Leadership

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Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and
glorify your father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

One of the most important things in body of Christ is the Word of God. And, as images of God, our words are also important. In Leviticus 19:11, God commands us not to “steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to another”. Instead, we are charged to always be courteous (1 Peter 3:8), without grudging (1 Peter 4:9) or retaliating (Proverbs 24:29) against one another. How faithful are you to keeping this commandment? Well, let’s see: God is always on time; how true to your word are you in the area of timeliness?

Since some of you are thinking, that depends on how you look at it, let’s consider some of the wrong ways of looking at timeliness. You may have a problem with timeliness if you’ve said any of the following:

• I’m here a little late, but at least I brought everything. (2 Chronicles 12:14)
• I left part of it at home, but at least I got here on time. (Proverbs 15:19)
• No one else will get there on time. Why should I? (Ecclesiastes 3:17)
• As the leader, I know it doesn’t really start until I get there. (Isaiah 57:14)

We are all called to be the lights of the world and to “glorify God with our good works” (Matthew 5:15-16). If this is true—and it is, we should always be the first to arrive, lighting the path and paving the way. In Matthew 25:6, ten brides were called to a wedding feast at midnight. All of the women made it to the wedding early, but five of them ran out of oil for their lamps before the bridegroom arrived. To these five women, it’s as if the Lord is saying, “You made it, but you left your light at home”. From God’s view, being unprepared is the same as being late because you arrived with nothing to offer. The other five women, however, prepared for the journey, arrived on time, and entered into their blessings.

In another example, Moses sought God’s council concerning the provision of water for a thirsty nation, but he was running late and left God’s presence before he received a complete answer. Distracted by the cries of the people, Moses acted in haste and misrepresented God before His people. And his disregard for God’s timing prevented Moses from ever entering into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:7-12).

As a definition, I submit that timeliness is being successfully prepared for your present calling by the appointed hour. This is especially true when we are serving God’s people. It is just as important to be prepared as it is to be on time. We may at times choose to settle for one or the other, but God requires a whole lot more from us:

1. We must seek God early, allowing Him to set our day. (Proverbs 8:17)
2. We must show faithfulness in “redeeming the time”. (Ephesians 5:15-16)
3. We must show ourselves prepared to be used at the appointed time.
(2 Timothy 2:21)
4. We must stir up love and good works in one another during our assembly.
(Hebrew 10:24)

Paul sums this up in Romans 12:11 by asking the Church to act like Christians in all that we do, “not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord”. The days and nights belong to Him (Psalm 74:16) and, in the end of days, we will also be held accountable for how we used God’s time to represent Him before His people. Therefore, I pray that you set your minds, today, to faithfully and diligently reflect God in all that you do, never failing to arrive for your calling prepared and on time—just as His timeliness has never failed us.

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