The clock is ticking

Nine-tenths of wisdom is being wise in time. (Theodore Roosevelt)

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. ...Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11)

How do we use our time? Is it wisely, or a little too frivolously? Colossians 4:5 reminds us to make 'wise use of our time' - influencing all those who are 'outsiders' to the faith. Grace isn't something this world is accustomed to receiving, so when we reveal grace in and through our lives, we are being a positive influence on this hurting world. James reminds us we don't know what tomorrow will bring, so we had best be doing what God asks of us today, for none of us is assured a tomorrow. For everything there is a season. What season is upon you right now? I think God wants us to learn to take every activity, submit it to him, and then make the most of those activities.

God takes the things that happen within the space of time we call today to use them for many a tomorrow, regardless of whether we see tomorrow or not. We can be assured when we seek his plan for our day, then walk within that plan, those 'things' we accomplish will lay a foundation for what will happen tomorrow. We may not see the impact of a life lived well until much, much later. Every action we take today has an influence. Obedience isn't always going to be easiest choice, but each step God asks us to take today is meant for today, not tomorrow! We may think we can procrastinate with the things God asks us to do - yet there is no compromise in God's timing. 

Time is a fleeting thing - we don't hold it, nor can we make it last any longer. We may have one moment to make a right decision but feel ill-prepared for the decision at hand. Maybe this is why God emphasizes the importance of making time for him first - so we will be better prepared. If we get into God's Word, spend time in prayerful meditation upon what we have read, and just take a wee bit of time to listen to what he may want us to do, we might just redeem time a bit. God may ask us to 'do' something, but he could very well ask us to 'give' something. When we listen to his voice in this moment in time, we may just find his direction actually makes for a wise use of time indeed. Just sayin!