What are you doing with your time?

Eccl 3:1-10 (NASB)

1. There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.
2. A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3. A time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build up.
4. 4. A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.
5. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6. A time to search and a time to give up as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away.
7. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; 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.
9. What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?
10. I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. So what are you doing the time that has been allocated to you.

God sent the prophet Isaiah to tell Hezekiah the King on his sick bed that he needed to put his house in order as he was about to die. Isa 38:1. I think that this was privileged information that not many people have access to. No one wants to hear such a word from a man of God. Yet everyone wants to go to heaven. Bible also tells us that it is appointed unto man to die once and after that the judgement. Death is inevitable, when it happens is appointed by God and we all have to ensure that we are ready for it. I write from my experience from my mother’s passing to glory. Whether or not she knew that she was going is a question that only she and God would know but I can testify that she ensured that her house was in order at the point at which she left us.

The question of time has been very prominent on my mind. Jesus said to his disciples, occupy till I come. In other words keep busy, do the things that you need to do, do not just sit around waiting for my appearance. Make impact, influence your generation and the one after you and leave a mark for people to remember. Keep doing what is expected of you till I come. Isn’t it amazing that Paul got the church ready for the second coming of Christ so much that if I was alive during that time, I would have also sold everything I had in anticipation of the coming of Christ? Yes indeed he was right because we brought nothing into the world and we would leave with nothing. Does that mean that Jesus is not coming, cause he is but the Bible tell us that no man knows the time when the Jesus would come for his church.

In the meantime what do we do with the time that has been allocated to us to live in planet earth? Some people are given 50 years, some 60 years, some 70 years and so on. Coming to think of it, what would you do if at the age of accountability you were told that you only had 50 more years to live? What would you do with your time? How would you plan life from that time on till the day of your exit? Would you plan a grand exit or a casual one? Would it be a peaceful one or a painful one? How would you like to be buried? As a legend or popper? How would you like to be remembered, as the man or woman who touched the lives of people or the troublesome person that everyone was waiting to exit?

Would you take time out to put your house in order like Hezekiah was instructed to or would you be busy asking God for more time? The foolish virgins waited for the groom to arrive before they decided to go and buy some oil. The wise virgins got their oil in advance before the groom came. I believe that every individual should live life with this view in mind. What am I doing with my time and am I using it wisely. Time is a precious gift that has been given to all. If it is used wisely, your good name would live on not just with your family but also with those that you impact and touch. Make time for your Maker, yourself, your family, your friends and for your generation.

Have a plan, a vision, set a goal (s), SMART goals. You have to be specific about these plans. They should be measurable. The goals should be achievable. You have to be realistic about the goals. Put a times scale on the goals. When once you have discovered your God given purpose on earth it would make it easier for you to set your goals and your vision. so that would be able to use our times with passion.

We have great people like Mother Theresa who touched many lives because of her love for humanity and died at a very old age. Jesus’ death would always be remembered even though he only lived on this earth for 33 years. It’s not the amount of years that one lives that matters, it is what one does with their time on earth that makes the difference.

Legends have left books, music, movies, memorabilias, paintings, organisations, messages, inventions, companies and have their finger prints that would never be forgotten. We should plan to do something that one can say this person once lived and this is what he/she was able to leave behind.

It’s amazing how I see this generation gives birth to children with no plans for the future of those children. It is almost like having children is either a fashionable thing or a means to an end. The bible tells us that a good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children. Prov 13:22. What are we planning to leave for children’s children? The plan is to think ahead of two generations. Living just of everyday is not good enough. Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them, they would speak with the enemy at the gate. Ps 127:7. As a parent also use your time to prepare your children for society which would then give them an edge in life.

Not many people would be given the opportunity to know how much time they have on earth but what we do with the time given to us is most important. Let us go the ant and see how they use their time. They store their provision in the summer and gather their food at harvest without having a commander, an overseer or a ruler. Prov 6: 6-8. Jesus’ purpose was to do the work of his Father while it was day because night was coming when no one could work. Always remember that time is running out.

Shalom.

Written by Praise Assemota