By Staff
A message which needs to be declared more regularly than the most frequently shown television commercial - USE YOUR TIME WISELY. The author of Ecclesiastes had this idea in mind when he wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven."
Certain times of life inspire us to make certain we use time wisely. The dawn of a new year is one of those times. Consider three reasons to use the moments of your life meaningfully.
First, past time can never be recaptured. Time does pass quickly. Edward Jones commented on the pace of time, Time flies, marches on, heals all wounds, runs out and will tell." The experience of life teaches us that the fastest thing in creation is not jets, speed boats, race cars, lightning or the speed of light, but the rate at which life passes. For most of us, it seems that just yesterday we were so young, but today we're only young at heart because time has moved on.
Use your time wisely. Kill time by working it to death. Know that if you kill time by wasting it, there will be no resurrection for those squandered days.
Second, the present time is precious. Today, this instant, right now is PRICELESS and PRECIOUS.
Use your time wisely. Go see a loved one. Stop to give a child attention. Read a book for a little one. Do something you enjoy. Try to patch up a relationship. Mend some fences if possible. Attend church. I have learned that there are a lot of demands on our time, but a person usually makes times to do what he really wants to do. Using time wisely blesses you and others.
Third, the time in the future is unpredictable, but unblemished. It is yours to make of as you desire.
There is so much about the future which is unpredictable such as the economy, political unrest, accidents and biblical prophecy. However, one certainty about the future is it is unblemished. Isaiah 1:18 declared this truth for Israel, "Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool." God offers to wipe the spiritual slate clean for the repentant person and give him an unblemished future to embrace. You may not be able to change yesterday, but you can sure chart your course for the future by what you do about your relationship with God today.
One day a man visited a nursery to look for a tree to plant in his front yard. While there, he saw a sign with the message, "The best time to plant a tree was fifteen years ago." The next line on the sign was, "The second best time is today." Start now with a right relationship with God and you will experience His blessings from now on.
Rev. Stephen Yuhauz is the pastor at Catawba Springs Baptist Church.