I quit wearing a watch a few months back. I’d love to say that I was making some great statement about not allowing time to master me, but the truth is that I was tired of the watchband pulling my arm hair. I did observe that removing my watch did not change the constant ticking away of each second. Whether I was looking at the second hand move or not, one after another after another the seconds tick by never to be relived or recaptured.
You don’t need to quit wearing a watch to learn that lesson. God has a lot to say to us about time.
Our lives on earth are limited:
“Our lives last seventy years or, if we are strong, eighty years. Even the best of them are struggle and sorrow; indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10)
“Lord, reveal to me the end of my life and the number of my days. Let me know how short-lived I am. You, indeed, have made my days short in length, and my life span as nothing in Your sight. Yes, every mortal man is only a vapor.” (Psalm 39:4-5)
Since our days on earth are limited, we need to use the time we have wisely:
“Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” (Psalm 90:12)
We are stuck in time, but God is not bound by time:
“Dear friends, don’t let this one thing escape you: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” (2 Peter 3:8)
“Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, You are God.” (Psalm 90:2)
Removing your watch won’t slow down the ticking of time or alter it in any way. Time flies … whether you’re having fun or not! Time marches on. Years pass. Perhaps you will make it past your 80th birthday, but your days on this world are limited. Barring the rapture, none of us will make it out alive! Knowing the fleeting nature of time and the fragility of life itself, how should we respond?
First, thank God for the time you have. Every day, every moment is a gift.
Second, use the time wisely. Work. Play. Worship. Serve. Eat. Sleep. There is a time for everything. We simply need to wisdom to use that time well.
Third, plan for eternity. You may or may not be a good planner, but the certainty of life’s end should motivate each of us to plan for that day. Do you know you’ll have a home with God in heaven? If not, is it something you’re willing to leave to chance?
Be Transformed 