So, You Think Your Life is Your Time
Ephesians 5: 14 — 17 tells us this: “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because they days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
Faithful believers do more than abstain from evil; they denounce the deeds of darkness as unfruitful, shameful, and not worthwhile. Christians should be wise and careful in all things, including their use of time. Our use of time is not neutral: it can be evil if it is not invested for good.
Our lives are governed by time. That’s why we are surrounded by clocks and calendars that dictate our activities. As the minutes tick by, unlike the sands in the hour glass that slowly slide through all of a sudden we find ourselves wondering where the day went. When the responsibilities and pressures of life mount up, we complain and say things like, “I don’t have time to get it all done, or there is not enough hours in the day!” but the reality of it is that God has given us enough time to do exactly what He has planned for our lives. Perhaps the bigger issue is whether we are using our time to do our will or the Lord’s.
Time is a gift from God, and He has allotted each of us a measure in which to live and accomplish His purposes. You see, we have two options — to spend it temporally on our own interests or invest it eternally. And since time can never be retrieved or reversed, it is critical that we make the most of every opportunity the Lord provides us with.
The key to investing in eternity is following God’s plan for your life, not just filling your days with activities. Jesus was allocated just thirty — three years of life on earth, but only the last three were spent in fulfilling His ministry. To us that may seem like a waste offline, yet Christ accomplished everything His Father gave Him to do. That’s why on the cross He could say, “It is finished.”
Scripture compares earthly life to a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4: 14 says: “ 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.” However, eternal life never ends. It is foolish to spend your life on a vapor when you can reap everlasting benefits by following God’s will for your time here on earth. Each day is an opportunity to choose. Choose wisely.