Time
Time. Yes, time is incredibly precious. It's often taken for granted, and most of the time, we don't even think about it. I want you to close your eyes. Clear your mind. Breathe. Count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Now, open your eyes. That moment in time is gone. Those 5 seconds have come and gone and will never be repeated. Ever. They are gone for good. The past. History. Soon to be forgotten.
Now, picture 75 years. Your life. Those 5 seconds are just a tiny fraction — like 5 seconds out of one minute, or one hour, day, week, month, or year of those 75 years. You probably won’t even miss it. Those 5 seconds. But should you?
The truth is that we go through our days at the speed of life. We get caught up in routines and habits, becoming slaves to our bills and jobs. As we transition from the carefree enjoyment of childhood to the responsibilities of adulthood, we often find ourselves merely existing rather than truly living. Looking back, the sun shone brighter and the grass was greener when we inhabited a world filled with wonder and possibilities.
There are 24 hours in a day, and most people work between 8 and 10 hours daily. Typically, they work five days a week. But what happens to the rest of that time? You might feel like you don’t have enough time to pray, read the Bible, or even attend church more than just the Sunday morning service. On Friday nights, you likely want to relax and enjoy time with friends after a long workweek. On Wednesdays, you may feel too tired to go to church to study the Bible.
"The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." Isaiah 40:7-8Remember those 5 seconds? Somewhere around the world, someone was praying. Someone was crying. Someone was laughing. Someone was being born, and someone was dying.
Let us pray. "Oh Heavenly Father, we give you all the praise and glory for all of your beautiful creation. That includes us. We thank you, Father, for our very lives, yet rather, for life everlasting. We thank you for adopting us into your family and giving us the ability to learn your will and ways for us and our lives. As we enter into this topic of time, we pray You guide us, teach us, and show us what You want us to see and learn. We ask and pray in your holy name, amen."
I previously used Sally as an example. Some people find her strange. Why is that? She attends church every time the doors are open and stands outside Planned Parenthood. Do you know what she does on Friday nights? She goes to the inner city—yeah, the "downtown" area—and hands out sandwiches to the homeless. I've even heard that she talks to young girls in the neighborhood, trying to teach them how to be ladies or something similar. So, why do some people think she's so strange?
Why aren't more of us like Sally? What you might not know about her is that she has chosen to tithe her time as well as her finances. What does that mean? It means she decided that if God requires only ten percent of her money, then why shouldn't we also devote ten percent of our time? Since there are 24 hours in a day, she has decided to give 2 hours and 40 minutes of her time to God each day. I know that might seem like a lot.
She prays for part of that time. She reads the Word for part of that time. She goes out and does her Father's work part of the time. I know, it seems like a lot. What about that little time-sucking device in your hand? Not only social media, but how about your Fitbit app? That or those games you play? How much screen time do you use daily? How long is that show on TV? How long is your lunch hour at work? What time do you wake up in the morning? Hobbies? Gym? Where do you invest your time?
What about 500 years? Do you know how old America is? 248 years old. That is 3.3066 people’s lives that lived to 75. Right now, 341,138,802 people are living. According to world population stats, one birth every 9 seconds. One death every 10 seconds.
In the Apocrypha Book, the Wisdom of Solomon, we read this.
“For we are born at all adventure: and we shall be hereafter as though we had never been: for the breath in our nostrils is as smoke, and a little spark in the moving of our heart: Which being extinguished, our body shall be turned into ashes, and our spirit shall vanish as the soft air, And our name shall be forgotten in time, and no man shall have our works in remembrance, and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist, that is driven away with the beams of the sun, and overcome with the heat thereof. For our time is a very shadow that passeth away; and after our end, there is no returning: for it is fast sealed, so that no man cometh again.”
I know some of you may have a problem with using this supposed passage from King Solomon. However, keep in mind that Martin Luther said, "Apocrypha—that is, books which are not regarded as equal to the holy Scriptures, and yet are profitable and good to read" (King James Version Defended, page 98).
Think about this. We die. Our loved ones mourn us. In a year or so, they feel better. In 5 years, “Wow, I can’t believe it’s been 5 years. 20, we may be pictures on someone's wall that no one remembers. In 50, we are all but forgotten.
The Word declares that to God, who is outside of time, 1000 years are as a day.
Now I want you to close your eyes, clear your mind, and try to imagine, if you can, eternity. No end. Forever. Thousands of billions of years, and that would not even scratch the surface of time.
I want you to think about this seriously. What would you do today if you knew it was your last day on earth? Would you be concerned about who posted what on social media? Would you worry about who gets voted off your show? Would it be worth it to spend your last day making another dollar? How would you change what you do and how you live? Would you?
I'm not trying to be confrontational. I'm genuinely asking. If you add up the hours in a week, you get 168 hours. That's roughly 16.8 hours per week if you're considering ten percent of that time. Is giving God that time too much to ask? Do you find yourself rushing through your prayers, spending just a minute praying but an hour on your phone? There are even apps available that can track your screen time. Do you take time to read the Bible?
I'm not saying you must give God ten percent of your time every day. I'm simply asking, why not? I suggest aiming for a good goal, like spending a minimum of 15 minutes in prayer each day, another 15 to 30 minutes in the Word, and perhaps 15 more minutes doing something kind for others. Let’s aim to start with one hour a day and build from there.
One hour is not a long time. If you read more than one chapter in the Bible, you could easily meet that reading goal. Take time to talk to God about life itself. Thank Him for your life, from birth to everlasting life, and all the moments in between. Share your hopes and dreams with Him. Ask Him what He wants you to do about various situations. If you run out of things to say, try this: remain quiet. Listen. Seriously listen. God might be trying to tell you something.
Why does Sally look so strange? Why will you start looking strange to others? You little weirdo. It is simple. It is because they can't see you. They can't see a child of God, serving God, and storing up treasures in heaven. It doesn't make any sense to them. It makes no sense to those who are not of God, or to those who are looking at you in a worldly sense.
I previously used Sally as an example. Some people find her strange. Why is that? She attends church every time the doors are open and stands outside Planned Parenthood. Do you know what she does on Friday nights? She goes to the inner city—yeah, the "downtown" area—and hands out sandwiches to the homeless. I've even heard that she talks to young girls in the neighborhood, trying to teach them how to be ladies or something similar. So, why do some people think she's so strange?
Why aren't more of us like Sally? What you might not know about her is that she has chosen to tithe her time as well as her finances. What does that mean? It means she decided that if God requires only ten percent of her money, then why shouldn't we also devote ten percent of our time? Since there are 24 hours in a day, she has decided to give 2 hours and 40 minutes of her time to God each day. I know that might seem like a lot.
She prays for part of that time. She reads the Word for part of that time. She goes out and does her Father's work part of the time. I know, it seems like a lot. What about that little time-sucking device in your hand? Not only social media, but how about your Fitbit app? That or those games you play? How much screen time do you use daily? How long is that show on TV? How long is your lunch hour at work? What time do you wake up in the morning? Hobbies? Gym? Where do you invest your time?
“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.Our lives are incredibly short here on Earth. The Word declares it’s just a vapor, a mist—something that’s here one minute and gone the next. You might think you have a long time. Let's say you’re blessed with a long life here of 75 years or more. Now, picture 100 years. During that time, you were born, raised, became an adult, married, and had kids; they had kids, and now you have been gone for 25 years.
Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” James 4:13-17
What about 500 years? Do you know how old America is? 248 years old. That is 3.3066 people’s lives that lived to 75. Right now, 341,138,802 people are living. According to world population stats, one birth every 9 seconds. One death every 10 seconds.
In the Apocrypha Book, the Wisdom of Solomon, we read this.
“For we are born at all adventure: and we shall be hereafter as though we had never been: for the breath in our nostrils is as smoke, and a little spark in the moving of our heart: Which being extinguished, our body shall be turned into ashes, and our spirit shall vanish as the soft air, And our name shall be forgotten in time, and no man shall have our works in remembrance, and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist, that is driven away with the beams of the sun, and overcome with the heat thereof. For our time is a very shadow that passeth away; and after our end, there is no returning: for it is fast sealed, so that no man cometh again.”
I know some of you may have a problem with using this supposed passage from King Solomon. However, keep in mind that Martin Luther said, "Apocrypha—that is, books which are not regarded as equal to the holy Scriptures, and yet are profitable and good to read" (King James Version Defended, page 98).
Think about this. We die. Our loved ones mourn us. In a year or so, they feel better. In 5 years, “Wow, I can’t believe it’s been 5 years. 20, we may be pictures on someone's wall that no one remembers. In 50, we are all but forgotten.
The Word declares that to God, who is outside of time, 1000 years are as a day.
“For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.” Psalm 90:4We read this.
“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8-9If we could, just for the sake of this illustration, think of God in human terms. God wakes up. He has a coffee, you are born, live your life, your kids are born, live their lives, and then God has lunch. Most likely, before God has a 3 pm snack, you are all but forgotten by nearly all other humans. Dinner? Your grandkids are all but forgotten. In the span of one of God’s days, looking at it in this sense, there were approximately 13.3333 75-year generations and billions of people born and died, and life goes on.
Now I want you to close your eyes, clear your mind, and try to imagine, if you can, eternity. No end. Forever. Thousands of billions of years, and that would not even scratch the surface of time.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”This will happen. This time is coming. Some people do not like to believe it, but it is reality.
“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!”Nothing will survive this. Nothing.
“But according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” 2 Peter 3:10-13What is it that you may be wasting your time on? What are you working for? What are you doing with this precious commodity that God has granted to you?
I want you to think about this seriously. What would you do today if you knew it was your last day on earth? Would you be concerned about who posted what on social media? Would you worry about who gets voted off your show? Would it be worth it to spend your last day making another dollar? How would you change what you do and how you live? Would you?
I'm not trying to be confrontational. I'm genuinely asking. If you add up the hours in a week, you get 168 hours. That's roughly 16.8 hours per week if you're considering ten percent of that time. Is giving God that time too much to ask? Do you find yourself rushing through your prayers, spending just a minute praying but an hour on your phone? There are even apps available that can track your screen time. Do you take time to read the Bible?
I'm not saying you must give God ten percent of your time every day. I'm simply asking, why not? I suggest aiming for a good goal, like spending a minimum of 15 minutes in prayer each day, another 15 to 30 minutes in the Word, and perhaps 15 more minutes doing something kind for others. Let’s aim to start with one hour a day and build from there.
One hour is not a long time. If you read more than one chapter in the Bible, you could easily meet that reading goal. Take time to talk to God about life itself. Thank Him for your life, from birth to everlasting life, and all the moments in between. Share your hopes and dreams with Him. Ask Him what He wants you to do about various situations. If you run out of things to say, try this: remain quiet. Listen. Seriously listen. God might be trying to tell you something.
Why does Sally look so strange? Why will you start looking strange to others? You little weirdo. It is simple. It is because they can't see you. They can't see a child of God, serving God, and storing up treasures in heaven. It doesn't make any sense to them. It makes no sense to those who are not of God, or to those who are looking at you in a worldly sense.
"For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Romans 8:7-8Be strange. Reduce your time in the world, and increase your time with God. Today may not be your last day on this earth, but then again? You never know. Yeshua, or Jesus as translated, tells us to occupy until He returns. But He stresses the importance of doing so while watching for Him. One last one for today.
"Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at the table, and he will come and serve them he comes in the second watch, or the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants but know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Luke 12:35-40
Invest your time wisely. Spend time with God. If this is an area you need to work on, then do so. Get up a little earlier. Stay up a little later. Set aside at least one hour a day to start training yourself to invest your time wisely. Spend more time in prayer, reading the Word, and doing your Father's business.
Is He your Father? Are you His child? Have you been adopted? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be, say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us pray.
"Oh, heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Yeshua's sacrifice for me. I believed He rose from the dead. I repent of my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Yeshua, Amen!"
That's it. It is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Yeshua, and shalt believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, You shall be saved." Romans 10:9. You need to find a Church that God leads you to and be baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A New Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."Colossians 3:10
The email, if you wish to contact me, is truthbygod1@gmail.com
May the comfort of the Holy Ghost and the peace of our Lord Yeshua be with you all. May God bless and be with you always.
Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Yeshua is Lord!
Is He your Father? Are you His child? Have you been adopted? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be, say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us pray.
"Oh, heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Yeshua's sacrifice for me. I believed He rose from the dead. I repent of my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Yeshua, Amen!"
That's it. It is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Yeshua, and shalt believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, You shall be saved." Romans 10:9. You need to find a Church that God leads you to and be baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A New Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."Colossians 3:10
The email, if you wish to contact me, is truthbygod1@gmail.com
May the comfort of the Holy Ghost and the peace of our Lord Yeshua be with you all. May God bless and be with you always.
Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Yeshua is Lord!
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