By sis Leong Mei Ji
Choose to invest our time wisely today
As children of God, you and I should not manage our time the same way the world manages theirs. How are we using the time the good Lord has given to us? How are we using this precious time? What kind of investment are we making with this invaluable and useful time? How do we do this more effectively? Well, I suppose we should be soberly looking at the seconds/minutes/hours/days we give to God. We need to check if we have wasted hundreds of thousands of minutes in the past. It may be that we have overlooked opportunities around us to use our time more wisely or it could be that we were far too busy with our daily chores. Remember, those minutes are history.
Having recognized that we have misused the time, we must then make specific changes in our lifestyles.
Making choices of our time
An article reads “You are what you have chosen to be, one choice at a time.” American musician George Jones had a near fatal accident. He was very drunk and he had driven his SUV car and hit a bridge. It took about two hours to get him out of his car. He spent several days in the intensive care unit and there was some concern for a little while that he was not going to survive. He was charged for driving under the influence of alcohol and he pleaded guilty. According to his wife, it was the last time he ever drank and he gave up smoking too. One of the songs on the album that he released was entitled “Choices.” The lyrics are as follows: “I have had choices since the day that I was born. There were voices that told me right from wrong. If I had listened, I wouldn't be here today living and dying with the choices I made. I was tempted by an early age I found. I liked drinking and I never turned it down. There were loved ones but I turned them all away. Now I'm living and dying with the choices I made.”
Today
Today is all we have for each one of us because we are not promised tomorrow, next year, next month or next week. “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” (Proverbs 27:1) James instructs us on what our attitude should be concerning “Tomorrow”. “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.” (James 4:14). Today is all we have.
We need to redeem time
Every person has the same amount of time. It is not a matter of whether one person has more time than another person! It is how we use the time and what responsibilites we are called upon to bear within the time given. People who value time learn to be people of purpose. The Scripture emphasizes the importance of using our time wisely while we have it. Paul specifically told the two churches to redeem the time: “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” (Colossians 4:5). In Ephesians 5:15-16, Paul challenged the Ephesian Christians to, “Walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil”. What is meant by “redeeming the time”? It simply means to "buy back” our wasted time to put it to better use. It means making the most of our time to continually purchase it for our own spiritual benefit and that of others.The reason given is that the days are evil, seeing that there are many temptations and sins that can distract us. These passages warn us to look carefully how we walk.
Conclusion
Are we making use of our time wisely in doing the Lord’s work while here upon the earth? If not, perhaps today would be a good and appropriate time to begin making better choices with the proper use of our time. Do not say “I don’t have the time to do this, or that.” The time which is past is history, but with the time we are still being blessed with, we should “Walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time”.