Time
I read a devotional this morning about time. It mentioned that sometimes people say they are just killing time or that was a waste of time. How many times have I thought those same things?
On Sunday I was speaking to a gentleman that I met at the mid-week bible study and he was sharing his background with me. He had some very strong opinions on specific teachings and then he said, “Jesus is returning this year.”
Immediately my mind went to Matthew 24:36, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” The truth is that each day brings us that much closer to our Lord’s return. When the man shared his view I thought, “Well I better get busy, I have a lot of family and friends that don’t know Him and they are running out of time.
Time is the one thing you will never get back. You may lose your health or wealth and in time be able to recover them. But time, once spent is gone.
My goal in the races that I’ve ran has always been to improve my PR (Personal Record), basically to beat my best time. There was a race that I participated in that took place every summer. It would give me a year to prepare and practice. Once the race was run, the time was in place for that year.
There were a couple of years that I missed my time by just a few seconds or minutes. That was so discouraging and I knew if I had put forth a little more effort that I would have accomplished the goal and I regretted not using my time better. I would now have to wait another year to race that race again.
We only get this one life to live and how we run our race will be summed up at the end when we meet the Lord. The bible says to run in such a way as to get the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24) That prize is Jesus and hearing Him say, “Well done! Good and faithful servant.” To get that reward from the Lord means that we were faithful in believing and obeying Him and in leading others to Him.
Just as the time gets close for a race and the runner is doing all they can to prepare for that day, so we should be doing all we can to prepare for the most important day, the day the Lord returns. Will we be giving our personal best?
At the end of my yoga workout, when I’m feeling every muscle and looking forward to the end, the instructor says, “give me everything you’ve got, leave it all in this workout, no regrets!”
I believe that is what the Lord is saying too. Today is a new day where we have been given another 24 hours to give Him everything we’ve got. I pray we have no regrets and that today we can reach one more for Him.
My prayer
Father, thank you for the time You have given us to know You and serve You. Please help us make use of the time we are allotted and to reach those that need to know You. I welcome Your return and look forward to it. I pray that many others come to feel the same. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Where does my help come from?
1 Corinthians 9:24
[ The Need for Self-Discipline ] Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Matthew 25:21
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’