Tick-Tick-Tick-Tick …

A few Sundays ago I said something in a sermon about time, and no, it wasn’t because people were looking at their watches. Or their phones. You get the idea.

Instead I was talking about the value of time, and it caused me to do some (more) serious reflection on that subject. I say “more” serious reflection because I live with a fairly keen, and constant, sense of the preciousness of time … more on which in a moment.

What does the way we use our time – or more precisely, the time God allows us to have – say about us? More importantly, what does the way we use our time say about who Jesus is to us? How much time do we spend each day / week / month / year / ever on the things of the Lord: reading his word; talking with him in prayer; worshiping him, individually or with others; discussing matters of faith and discipleship; in outreach and service to others? What does our use of time say about what is truly important to us?

Time is the most precious thing we have, although we don’t actually possess it. It’s something God gives a certain amount of to each of us to use. What makes it so priceless is that it is the one thing that cannot be replaced:

• If I lose my money, I may be able to make more money.

• If I lose my stuff I can probably get more stuff.

• If I lose an opportunity, I may get another shot at it.  

But if I lose time, or squander it – an hour, a day, a week, a year – I can never get that back. It’s gone. That’s why it is so precious: it is irreplaceable.

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Priceless

In that sermon I shared the following:

The value of time:

• To realize the value of one year: Ask a student who has failed a final exam.

• To realize the value of one month: Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

• To realize the value of one week: Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

• To realize the value of one minute: Ask a person who has missed the train, bus or plane.

• To realize the value of one millisecond: Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.

Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have. You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special. – Alan Watts

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Just so many summers … Just so many springs 

I love Don Henley’s music, both with the Eagles and as a solo artist. His 1989 album The End of the Innocence is widely regarded as his best solo project. On the fourth track, "The Last Worthless Evening," the chorus has Henley and the background vocalists singing:

Time, time, ticking, ticking, ticking away
Time, time, ticking, ticking, ticking 
Time, time, ticking, ticking, ticking away
Time, time, ticking, ticking, ticking …

And then a final verse that says in part:

I know you’re still afraid 
To rush into anything
But there’s just so many summers, babe
Just so many springs

Any time I hear that song, or even think of it, it impresses upon me again just how valuable time is, and how quickly it goes by.

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How should we then live?

As I said, I live with a very keen sense of the sense of the preciousness of time. There are a number of reasons for that, but suffice it to say I long ago realized how valuable it is … and how much I still want to do with the time God gives me: to follow Jesus, glorify God, enjoy him forever, and encourage as many people as I can to do the same.

You? 

Kent

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Psalm 39:4: 
O Lord, make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!

Psalm 90:12:
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:
For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

Ephesians 5:15-17:
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
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.