Time flies for all of us, and Paul tells us how to use it best
By Dean Collins
The familiar idiom is,” Time flies when you’re having fun.” But sometimes time also flies when there is so much to do! Sometimes when we find the time just to relax and enjoy an evening with friends or family, we discover that the time seems to pass too quickly. When we finally glance at the clock, we are shocked to see the hour because we’ve been enjoying the conversation so much.
Time—make the best use of it
As I was reading through several of the apostle Paul’s letters, I noticed a few references to time. In particular, in both Colossians and 1 Thessalonians Paul admonished his readers to “make the best use of the time.” This got me thinking about time and not just how it sometimes seems to pass quickly and other times drag but also about the stewardship of time.
Unlike money, everyone has the same amount of time each day, 1440 minutes or 24 hours. No political leader, billionaire, or celebrity has any more time than you and I have in a given day. What we do have are choices about how we spend our time. (We do not know how long we will live of course. No matter how healthy our diet or exercise routines may be, we all know too many stories of health crises or unforeseen situations that suddenly ended someone’s time on earth.)
God is passionate about us experiencing joy. There are numerous references in both the Old Testament and in the New Testament that joy comes from God and we are to rejoice and experience all of God’s goodness. Even in our suffering, Scripture indicates we might have times of joy and rejoicing.
God is also clear that we are not to worry or be anxious, which seems easy enough except when situations happen that create lots of anxiety and stress! Yet God would not give us instructions or directives that were impossible to accomplish. In difficult times, the clock seems to work against us, and we wonder if we can make it through with the allotment of time we have been given.
Time—for sharing the gospel
When the apostle Paul gave instructions about making wise use of time, his focus was not on time flying by or the time demands of our jobs or schedules. Paul’s focus was that we make good use of our time for the benefit of the people who yet do not know and have not heard the gospel.
Paul was well aware that our primary responsibility has to do with sharing the good news of Jesus so that everyone can experience the grace and mercy of God through a relationship with his Son, Jesus. In Colossians 4 Paul reminds us to be steadfast in prayer, watchful and thankful at all times. He then admonishes the church to pray that God would open doors for him to declare the mystery of God. What a great prayer for each of us to pray for each other.
Paul wanted his speech to be clear so that everyone might understand and receive the good news of Jesus. He challenges us to “walk in wisdom toward outsiders.” We often pray for God to grant us wisdom to handle difficult situations at work and at home. But here Paul’s prayer is that we would be wise in how we interact with people who do not know Jesus. When it comes to time management, Paul’s main thought seems to be that we not miss any opportunity to know when and how to share the good news with others.
Occasionally we see street preachers yelling and shouting about the end of the world and calling everyone to repent. That wasn’t Paul’s approach. Paul says that our speech should be gracious and seasoned with salt, so that our answers to questions from nonbelievers will always be appropriate in each situation. When we follow Paul’s admonition, we will in fact be making the best use of our time.
Lord, today we pray that we will make the best use of our time as we interact with those around us. Give us wisdom to know when and how to share Christ with each person we meet. May your grace fill each conversation we have today. We are aware of the evil that exists in the world and we want to be good stewards of every opportunity you give us to share the love of Jesus with others. Thank you for the 24 hours we have today. We want to use them for your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your time with God’s Word
Colossians 4:2-6; Ephesians 5:15-16 ESV
Photo by Ono Kosuki at pexels.com
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