Now that I’m 73, time itself seems to become more significant to me! Ellen and I are down in beautiful Naples, Florida, for a couple months, and we enjoy walking about 1 ½ miles down to a coffee shop, sitting to drink coffee and watch people walk by, and then walk back to our condo. Naples seems to have an abundance of wealthy older folks (not us, at least the wealthy part), but it has become painfully obvious to me that WE are part of these “older folks” we watch go by! The good news is, we can still walk the 3 ¼ miles down and back without needing to take a nap!
As I think about my friends and the small groups I’ve had the privilege of leading the last 10 years or so, it’s obvious that time is “catching up” with most of us, at least physically. All us are constantly talking about our medications we take, and comparing stories of our heart conditions, knee and hip replacements, cancer diagnoses, our most recent surgeries, and our problems with sleep and digestive concerns that no one really wants to hear about! And of course as we get up to go to the restroom more frequently, there’s a lot of grunting and groaning sounds being heard!
The Bible has a lot to say about “time” and how much we have and what it will look like !
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV)
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace
This famous passage above from Ecclesiastes 3 above truthfully reveals that EVERY life will be full of wonderful and difficult experiences, and we will ALL go through seasons that we wish we didn’t have to, but just can’t avoid. And as much as you eat healthy, sleep well, and exercise, we are all going to die physically. As a friend reminded me a couple years ago, “None of us are getting out of here alive”! (And if you read Ecclesiastes 3 above and hear the words to the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!”, sung by The Byrds in 1965, playing through your head, you are probably getting closer to the end than you imagine!)
SO, WHAT ADVICE DOES THE BIBLE GIVE US ABOUT HOW TO FULLY APPRECIATE AND USE WISELY THE DAYS OF LIFE THAT GOD GIVES TO EACH OF US?
A) Use what time you have wisely. Don’t waste it!
15 Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.- Ephesians 5:15-17 (NIV)
Ever since my first wife Claudia died in 2020, I have been trying to figure out how God wants me to use my time effectively. I feel led to continue to lead small groups and studies, do writing such as this blog, and just try to encourage people in their faith. Then I realized it’s been 11 months since I wrote my last blog! Oh well, I know God will help me get back on track soon, and having Ellen as my new wife is a wonderful blessing as she loves to have people over and do groups as well, so we pray for a more focused year coming up!
All of us, especially as we age, are prone to distractions from God’s plan for us. We stop growing and serving because of physical limitations, or we get distracted by the lure of enjoying our stuff and retirement attractions. (Golf, pickle ball, walking, biking, traveling, etc.) While all of these are fun, and it’s OK to do them and enjoy them, these are not God’s ultimate goal for us as Christians. And, we can have nice homes, boats, cabin, etc., but we can misuse them and allow them to waste God’s time and resources. For example, here in Naples, which is one of the wealthiest and most beautiful cities in America, there is a beautiful area called Port Royal where there are magnificent home on the water. They are owned by CEO types in business from around the world, and I was amazed to hear that the average amount of time people in that area spend at their home is 2-5 weeks/year! Well, all of us can also allow our resources to rule our lives, rather than using them to share with others and advance God’s Kingdom.
B) Learn to live TODAY, in the present moment. It’s the only time you CAN live!
Did you realize that the only moment you can actually live is NOW, while you’re reading this? You can’t relive the past, and as much as you look forward to tomorrow or some future vacation or event, there is no guarantee you will ever get there!
Jesus and the New Testament writers make this pretty clear….
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus says to pray “Give us THIS DAY our daily bread…”
– not a week long supply, not a “prepper’s” storage closet, but just enough for today. Of course we may have pantries, but the idea is to trust everything to Jesus, not our wealth and resources.
In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us not to WORRY about life, food, clothing, politics, anything! These are things the lost world worries about constantly. But Jesus says, “Seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own”.
C) Realize that TODAY is the day God is calling you to trust him with your life, if you haven’t already done that!
When it comes to time we have to actually live, God offers us a chance to live with him forever, with new physical bodies on a newly restored heaven and earth combined. Yes, our time here is definitely limited, but if you accept Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and new life, you can have a second chance at an amazing life with God that will last forever!
The sad thing is, I know lots of people who question God and want more proof of Jesus before they trust him, and they never end up actually believing in him and miss out of the amazing new life he offers!
The Bible makes it clear that TODAY is not only the only time we can actually live, but the only time you can make a conscious decision to trust Jesus with your life.
1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.– 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (ESV)
As I reflect on my life and the days left that God may grant me, I see time in 2 perspectives:
First, ALL our days here are “numbered”, our physical bodies will die, and only God knows that time frame. If that’s all we knew, that would be very depressing and hopeless.
The Second, and most amazing perspective, is that God offers us a 2nd chance at life, one that will be eternal, sinless, and beyond our wildest dreams and imaginations!
Some of the most famous verses in the Bible say,
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. –John 3:16-17 (ESV)
And John 10:10 adds,
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Jesus offers “abundant life”: a supernatural, God-breathed quality of life that begins now, when you trust him with your life, and will become fully realized when he returns to judge the world and set up his eternal, amazing Kingdom!
So, today, and every other morning God grants me the gift to wake up to a new “TODAY”, I’m going to at least try to live under God’s mercy and guidance, enjoying the abundance he offers me, and share this life of abundance and hope with Ellen and whoever he brings into our path that day. One day at a time…
So TODAY, I pray that you will trust Jesus with your life, if you haven’t already. It’s the most incredibly important decision you will ever make.
And when you do, I pray that every TODAY that Jesus gives you will be filled with his peace, assurance, and joy, no matter the circumstances of the moment.
21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:21-23 (ESV)
I pray you’re not living on “borrowed time”,
but rather on God’s abundant and eternal time!