Devotional - 96-12-09
- Redeeming Time
Eph. 5:16
Why time is precious?
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Time is very short. The scarcity of any commodity makes it worth all the
more the more scarce it is. This is especially true if the commodity is one
without which life is no longer possible. Time is very short and very precious.
James 4:14, "Our life; what is it? it is but a vapor which appears for a
little time, and then vanishes away." Time is so short, and the work that
we have to do in time is so great, that we have no time to spare. Our work
is to prepare for eternity. This must be done in time, or it will never be
done.
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Time is precious because we are uncertain of its continuance. We all know
that our time is very short, but we do not know how short. We do not know
how much time remains to us. A year, many years, a month, week, day? We just
do not know. Think how much more we would cherish our time if we knew how
much we had left. If we knew the hour at which our time was to run out, think
how differently we would live. And yet we ought to live with such an attitude.
There are many in this world who have excellent health, who see no signs
of approaching death, and yet will die this very day. They know nothing of
their fast approaching death and probably are thinking nothing about it.
However, this makes no difference for them. The sands of their time are about
to run out. This being true, we ought to cherish our time and how careful
we should be to lose none of our remaining time.
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Time is precious because once lost, it can never be recovered. There are
many things that if we lose for a time, we can regain later. Time is not
one of them. When a moment of time is gone, it is gone forever. Even when
we see how we have used our time in the past and repent for wasting such
a precious gift, our repenting gains us none of it back. The parts of our
time that are gone can never be recovered.
The encouragement in all this is that we have a new day before us. We have
a new week upon us. Soon we will have a new year to begin. We have the chance
to start cherishing time today. Think how much can be done in a year! Think
how many opportunities there are to do good in short amounts of time. May
God grant us grace that we might use our remaining time to His glory, serving
His kingdom.
"He who neglects the present moment throws away all he has." Johann
von Schiller
"It is better to lose anything than to lose time; we can recover lost money,
but time is irrecoverable." Chrysostom
"Misspending a man's time is a sort of self-homicide." George Savile
Soli Deo Gloria,
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