to God's plan for us. Now, the end of Matthew 6, 33 is fascinating because it reveals something very special about God's priorities. If we put what God says is important first, the other things we need and want will be added to us as well. But if we put money and things is equal to or greater in importance than God's kingdom, in the long run, we will have neither. It's an interesting contrast in very few words. Turn now to Psalms 49, verses 12 through 14. Psalms 49, verses 12 through 14. We can't take charge of our time without clearly defining priorities. And so setting goals and priorities is a challenge. It's one of those things that we all have different strengths at, but it's something that's important. Leadership expert Lolly Daskal wisely shared, to master time management is to set priorities among your goals. There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do what is important. There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do what is important. So we have to schedule the important first, or it's going to be pushed out by the hundreds of urgent and persistent things that come up in life, or the hundreds of distractions and tempting things that come up. What's the next YouTube video? What's the next whatever that distracts us? Psalms 49, verse 12. Nevertheless, man, though in honor, does not remain. He is like the beast that perish. This is the way of those who are foolish, and of their posterity, who approve their sayings. Salah. Stop and think on this for a second. Like sheep, they are laid in the grave, death shall feed on them, the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, and their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwellings.

See, sin has pleasure. Sin has pleasure, but it's only for a short time.

And in the short term, sin can be very pleasurable. But in the long term, sin is suffering. That's why we so often see the word wisdom, or foolishness, referenced when we read verses about time. You'll see it. If you reflect back on some of the ones I mentioned, you'll see as we keep going. Think of the parable about the man who built the new barns, right? He had a plan for his life, but actually he planned it all wrong. And his days ended up, and he wasn't ready. Wisdom has its basis in a lot higher source than our own judgment about what the best use of time is. You all know we don't need to turn there, but Proverbs 9 and 10 is a famous verse that says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. The beginning of wisdom is a commitment of reverence to surrender to the will of God in our life. And how we use our time. And if we get that right, right? Then all the rest of life is a matter of course correction. Around where we lost our wisdom, or straying off the wise course, and then getting back on to stay in alignment.

That's the basic if we have that beginning of wisdom. Now, just being transparent here. This is the area where sermons and those speaking will oftentimes go. And they will point out that the most important things that we should daily prioritize are prayer, Bible study, fasting, and meditation. Please understand, those are correct priorities. But I think a challenge is when a person's grown up in the church and has heard that from we were babies on the floor, it can start to sound like, The challenge is, it makes sense. But it's hard to have urgency around something that you've heard as often as the wind blowing by. And so what I've found is what helps people who've grown up hearing something to think of it differently, Is to look for ways to frame a familiar concept differently to help us emotionally understand the why. To understand the urgency. So that that way we can understand and choose based on a concept that's common and well known. So with that in mind, please turn to Ephesians 5, verses 15 to 16. Ephesians 5, verses 15 to 16. Personally, I find the concept of time as a very helpful way to reframe and to put urgency around spending our time building a relationship with God. I hope and I trust that today's message has already made clear that one of the most valuable resources that God has given us and entrusted to us is time. And it's limited. That's pretty straightforward. Because for us, time is this non-renewable resource that cannot be replaced. It cannot be relived. You don't have that little rewind button that we have on our CD player and say, oop, let me go back and hear that one again. Once the moment passes, it's gone.

There is the potential to possibly extend time. And by that, if you eat really, really well, if you take care of yourself, if you make good decisions, yeah, maybe we can add some hours, months, or maybe a couple years to our life. But we can never recapture time. So do we use our time wisely? None of us likes to be called a fool. Being called foolish is not something that makes us feel really, really good. But the Bible helps us realize that anything less than wisdom is foolishness. And you'll see that in this verse. Ephesians 5 verse 15, See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. We just glossed over something that you wouldn't capture unless you read that in the original language. The word for fool in this verse is esophos. A means in opposition. Sophos is the word you read for wise or wisdom.

Fools are against wisdom.

Never forget that wisdom is not intellect. It's possible to accumulate a lot of knowledge and a lot of intellect, like a computer. Wisdom isn't ensured by having knowledge or intellect. Wisdom is about the application of good judgment and discernment. So in light of us having this diminishing, this non-replaceable period of time remaining in our lifetime here on earth, what is the wise thing to be done with time? Verse 16, Redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. So the Bible tells us this beautiful concept that time is redeemable.

One definition of redeeming is literally to buy back. Redemption is what happened when Jesus died for our sins. We were lost. We were captured prisoners of sin who were doomed to die once and for all, and then Jesus bought back our liberty with his blood. For those who like titles and who haven't already written on the top of your page, my title for this sermon is time. It's not replaceable, but it is redeemable. Time. It's not replaceable, but it is redeemable. So how do we redeem time? The point is that we must make the most of the time we have now so that our potential time available can be extended out for eternity.

Because we understand and we live God's will day by day. That's why it says, therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Why did he create us in the first place? When verse 17 says the wise person is to understand his will, it means the same as bending our will to his will, or binding our will to his will. That is why we should properly prioritize our thoughts and actions. That is why we should pray and study and fast and meditate in the things we've heard over and over and over. I can't list for you all the different challenges over your lifetime that you're going to face, which is basically going to come down to the accept or decline box, right? But that's basically what life comes down to. Opportunities are just momentary tests as to how we will use our resources our time, our energy. The goal is to come to see everything that comes our way from God's perspective.

One of the reasons we must spend time with God in prayer or Bible study and service is so that we will begin to think like he does. That's the connection of how it matters for life. Embracing that opportunity means seeing life and how we use it, or we use time. So, from God's perspective, and acting accordingly. So, Drew, if you'll come up now, I'd like to share an illustration. This is one of those things in theory that will work very, very well. The nature of handing out rope can be very, very challenging. Where's the other end of it? Extend that out, and hopefully that works, and you can just extend that out. Alright. That's good. You can just set it down back there. That'd be great. Thank you very much. I asked one question before that while we were doing the special music. He said, am I supposed to just stand and hold it? And I was like, oh, no, no, you just dropped the rope. That's all we need. So, what I like to do is share this illustration about time and its relationship to our potential. So, what I've set down before you is a rope that's roughly 50 feet long. And at the end of it, we have three inches here that I've painted red. Okay?

So many of us are focused on the three inches of our lifetime. That we're alive, and we lose the big picture of eternity.

And we spend anxiety, we spend stress, we get so preoccupied with our immediate comforts in this area, worried about this last inch that might still be left of our life, and we lose perspective.

Now, you've probably seen the quote that was shared yesterday as a canceled check, tomorrow as a promissory note, only today is ready cash.

If we're constantly looking backwards, frankly, it's depressing. You know, it's a little demoralizing along the way. But if we, on the other hand, look forward and picture what Christ wants us to see for our potential, so that we can have a redeemed future for eternity, then we will look at these three little inches totally differently.

It all is a matter of perspective. Yet some of us, I would argue, are consumed by those three inches entirely the wrong way. You know, we can work to struggle, to save, to sacrifice, so that we can enjoy this one little millimeter right here. And we're all stressed if that one little millimeter doesn't go exactly like we were hoping. Oh, life's awful! That millimeter didn't work out. Perspective. Now, of course, those three inches that we have that represent our life on this earth are important. But God has given us life and time on this earth with the expectation that we live it to the full and enjoy it while aligning for his longer purpose. So therefore, we're building his nature and his character. He wants us to glorify him in how we live.

And so those three inches don't have to represent our entire lifespan, but they can.

But there is far more life potentially ahead of us, depending on how we use time. Depending how we use that small amount we've been given, and being mindful of that fact in our daily considerations, and what we do, and how we prioritize each of those seconds we're given. So for the rest of the sermon, I'm going to reflect on how we use time. And hopefully that analogy is one that you can bring back at various times when you face different challenges, or struggles, or stresses, or joys, even. I think we would all agree that we could do a better job learning to view and to use our time in the perspective of eternity. I think that's fair to say. We can all make that connection a little bit better on how we spend time today by thinking of what the result of that will be for eternity. Because at the end of the day, the concept is basically this. Life is short, eternity is not. But that's hard to retain the importance of when pressures start coming. What do we stress about? What do we indulge in? What do we long for? Or what do we prioritize, and is it really what is important? In the Middle Ages, the sin of sloth was defined in two ways. We tend to label it one way now. But sloth was either paralysis, which is more of our definition now, not being able to do anything, or busyness. This concept of running around frantically all the time. So are you or I slothful? When thinking of how we view time, I think a great place to start is with Jesus. You don't need to turn there, but Jesus invited us in Matthew 11-28 saying, Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Now, he's not saying, I'm going to make you slothful. I'm not going to make you lazy. But what he's showing is a perspective, that perspective of eternity versus three inches, or the one inch you have left to live.

And he's saying, I get it. What really matters? And that's what helped him surrender to God's will. That's what helped him submit to the Holy Spirit and make the right decisions each time. It enabled him to have that word he threw out there regularly, peace and joy and times that, frankly, none of us would ever use that word, humanly, without perspective, without God's help. So wisely investing in the present as well as eternity means investing time in things that are important in this life and have value in the next. And that could include all sorts of different things. It can include things like taking care of your family. Teaching your children to live in accordance with God's attributes. Nurturing your relationship with your spouse. Cultivating friendships. Caring for those in need. Sharing God's love and his salvation with others. Being kind. Being generous. Being mindful of the environment. Learning new things. Being a good influence in your community. Go on and on. In short, it's investing our time wisely living in a manner that reflects God, letting our light shine, being a positive effect on those around us, and laying up treasures in heaven that will be able to be used by God for eternity. Let me share another perspective for you to think on. As Christians, we shouldn't be managing our time because it's not ours. Our time is not ours. Just as we should think of our possessions and our money is not ours but on loan to us from God, the same lesson goes for time. God calls us to be good stewards of all that he has entrusted to us. If he wouldn't have created us, we wouldn't be here in the first place. So time is a gift that is up to us to side on but it's not ours that we're entitled to without properly putting it in the right perspective. So when we rightly view all time as belonging to God, that makes us ask things differently in our mind. There are two simple questions I saw are starting points. One, what will be the result of this activity in five years? Two, what will be the result of this activity in eternity? Yeah, all right. That kind of puts in perspective what I just did right here and is that really that helpful or important? But again, the key is to understand the importance of using our time for Godly purposes and recognizing that this life is where we prepare for eternity. Turn to 1 Corinthians 3 verses 11 through 15. 1 Corinthians 3 verses 11 through 15. Paul is about to address the concept of how we live and what we do or don't do in this life playing a role in our eternity.

And so think of that when he talks about this concept of building on Jesus as our foundation. 1 Corinthians 3 and verse 11. So as you read the next verses, realize that's the cornerstone principle. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stone, wood, hay, straw, each one's works will become clear, for the day will declare it. Because it will be revealed by fire and the fire will test each one's works of what sort it is. If anyone works for which he has built on it, again Christ the foundation endures, he shall receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

You see, these verses show that how we use our time will impact our reward. And the reference in verse 15 can be glossed over and pulled out of context very easily. But the concept here is saying that the person who has everything burned up and is still saved, it assumes that the foundation is Jesus Christ. That's the assumption of these verses reading through. So clearly it's worthwhile to invest in Godly pursuits and following his will. Now, there are a lot of things that we can all do to better devote our time, but I think an easy place to start is to look at how busy our lives are.

You look at me and you say, Dan, look in the mirror. And I'll say, that's true. I look at that very regularly. And I try, but it's tough. We have very, very busy lives. To implement the right schedule requires motivation and focus and refocus and prioritization and re-prioritization. To choose the truly important, we have to wisely act and not just react. I'd say one of the things that struck me as I was putting this message together is, at the end of the day, my use of time reveals to God my priorities. Your use of time reveals your priorities.

Constantly putting off spending time in prayer or in study or serving others or doing things that we know are pleasing to God, that would strengthen our faith, that would build godliness, can easily result in not doing them at all because the time we thought we would have suddenly gets spent doing something else. Isn't that very human of us? So let's consider another question. Is God's goal for us about how much we know and we hear about Him?

Some make the mistake of thinking that we could depend on others to spoon-feed His wisdom by going to church, by listening to mountains of sermons and Bible studies. And there are folks who will travel all over the place to hear this speaker or that speaker. And what they might be getting is knowledge, but that doesn't ensure that they're gaining wisdom. Because wisdom is about applying, right? They can fit together, they might not. It's about applying what we've heard or learned. Here's another question. Is our responsibility about doing spiritual things in spurts? What I mean by that is we can make the mistake of thinking that we can incorporate Jesus as that religious part of our life by going to church and doing churchy things throughout the week.

But the Bible tells us that only this genuine, consistent daily friendship with God will make us truly wise and will bring peace. It's not about, that was six times in the week I could show I did something really good. I did well this week. It's about what are we doing and how are we thinking every day?

There is no substitute for spending time with God. Again, a lesson for why we hear over and over. Yes, prayer, Bible study, and the rest are important. But perspective, if we want to be wise, there's no substitute for committing our life to the will of God. You probably know the author, C.S. Lewis, and he once wrote, The only thing Christianity cannot be is moderately important. The only thing Christianity cannot be is moderately important. So when we truly learn that deep lesson of how important time is, we realize that each today is really the day to do God's will. It's the day to make a good decision, to be generous, to serve others, to share love, to pray for others, to help the poor, to visit the sick. Think of all the different analogies that are throughout the Bible, to be a human tool that emanates Jesus to someone else. Turn now to Ecclesiastes 9 and 10. Don't ever lose perspective on this, and this is one of those that I really encourage for our young people. Don't forget that God put us on this amazing earth to enjoy the experience. God wants us to have fun during this life. Church can sometimes come across as this austere thing that's not meant to be enjoyed. It's about us having that proper wisdom with our priorities of how we live and use our time so that we don't end up in the wrong way. Ecclesiastes 11 and verse 9. Rejoice, O young man, in your youth. Let your heart cheer you in the day of your youth. Walk in the way of your heart and in the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these, God will bring you into judgment. Therefore, remove sorrow. Interesting word when you link back to that other verse on one of the outcomes of time. Sorrow from your heart and put away evil from your flesh for childhood and youth or vanity. God wants us to maintain this proper balance in our recreation, as well as our work, as well as our family life, as well as our faith life.

Life was never meant to be dull or morose or boring. And I will tell you that as a teen growing up in the church, that was one of the things I struggled with. I struggled when I was trying to make the choice of commitment about my calling, wondering, okay, am I giving up the opportunity to enjoy life? And I had to find and strike that balance. You know, God, all you have to do is look around and see God's creation. Look at the colors, look at the diversity, look at the passion that He created in it. God meant us to live that way. Right? We should be able to live the life with all the sparkle of colors that God created. But we have to realize that we're life, we're still held accountable, so don't be sorrowful for what we do during that time. Another principle to keep in mind is that each of us is accountable to God for what is done in the time of our lives. It was referenced in Ecclesiastes. Go ahead and turn now to 1 Peter 4, verses 3 through 5. 1 Peter 4, verses 3 through 5.

Time, in essence, is really just a way of breaking down our life into increments. Right? That's basically what time is. And so in this next verse, we see Peter teaching us that we will be held accountable for the type of things we do with our time. I'm going to go ahead and read it for the way...it's a more common language, and I'm going to read it from the New Living Translation. 1 Peter 4, verse 3.

Experience that in these three inches, and that's not the best use of time. Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead.

When our time on earth is finished, will we be happy with how we use this precious gift of time?

Or will we have regrets? I would argue that's why God gave the parable of the talents. You could look at all of the different teachings in the Bible from the concept of time. To explain that God expects us to use what we've been given wisely.

It's so we don't live life in vain and then look back with regrets.

And the sad truth is that for most of us, we are constantly being distracted. We're constantly being distracted with all sorts of things that get in the way of us redeeming the time wisely. Sometimes it's everyday stuff like preoccupation. Being preoccupied, let's go with that one, with our jobs, with our duties, things we have to do. Some people have the mistaken idea that time management is about cramming more in every second you have. That's not necessarily wise time management. I would argue that we all probably want to be wise in how we use our time, but we often act foolishly. And in a lot of different ways. Foolishness can show up in a lot of different ways. It could be over-commitment. It could be under-preparedness. It could be distractions. We may simply lack a commitment to live wisely. We can allow the stuff of life to cloud our ability to redeem. Materialism. It can steal rather than bless. We can play idly with our toys, or whatever our favorite game is on the computer, or whatever.

And let time pass by while we're being oblivious. And don't think about the short amount of time we might have left. God, or I should say good time management, is about finding the right balance in all that we do. Whether it's home, whether it's work, and children, and spouse, and church, and family, and friends. I think a key lesson is that good time management requires us to say no. That's hard. I think it's harder for some of us than others. But it's hard to say no. We only have 24 hours in a day, and because of that, we have to decline some things to do those things that God calls us to do. It's okay. Scratch that. It's wise to say no.

I read a suggestion as I was preparing this that I thought was interesting. It said that we should stop, we should pray, and then we should wait to say either yes or no whenever we're asked to do something. Make a rule of practice to always wait. I don't know how practical that would be in certain situations in life, but it's interesting. The point was, remember, just because someone asks doesn't mean you have to accept or even answer right away. So discuss the opportunity with your spouse, with your loved ones. Pray about it. Talk to God about it. Then decide about how does that way compare to your other needs and responsibilities that God has called you to do. Because the thought is that every opportunity, no matter how good or helpful it may be to others, isn't necessarily right for you at this moment. Another way to look at the concept of time. Yeah, it's a really, really good thing. Is it right at this moment? Look for ways to take something out to make room for it, if so. Another suggestion I read is to get rid of the stuff that has no redeeming value. You'll see that reference, and we've all been there. Some things are fine in small doses. We can fall in love with them and put them in bigger than small doses. And that's something that will encroach in our time, if we're not disciplined. Have you ever heard a phrase that... I forgot this phrase until I read it while I was going through this, and it said, Don't try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig. Again, the concept. The concept being, get rid of the stuff that has no redeeming value. The chief ingredient in redeeming the time is not something related to a good work ethic, but it requires the best use of our opportunities by applying godly wisdom. If we're doing that, then we're using our time wisely. That's something to pray about. Overcoming the tendency to waste our opportunities is a matter, really, of concentrating on the important stuff, and leaving the rest for Providence. And then, remember, it's all course corrections. And then you're like, that wasn't so good. Or, ooh, that was a really good one. Another quote that I've always enjoyed is, Don't let good become the enemy of the best. Don't let good become the enemy of the best. Many of us waste opportunities to be wise and to redeem the time because we treat everything as if it was important. And then, frankly, we come in and we say, the most noisy thing will get our priority. We've all been around that type of person at work or in life that thinks they'll get your attention by being the most noisy.

We can do good things and fail to do the best things. That's the concept that's being taught. Turn to Philippians 4, verses 10 through 13. Philippians 4, verses 10 through 13. And I'll share another thought. Sometimes we can live feeling jealous or resentful or frustrated about challenges we see in our own lives, in comparison to opportunities we see in others.

The point I'm wanting you to keep in mind is that we need to be content with what God's calling is and His will in our life's experiences. This isn't a comparison zone with God. And if you reflect back over your life, there's times when you make good choices, right? Where you're going down and pleasing God in your choices. And there are times when you walk astray. But the goal is for us to learn from each of those opportunities we have, to yield to God's will and what He's shaping us into for eternity. That's the goal of what we need to be working on. We need to choose to be content knowing He's working out what's good in our life. Philippians 4, verse 10, But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at last your care for me has flourished again. And again, context, He's speaking to the people in Philippi.

Though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regards to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be a based, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry. Both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

It's one of those phrases, you know, good for Paul. To be content in all things...man, I'd love to be able to say that. That's...there's your lifelong aspiration to work toward. But it's the issue of perspective. It's that perspective of three inches first eternity. That's what Paul had. And you know what Paul was writing that he had some really sucky times in his life. I mean, what's that list of all the things he went through? He's able to write that knowing, looking in the mirror at what he had to go through. He learned to prioritize the passing challenges of this life in relationship to the perspective of eternity. And that helped him work through each of the challenges. And again, when I talk about prioritization of time, it is not only about the things we do linked to our relationship and service to God like prayer and study. It's what we do in every moment of our life. It includes time for entertainment and time for relaxation. God expects us to rest and relax. That's why he gave us a day of rest. It is something that he prioritizes. Some people can feel as if time spent working at a job is a waste, because they'd rather be sitting there just reading the Bible all day long.

But our lives are called for a balance.

We shed a light when we live a visible example of service, when we show how to prioritize and reflect God in what we're doing with others around us. Working to provide for ourselves and our family is in alignment with God's nature and his will. Look what he did! He gave his life on our behalf. Perspective.

So let's begin to wrap up.

The thing that I hope you're getting is that lives are intended to be lived in balance. And it's not that we are to avoid certain parts in life, but our life should reveal our priorities to God and to those around us. If you will turn to Deuteronomy 11 in verse 16. Deuteronomy 11 in verse 16. In every calendar year, we are blessed with 8,760 hours by our Creator. It's our responsibility to use them wisely, to make the most of them. And as you well know, that's unfortunately easier said than done. Deuteronomy 11 verse 16. Take heed to yourself lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them. Interesting verse, because God says, take heed to yourself.

That means we are to guard ourself, we are to watch what we are allowing ourselves to do and get involved in. We are to evaluate how much time we are spending on things in our life. And whatever controls our time controls our life. Remember, I mentioned that at the beginning. Whatever controls our time controls our life. How we use our time shows what we truly prioritize is most important. And those become the gods we worship. It doesn't mean you can't be at work 8-9 hours a day, but are you reflecting God as you do it? Or are you like, ah, that's work time, so I don't have to reflect God, I'm just going to do whatever and express all the... ...emotions that rile up in me throughout the day.

Living a life that reflects God should be evident in all that we do. It could be the same. It's how you manage your finances and your possessions. Is that in a Godly manner? Whether you give to God and others, how we love our friends and family, if we share what we have been entrusted with, if we serve God and others... You get the thought? Are we doing the right things with the time we have? And it's not easy. It takes work, and it takes discipline, and it takes commitment, it takes thought, and it takes reflection. And sometimes it takes counsel. Some people just did some Johnson O'Connor aptitude tests, and he learned that foresight does not want his strengths, goal-setting. Well, that's something that he'll have to work to adapt to. We all can go and learn from others around of how to be better in the areas that are a challenge for us, and how to prioritize. But at the end of the day, we know very clearly that it will make our lives happier and more fulfilled. Those who prioritize wisely achieve more of their goals, but also, science is taught that they're out of the way. They're less stressed. They're less flustered. Wisely using our time in an effective way in this life helps us now, and extends out to eternity. In conclusion, I'd like you to turn to Matthew 6, verse 19 through 20. Matthew 6, 19 through 20. Time is one of the most valuable resources that God has entrusted to our care, and like I've made clear, it is not replaceable. It is not replenishable. It is not able to be relived. We have this finite period here. We don't know how much. Frankly, only God knows how much more time we could have. But the key is that we should be stewards of the time we have left, because that will impact if we are able to redeem that three inches to eternity. Matthew 6, verse 19. Do not lay up for yourself treasures on earth where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourself treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there, your heart will be also. By using our time for godliness and for helping others, we are going to lay up treasures for ourselves as this firm foundation for eternity to come.