Time and Times, and Half a Time

I am currently working through a Ministerial Training Program as I pursue pastoral ministry. Recently, my assistant pastor came up to me and mentioned that he had purchased some books for me on counseling. I quipped, “Did you also buy me some time to go with them?” I think of those books joining their friends in the “unread book corner” watching me and taunting me saying, “What about me?” when I’m reading something else!

As we march closer to the Christmas holiday, I’m sure you can relate with not having enough time. We say that the older we get, the faster time goes by. “If I only had more time…”, “I need a clone of myself”, “How do other people get so many things done?” It is perhaps at this time of year that we feel the time crunch most fully.

The Bible reminds us that we must be good stewards of our time.

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15–16

The Bible also tells us that a diligent use of time will lead to blessing.

The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
Proverbs 13:4

Do you ever feel that you could get more done for God if He gave you more time? More service projects. More devotional time. More prayer… yes, more prayer! Another book read. Another children’s activity attended. Why wouldn’t God want this for me?

To help illustrate what I believe the Lord’s desire is when it comes to time, let’s do a hypothetical scenario. What if we got our wish?

We asked for more time, and we got it! Wow, there actually are eight days a week for me! I excitedly plan what to do with this new time deposit. I’m expanding my devotions and getting to church early to help set up for a meal. I’m visiting two (not one!) widows in the afternoon on Sunday, and I can still sneak in some extra reading before bed. Look at me! I’m serving the Lord so much more than I was before.

Now, let’s expand this experiment to its limit. You were literally given “all the time in the world”. What would be the result? Everything you ever desired to accomplish would now be within your grasp. What does this sound like? It sounds like you would be God. Indeed, you would be a god, but you would be ever present with the body and never present with the Lord. You would never go to Him because you were too consumed with your own plans. You were consumed by your idol.

God makes us dependent on Him in so many ways. If we don’t breathe, we die. If we don’t eat, we die. If we don’t sleep, we die. We are such fragile, needy beings.

We also need to learn to depend on Him when it comes to time. We may have 16 +/- waking hours to make use of, and no more. God has given you all the time today you need to faithfully accomplish the works He has ordained for you.

What does He require from you? Faith. God has this concept of time under control!

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10

When it comes to time, be careful what you wish for. Time, when it becomes our idol, turns our eyes inward, away from God and onto our own pursuits (even good ones). Maybe desiring less time in some things wouldn’t be a bad idea.