Our Most Limited Resource.

Time.

It is a nonrenewable resource, given to all of us in equal amounts every day. Why then does it seem that some people have all the time in the world, and others are always busy but get nothing accomplished. Why is it that some people seem to just naturally get amazing things done, and have time left over? Many of us work very, very hard all the time, and still can't get done the basic things necessary for proper operation without canceling out any great desires we had to do great and mighty works.

The Parallel.

Money is a great example of time, because it is also a resource that seems to run away from us. With that in mind, let us think of people who do great things with their lives, and those who are very wealthy, as being one in the same. Let us think of those who are barely able to survive on the money they're earning, and those who seem to be busy all the time but never get anything accomplished, as also being one in the same.

First of all, remember the sayings. 'The Rich get Richer and the Poor get Poorer.'. Rich men gain more wealth because they're constantly watching where their finances are going, and investing their hard earned gold carefully. The wealthy man does what made him wealthy, and the poor man does what made him poor. The same goes for a great man and his time.

Any Christian financial adviser, based on biblical principles, will tell you this: Track every penny you spend, and give a tithe of all your increase to God. If you are busy all the time, but not accomplishing the goals you had intended, be they mowing the lawn, writing your book, or preparing to be the head of a household, perhaps you're not following the simple guidelines that are laid out before us. Let's take a look at those and how to apply them.

Tracking.

It's essential. The best financial freedom programs, weight loss programs, and time management programs all have one thing in common; They tell us to write down exactly what we're doing with every penny, calorie, or minute we have. If we don't know what we're doing wrong, we can't correct it. I've found that if I force myself to write down what I'm doing, how long I do it, and what time of day I do it, I'm able to effectively do much more in a day, because I'm conscious of my every action. It's like a GPS and navigation. It allows us to see our course, and make corrections.

Budgeting

Give yourself only a limited amount of time to certain activities, no matter how justified they are. Internet time can be a huge waste of our most valuable resource, and yet can provide us with endless amounts of wisdom and information from bible scholars and teachers around the world. Setting a limit effectively causes us to work faster, read faster, and learn faster. God has given us certain amount of time, and it's constantly burned up. All we can do is balance it all out, making sure that nothing gets too much time, and nothing too little.

Tithing

God wants our whole existence to be his. Our money is his, our thoughts are his, our bodies are his, and our time is his. We can't be loose with our money, because we're stewards of it. We can't be loose with our thoughts because thoughts turn to actions, and we're called to righteousness. We can't be loose with our bodies because they're the temple of the Holy Spirit and we should not defile that. We can't be loose with our time, because there isn't much to go around, and God wants us to watch over it and guard it all carefully. If you have no time, perhaps you're not giving God what's rightfully his. He knows we don't have enough time. Giving him the sabbath is to acknowledge that he is the king of all time, and is the only one who can help us accomplish everything that needs done

Proverbs 3:2, speaking of God's laws, says “For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.” The Bible isn't redundant. Why would it say 'length of days', then say 'and long life', if they meant the same thing?

I submit that the scripture is referring to God giving us more than 24 hours in a day. Have you ever had a day where everything clicked? Everything seemed to fall into place, and work exactly according to plan? Well based upon that scripture, I believe that when we give God his required share of our time, he blesses our faith by adding length to our days.

The Calling.

We're called to live the fullest lives we can in Christ, doing as much as possible. Idleness, therefore, is a sin. The next time you say 'I'm bored', it's God telling you that you need to be doing something for him. Our life is a jar, and set before us are some very large diamonds, small pieces of gold, and silver dust. God has given us time to fill up the jar with as much treasure as possible. In order to do this, we start with the largest diamonds, then fill around this with gold, then pack in as much silver as possible. That's wise time budgeting. Idleness, however, is to grab sawdust off the floor and pour it into the container, merely to fill space.

It's up to you to decide out of video games, movies, reading science fiction novels, visiting the zoo, traveling, reading the bible, studying with friends, building knowledge to run a business and/or a home, diligently praying for wisdom in choosing a life partner, and encouraging others in the faith, which ones are the diamonds, and which are the sawdust.

Simple Application

I have yet to have a conversation with a boy without him exasperatedly stating, “I'm Bored”. Well, I suppose that you could interpret it that way, but I would interpret it as God providing us with a nice little slot in the jar to fill with diamonds. This is where we determine who our God is. If we play video games, idleness is our God. However, if we study God's word, pray, plan for our futures, or look for creative ways to bless our parents, we are filling the jar with special jewels of all kinds. I hope that from now on, when you say 'I'm bored', you're convicted to find something great to do.

Treasures could be described as pyramids. We start at the base with many small tasks that bring glory to our God and honor to our parents. As we build this pyramid, we get to a higher level, where soon we're bringing glory to God and honoring Christ through actions that bless our friends as well as strangers. The pyramid grows, as long as our ego doesn't, and the accomplishments grow. Without a strong foundation in the smaller areas of life, our world changing accomplishments will never stand strong.

More Complicated Endevours

Are you sleeping ten hours? Perhaps you could skimp a little and go with nine, giving God an extra hour of study time. Already getting nine and don't have time to give to God? Nine minus one is eight. The math is simple, but grasping the concept may not be.

When Dad asks me to get the car from the shop, which is about one hundred and fifty yards away, I have several ways I can do it. I can wait until I'm done reading my article, then get the car, I can walk up to the shop, taking about two minutes each way, or I can do what I prefer the most; I can run at the very top of my speed, so that I'm completely out of breath when I get back to finish reading the article. When God says jump, we should ask how high, but only when we're up in the air. Don't stop for details. They'll be filled in along the way. Do to your utmost what you can do right now.

Conclusion

Don't be idle. Our lives are but a vapor, and will surely vanish with so much as a wisp of wind. Don't waste what God has so generously entrusted you with. Care for it wisely.

When we properly understand time, we won't be panicked, but we will work with such speed and purpose as to make a soldier amazed, then we'll truly be fulfilling Ephesians 5:15,16: See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

God Bless You, and Merry Christmas!!

~ In Christ, John.