“Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
(Ephesians 5:16-17 ESV)
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
(Psalm 90:12 ESV)
I met a friend unexpectedly, and I asked what he was up to. The answer? “Just killing time.” He wasn’t the first person to answer in such a way … we are all guilty of killing time! It’s a common enough saying, but it struck me in a peculiar way, and I can’t get it out of my head. I started thinking of this killing time as one of the greatest crimes. There is simply no way to get it back once it’s gone, and it is one of the few things that we have just so much of and no more. Queen Elizabeth I once said, “All my possessions for a moment of time.”
You might be forgiven for thinking that I’m jesting about killing time. I’m not. Henry David Thoreau said, “As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.” Scripture teaches us both the brevity of our time and the importance of using our time for the things of eternity. There are few greater gifts than time, and offering our time to others is offering an important part of ourselves. Spending our time in positive ways is part of fulfilling our life’s purpose. That’s a strange phrase as well — “spending our time”. We have only so much time to spend, and we are counselled to spend it wisely.
In The purpose driven life: What on earth am I here for? Rick Warren writes:
“Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.”
Taken from “the Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren
Okay, it’s time to get on with our day. We have this wonderful gift just waiting for us to embrace it and make the most of it. Carpe diem!
Prayer: Great God, giver of every good and perfect gift, we take this moment in time to offer thanks and praise to You for the gift of time, for the gift of eternity, and for the gift of Jesus, Who promises us life in all its fullness. Amen.
Copyright © 2022, by Kenn Stright <kennethstright@yahoo.ca>, first published on the PresbyCan Daily Devotional presbycan.ca .
West Petpeswick, Nova Scotia, Canada
Reprinted from PresbyCan with author’s permission