STUDY THEME: MANAGING GOD'S ASSETS: TIME TO VALUE.   1-09-00

PS. 90:12; 103:15-16; ECCL. 3:1-8, 17; EPH. 5:8-17.

Last Sunday we looked at "Why we should care about the environment. We learned that God owns everything, and He has appointed we humans to be caretakers or managers of the good creation He has entrusted to us.

Today as we continue our study of "Managing God's Assets" we will focus on being good steward of our time. Every area of stewardship has the same biblical principles: (1) Everything belongs to God. (2) Every good thing is a gift and a trust from God. (3) We are stewards who have been entrusted by God with what is His . (4); Faithfulness is the measure of good stewardship. (5) We are accountable to God for how we use what is His. (6) Faithful stewards will find life and fulfillment in this life and in the life beyond; unfaithful stewards will be condemned. Each of these principles applies to the stewardship of time as well as to the other four areas in this unit of study: the environment, life, spiritual gifts, and money.

Most adults learn at some point in their lives that time is valuable. Some make the mistake of assuming they will have all the time in the world, only to learn that times slips away quickly. Time is exceedingly precious. We forget that unlike money that may be replaced, once time has passed it is gone forever. Time cannot be recovered. We cannot go back in time and relive moments.

Some waste their time at things that are either useless or sinful. Some claim time is theirs to do with as they choose and feel no sense of obligation to God or others. We need to see time from the biblical perspective. We need to commit ourselves to use the time entrusted to us from God in ways that are pleasing to Him.

PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO PSALM 90.

Since God expects us to use our time wisely let's see what Moses has to say about it in this Psalm. We usually do not think of Moses in connection with the Book of Psalms. David was one of several writers, including Asaph and Solomon whose works were inspired by the Holy Spirit and were collected into this book of poetic truth. Ps. 90 is entitled "A prayer of Moses the man of God." God led the psalmist to use a prayer Moses had written in much the same language as his song in Deut. 32. The compilation of Israel's hymns included Moses' prayer because he was a "man of God." He led the people form Egypt and brought God's law to them. He also shared what he had learned about God and about people's relationship with God. Let's look at Vs 12 in Ps. 90.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. "

upon which they are aware their interest chiefly depends. And this renders time so exceedingly precious, because our eternal welfare depends on the improvement of it.--Indeed our welfare in this world depends upon its improvement. If we improve it no, we shall be in danger of coming to poverty and disgrace.

Time is very short, which is another thing that renders it very precious. An unknown poet stated it like this in an inscription on the door of an old grandfather clock in Chester Cathedral.

When I was a child, I laughed and wept, Time crept.

When I was a youth, I dreamed and talked, Time walked.

When I became a full grown man, Time ran.

And later, as I older grew, Time flew.

PLEASE TURN TO PSALM 103.

2. PLEASE READ PSALM 103:15-16.

The scarcity of any commodity occasions men to set a higher value upon it, especially if it be necessary and they cannot do without it. So time is to be more prized by men, because a whole eternity depend upon it; and yet we have but a little of time. Job 16:22

Time ought to be esteemed by us very precious, because we are uncertain of its continuance. We know that it is very short, but we know not how short. We know not how little of it remains, whether a year, or several years, or only a month, a week, or a day. We are every day uncertain whether that day will not be the last, or whether we are to have the whole day. How much more would many men prize their time, if they knew

that they had but a few months, or a few days, more to live! And certainly a wise man will prize his time the more, as he knows not but that it will be so as to himself. This teaches us how we ought to prize our time, and how careful we ought to be, that we lose none of it.

Time is very precious, because when it it past, it cannot be recovered. There are many things which men possess, which if they part with, they can obtain them again. But it is not so with respect to time. When once that is gone, it is gone forever; no pains, no cost will recover it. It we live 50, or sixty, or seventy years, and have not improved our time, now it cannot be helped. It is eternally gone from us. All that we can do, is to improve the little time that remains.

Eternity depends on the improvement of time. But when once the time of life is gone, when once death is come, we have no more to do with time; there is no possibility of obtaining the restoration of it, or another space in which to prepare for eternity. If a man lose the whole of his worldly substance and become a bankrupt, it is possible that his loss may be made up. He may have another estate as good. But when the time of life is gone, it is impossible that we should ever obtain another such time. All opportunity of obtaining eternal welfare is utterly and everlastingly gone.

Because our lifetime is relatively brief, we should seek God's help in using it wisely. The goal is not to fill every day with frantic activity but to be sure that our days are full and rich in relationship with and service for God. David's prayer in the l03rd Psalm is for two things: (l) That people may recognize the brevity of their time on earth and (2) that they may make a response to this reality growing out of wisdom that only God can give.

PLEASE TURN TO EPHESIANS 5.

You now have heard of the preciousness of time; and you are the persons concerned, to whom God hath committed that precious gift. You have an eternity before you. When God created you, and gave you reasonable souls, he made you for an endless duration. He gave you time here on earth in order to make preparation for eternity, and your future eternity depends on the improvement of time.

Consider what you have done with your past time. You are not now beginning your time, but a great deal is past and gone; and all the wit, and power, and treasure of the universe, cannot recover it. Many of us may well conclude, that more than half of our time is gone. Though we should live to the ordinary age of man, our glass is more than half run; and it may be there are but few sands remaining. Our sun is past the meridian, and perhaps just setting, or going into an everlasting eclipse. Consider, therefore, what account we can give of our improvement of time. How have we let the precious golden sands of our glass run?

Everyday that we have enjoyed has been precious; even our moments have been precious. But have we not wasted many precious moments, precious days, and even precious years? If we should reckon up how many days we have lived, what assume would there be! And how precious has every one of those days been! Consider, therefore, what have we done with them? What is become of them all? What can we show of any improvement made, or good done, or benefit obtained, answerable to all this time which we have lived? When we look back, and search, do we find this past time of our lives in a great measure empty, having not been filled up with any good improvement? and if God, that hath give us our time, should now call us to an account, what account could we give to Him? Would it not have been as well or better for us, if all that time we had been asleep, or in a state of nonexistence?

There is nothing more precious, and yet nothing of which men are more prodigal. Time is with many, as silver was in the days of Solomon, as the stones of the street, and nothing accounted of. If men were as lavish of their money as they are of their time, if it were as common a thing for them to throw away their money, as it is for them to throw away their time, we should think them beside themselves, and not in the possession of their right minds. Yet time is a thousand times more precious than money; and when it is gone, cannot be purchased for money, cannot be redeemed by silver or gold.

An example of those with a poor regard for time are the persons who spend a great part of their time in idleness, or in doing nothing that turns to any account, either for the good of their souls, or bodies; nothing either for their own benefit, or for the benefit of their neighbor or of their family.

Wasting time is not limited to frivolous pastimes. The worst offense is a single act of disobeying God. For a Christian to spend one minute in sin is to deplete further a limited reservoir of time and to offend the Savior who grants us that time. In Eph. 5: 11-12 Paul urged the Ephesian believers not to revert to the shame of their past. He emphasized that a function of light is to expose and to make visible. Christians are to be Christ's light in to penetrate the world's dark places with the good news of grace and hope. In Vs. 14 Paul quoted three lines of a hymn that may have been used at baptisms. People who have been raised to a new life in Christ are to reflect His light in lifestyle and in witness.

In Vs. 15 we are challenged to make the most of every opportunity. In disregarding the golden moments God gives us and in flaunting His grace, we risk losing occasions to do good.

PLEASE TURN TO ECCLESIASTES 3

The Book of Ecclesiastes teaches that God has ordered human life so that ever

activity has its own appropriate time. In a coming judgment both the righteous and the wicked will give an account to God.

4. PLEASE READ ECCLESASTIES 3: 1-8, 17.

In these verses the writer acknowledged that God has ordered human life in such a way that every activity has its proper time. Birth, death, planting, harvesting, love, hate--each has its place and season. The writer did not mean our lives are predestined so every event is determined and we have no choice or control. Rather, he commented on life's commonalties and each experience's timeliness. Time is a vital element of life.

The writer stressed that all lives are similar in many ways. Everyone has the same amount of time each day. We are accountable to God for the ways we use that time. God gives the same 168 hours a week to each of us. What is the difference between people who succeed in God's eyes and the individuals who simply pass thru life? What we do with the 168 hours a week is the difference. We can use our allotment of time selfishly, or we can consider how God wants us to invest that time. Time spent in His service is an investment in eternity. God works in our lives to offer each season as an opportunity to follow Him. Life has a season "for every activity under heaven."

Please consider what has been said of the preciousness of time, how much depends upon it, how short and uncertain it is, how irrevocable it will be when gone. If you have a right conception of these things, you will be more careful of your time than of he most fine gold. Every hour and moment will seem precious to you--But besides those considerations which have been already set before you, consider the following:

In that we have lost so much time, we have the more need of diligence, on three accounts; (1.) Our opportunity is so much shorter, for God has a season for every activity under heaven. (2.) We have the same work to do that we had at first, and that under great difficulties. The time in which to do our work is not only grown shorter, but our work is grown greater. Divine appointments fill every day. If we are wise and sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading, we will recognize those opportunities and act on them. In the busyness of daily life, we are to seize opportunities to serve God.

(3.) That is the best of our time which we have lost. Yet all our work remains. And the shorter our time is, the more work we have to do. God gives us enough time every day to do His will and to further His purposes. If our schedules seem too full and our lives seem to hectic, we may not be allowing God to order our priorities. We should consult Him in prayer each morning to ensure that we start the day with His plans and His perspective in mind. The best way to sort our priorities for the use of time is to pray daily, "Lord, what do you want me to do today?" He will answer. Having granted us time, God has a right to expect our stewardship of it to honor Him.

I shall conclude with advising to three things in particular.

WE TRUST THAT NEXT SUNDAY'S LESSON WILL LEAD US TO VALUE HUMAN LIFE ACCORDING TO GOD'S STANDARD. A.V. DAUGHERTY

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