WE DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME

Victor M. Eskew

 

          “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Ps. 90:10).  Moses notes that the average age of a human being is between 70 years old and 80 years old.  Seventy-five years involves 3,900 weeks.  It also totals to 27,375 days.  Any way you divvy up the years, weeks, and days we have on earth, the truth is that we don’t have much time to live.  That point is a serious thought.  Let’s make some application of it to the time we have left.

          Since we do not have much time, we should cherish the moments we have.  We have a tendency to wish our time away.  We can’t wait until the end of the day.  We can’t wait for the weekend.  We can’t wait for the children to grow up.  We can’t wait until retirement.  So, we set our eyes on the time ahead and miss the present.  Each one of us needs to learn to “live in the moment.”  Enjoy your cup of coffee in the morning.  Listen to the songs that play on the radio.  Pay attention to the person who calls you on the phone.  Focus on the people, problems, and successes that happen on your job.  Notice the small things on the drive to and from work.  Have a lot of fun at parties and get togethers.  Tune in to the time that you are in worship.  Make certain your heart is centered upon the songs, the prayers, the sermons, the contribution, and the Lord’s Supper.  When you are with friends and family soak up your time together.  Paul counsels us with these words:  “See then that ye walk circumspectly not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15-16).

          Since we do not have much time, we need to waste as little time as possible.  This takes a lot of discipline on our parts.  We have so many things that consume our time that have little, if any, real benefit to our lives.  We can easily watch four hours of a television series.  We think we will watch one or two reels on TikTok or Facebook and find ourselves still watching them after an hour has passed.  We still down to read a book, but never open the cover after twenty or thirty minutes of time.  Jesus understood the need to use His time wisely.  On one occasion, Jesus said:  “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day:  the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4).  While there was useful time, Jesus understood the need to use it wisely.  Once time has passed, there is no way to recover it.  All of us are aware of this truth, but we still have a tendency to let too much time simply slip through our hands.

          Since we do not have much time, it should not be spent practicing sin and iniquity.  Previously we noted Ephesians 5:15-16 in this discussion.  Let’s now connect Ephesians 5:16 with the next two verses.  Paul writes:  “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”  Redeeming the time involves our learning and understanding God’s will for our lives.  Instead of being drunk with wine wherein is profligacy and a dissolute life, we need to fill ourselves with the Spirit.  This is done by learning and obeying what the Spirit has taught in the pages of Holy Writ.  Every moment spent in fulfilling God’s will is time used wisely.  Doing God’s will develops the individual.  Doing God’s will aids the human race.  And, doing the God’s will prepares one for eternity.  Practicing sin does none of these things.  The only boast that sin might make is that it brings momentary pleasure, and sometimes that pleasure leads to the depths of hell (See Prov. 7:21-27). 

          Since we do not have much time, we need to realize that time with people is much more valuable than time with things.  Yes, people come with personalities.  Yes, people come with problems.  Yes, people come with habits.  Yes, people come with their opinions.  But, they also come with wisdom, talents, riches, experience, encouragement, compassion, and assistance.  They come with kindness, love, understanding, memories, and accountability.  Jesus valued people and spent time with them, even when He had to sacrifice his personal comfort for them.  Jesus surrounded Himself with a group of men both to mentor and to assist Him in His labors.  Jesus loved them, and they loved Him in return.  Things are temporary.  People will last for a long time.  Once they are gone, they will leave us with memories that we can cherish for a lifetime.  In fact, we can remember them well into eternity (See Luke 16:27, 28).   

          This writer likes to use a bell-curve in order to illustrate the concept of time in a person’s life.  The left side of the curve starts at zero.  The right side of the curve ends at eighty.  The height of the curve is 40.  All of us fall somewhere on the curve.  Some are still on the uphill climb.  Others are on the downhill slide.  Some still have most of their lives to live.  Others have very little time left.  All will eventually come to the end of the curve.  Almost every person who approaches the end of life will say:  “Life has been so short.  It seems like only yesterday when I was a child.”  My friend, we do not have much time on this earth.  Cherish the time you have.  Refuse to waste a moment of time.  Never spend time practicing sin.  Use your time with people instead of things.  Our prayer is that when time comes to an end, a eternal life can be yours to enjoy.