I have to admit that I always dread the conclusion of Daylight Saving Time, which presents us with sunsets that come far too quickly in the evenings (at least from my perspective). While I understand and appreciate the earlier sunrises in the morning, the early dusks of winter always remind me of the preciousness of time. All of us wrestle with the use of time. The whirlwind that we call “life in the 21st century” is powered and shaped by the pressures and demands of schedules and deadlines. Studies indicate that people today regard time as their most precious personal commodity.
King Solomon reflected extensively on the subject of time, and he addressed the issue in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…I have seen the burden that God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 10-11a, NIV).
In his book Living on the Ragged Edge, Chuck Swindoll gives a helpful illustration of understanding the use of time from the perspective of eternity. Imagine your banker has informed that an anonymous donor, who loves you very much, has decided to deposit 86,400 pennies ($864) into your checking account every morning for the rest of your life. This gift has one stipulation: you must spend all of the money that same day. No doubt you would carefully consider how use of that money, for you would lose it if you failed to use it! In reality, every morning Someone who loves us very much gives us 86,400 seconds (24 hours) to use, and that amount of time must be used that same day. It’s been said that life is like a coin: you can spend it any way you want, but you can spend it only once.
Time is truly a treasure. In Matthew 6.21 Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” As followers of Christ, we must remember that time is a resource from God that is every bit as important as our money and our talents. Our use of time is a direct witness of our commitment to Christ. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” As we enter a season of the year that is always busy and filled with demands, will the Lord of All Time truly be the Lord of our time?
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