Devotionals

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Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Matthew 10:37-39; Colossians 4:5; Luke 19:12-27; Psalms 90:9-10; Psalms 103:13-16; Hebrews 9:27

My watch rules my life, in far too many ways. Every day of every week, even on vacation to some extent, I do things according to a schedule. I have a workday schedule, a Saturday schedule, and a Sunday schedule, and these vary by only a few minutes from one week to the next. There are times, to overuse the word, when my watch leaves my wrist, usually when a watchband breaks or a battery dies. When that happens, I find myself constantly checking my wrist for that nonexistent timepiece. To say I am a clock-watcher understates the case.

Control freak that I am, I’ve always prided myself on making good use of the available time to complete assigned tasks. I move through life from goal to goal, from task to task. While that may seem desirable to some people, it drives others crazy. For those who prefer to “go with the flow,” instead of directing the flow, the notion of having to stick to a strict schedule brings high anxiety. Put me in a situation where there are no definite boundaries, and no discernable goals, and I experience a bit of stress myself.

Time is one of the most precious gifts God has given us. The amount we are allotted, at least this side of glory, is strictly limited. As some point out, the only time we can be certain we have is today, or that part of today we’re experiencing right now. Our community was deeply saddened recently when one of our most promising local businessmen, father of an eleven-year old girl and a loving husband, was killed in a tragic car accident. He was 37 years old, and had recently finished building a magnificent house. Death came to him and five other people in an instant of time. The only consolation for his remaining family, and the best consolation, is that he was a Christian, and is now with Christ. There are multitudes of people who die every year who have no such consolation, but face eternity in Hell.

Solomon, writing as The Preacher in Ecclesiastes, said there is a time for everything. Many busy people, including far too many Christians, have trouble accepting that idea. One of the common excuses people make when someone asks them to do something in the church or another Christian ministry is, “I don’t have time,” or “I’m too busy.” Most people who say this are telling the truth; they really don’t have the time. When, however, we reach the point that we don’t have time to serve God in something he (as opposed to people) calls us to do, we need to stand back and look at where all the time goes. Just as with our checkbooks, how we spend our time tells where our priorities lie.

It’s not that anything we do is bad, in itself; it’s just that sometimes we settle for the good, and give up the best. Devoting time to our children, or our spouses, or our civic clubs, is certainly not bad. If, however, any area of our lives demands so much of our time we don’t have time left for God, then God doesn’t have first place in our lives. Anything, or anyone, that we rank ahead of the Lord in life is an idol. We can be the world’s best husband or wife, mother or father, or employee, and still be very bad Christians.

There is no set standard in the Bible for what portion of our time we should spend in God’s service, but the standard for giving is the tithe. Just as with giving money, the amount of time we give has to be something we’re at peace with. We shouldn’t expect to be blessed by following some formula rather than giving freely as we are able. Once I was content to attend church services, sing in choir, and perform brief daily devotionals. Eventually, I added work in the Gideon ministry and teaching a Sunday school class, and that seemed more than enough. Now I may devote two or three hours a day to study and prayer, writing and praise, and I find that that’s not nearly enough for me. I can’t judge what’s right for you; that’s between you and God.

Try this, as a kind of self test. Take out a blank sheet of paper, and block out your schedule for a given week. Be as detailed as you can. When you’re finished, group all of your activities into categories, and see how much time you spend on each. This should give you a clear picture of the things you consider most important in your life. Few of us will find we devote as much time to God’s service as we do to our jobs, unless our job is to serve God. I certainly don’t. But, also look at your leisure time, that time you call your own. When you add together your devotional times, church attendance, and Christian service, how do these totals compare to, say, the time you spend at school and athletic activities?

Redeem the time, the Bible says. Every moment you enjoy as a Christian was purchased by the blood of Christ; make the most of it. Occupy, Jesus said, until I come.

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