Need More Time?

 

“And there was no day before it or after it...” Joshua 10:14

We have all said it, “I wish I had more time in a day!” Of course it's impossible to add more time to our allotted 24 hrs. but someone actually did add a whole day to his calendar. The Bible records of a battle where Joshua, Israel's leader, had a miraculous victory over his enemies. Joshua pursued the defeated army as they fled but time was running out to completely destroy his enemy.

Joshua then prayed for a miracle. He asked God to stop the sun and moon so he could finish his enemies and God answered his prayer. Joshua 10:13 Don't ask me to explain how God did it but He did. The earth stopped spinning on its axis with a catastrophic effect. All I can say Jehovah reigns outside of the constraints of time, so for Him to stop time is no problem.

Timelessness exists nowhere on the Earth. Timelessness exists nowhere in space. Stars and planets move through space as a constant indicator that time is passing. The only place that timelessness exists is within the heart of God; and because Joshua boldly prayed, God inserted timelessness into the Earth.

In 1964, The Rolling Stones, recorded Time is On Our Side, which became an instant hit. It makes a great love song BUT time is NOT on our side. Job 14:5 says, “A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.”

Since we cannot add one minute to our time on earth what should we do? Colossians 4:5 says “...making the most of the time.” Benjamin Franklin said, “Lost time is never found again.”

Living in the Margin

  These are evil times, so make every minute count.  Ephesians 5:16

Stress seems to be a constant for so many of us. Our lives are often defined by how busy we are. There doesn't seem to be enough time for everything we need to do. Today's culture encourages us to push to our limits and as a result most of us are living at an unsustainable pace. The key is creating margin.

Margin is the amount available beyond what is necessary. It's the difference between what you have and what you need. So many of us need margin in our lives. We've become obsessed with accomplishing thing we think are urgent and important. As a result, we're missing out on the most important things in life.

We find a great example of this in Luke 10 when Jesus came to visit Mary and Martha. During His visit, Mary sat at Jesus' feet listening to Him, while Martha was busy fixing a meal for her guest. Are you more like Martha or Mary? When was the last time time you sat quietly for a period of time and just listened for Christ to speak into your life? If it has been a while, then it's time to create some margin in our life.

What was Jesus' evaluation of the Mary/Martha scenario? “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42

Where Has Time Gone?

 

We all have 10,080 minutes in a week. The problem with time is it passes by so quickly. We all hear, "Where did the day go?" or "This week flew by." James 4:14 says “Life is like a vapor, it's here one day, gone the next.”

Too many people are busy making a living and forget to make a life.” Jesus said, “ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 The 'things' Jesus referred to are usually the 'things' that rob us from or crowd out the most important things in life; our relationship with Christ, our family and serving others. Jesus said, when we put first things first He will will take care of all the other “things” in life.

In today's fast-passed culture, we have become masters at multi-tasking in order to get everything done and squeeze everything done. However, the biggest temptation is to confuse activity with accomplishment. Time is life's most precious commodity; not gold or silver.

The executive who has worked 60-80 hours a week and is dying from a terminal illness doesn't wish for more time at the office. No, he wants to spend time with his the family he has neglected. The most important thing we can do is make the best use of our time. This may mean giving up good things for better things. Ephesians 5:16