Today I want to talk to you about Time!
Stop for a moment, be in silent for 5 seconds… Perfect! You just lost 5 seconds of your life. Those 5 seconds will never come back again.
Everyday we receive 24 hours to live. Imagine your time as a credit you receive everyday.
So you have an account and everyday God deposits 24 hours in it. For each hour, for each second you spend, at the end of the day, you have to give an account to God about how you spent your time.
What would you tell to God? How are you spending your time?
If you love life, don’t waste your time, for time is what life is made up of.
Many years ago I watched a video about a one guy who had the power to see how much time people had left to live.
So, while he walked down the street, he would see the time up on people’s head.
Can you imagine it? You walk down the road and see how much time people around you have or you look at the mirror and you can see the time running and you know you only have a few more minutes left to live on earth?
There is another film where people had time as credit to spend, to do their shopping, buy food, clothes, cars…the more you buy, the shorter your lifespan.
I believe these are not exactly wrong… because when our time runs out, we will die. And we don’t realise it, because someone said:
“We say waste time. That is impossible. We waste ourselves!”
When we waste time, we waste ourselves.
And today, there are many Time Robbers. Things, feelings and people that waste our time, things that steal our time away.
And today’s message is:
TIME ROBBERS!
Time is the coin of life and if you are not careful, other people will spend it for you.
Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend. It is free but priceless. Once you have lost it, you can never get it back
Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money but you cannot get more time. Lost time is never found again. No wonder they taught us in school.
And, Today we are going to have a look in the bible and looks at what it says about: spending our time wisely. Today you will realise there may be some Time Robbers in your life, and all you have to do is remove them so you can live your time well.
Apostle Paul wrote to the Church of Ephesians. In chapter 5, He writes about not being deceived by others, walking in the way of love, being holy, and how to walk in the light.
After that, he wrote verse 11 to 16 calling out their attention on how to spend time.
Let’s read together:
Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.
Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light! So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!
Ephesians 5:11-16 MSG (Bible Message)
Paul here is writing this letter to warn the Church: Don’t waste your time, The word time here means opportunity. So Paul says:
Make the most of every opportunity because these are desperate times! The days we are living are evil days.
So, Seize every opportunity for the glory of Jesus, to make the most of our time, do things for God’s glory! Use your time for God’s glory.
The version I read says: Don’t waste time.
We have to go to a practical way.
I tell you:
Don’t waste time!
Do you think you are wasting time? Answer it to yourself.
How do you manage your time?
I’m here to help you to think, to find problems and to fix it for God’s glory. So, let’s go!
Do you waste time?
I’ll help you.
Do you have a phone?
Yes, so, please, could you open it?
Do what I tell you to find where you are spending your time.
Go to settings – Screen time – See all activity – Week
How much time did you spend on your phone this week?
From that time, how much of it did you use for God’s glory?
There is a Time Robber.
- Time Robber n. 1: Your Device (Phone – TV – Computer)
What are you watching? Does it bring glory to God?
Remember that we need to make the most of the time.
Jesus said: The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! Matthew 6:22-23
Don’t waste time watching unworthy things. Videos, movies…if it’s not for God’s glory, then do not watch it.
You need to take care of your eyes, and to manage the time you spend with things you watch.
Make a deal with Your soul now. You say how much time you’ve been using your device and now, use this same time to watch things for God’s glory.
Watch a preaching, listen to some worship songs. We have a playlist created on YouTube. You can go there, press play and listen to a number of songs that glorify Jesus.
Don’t waste your time on your device.
- Time Robbers 2: When you compare yourself.
We have 2 types of comparisons that are time robbers!
First: comparison to others.
Many people waste time comparing themselves to others.
They are stuck in this situation of comparison and they can not move forward, they can’t move on with their lives. Every year they are in The same place. They are in a prison.
Stop comparing yourself with others. Instead, be thankful and content with what you have. Praise God for the way that He has created you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:14). You are a wonderful work of God.
By the way, if you keep comparing yourself to others, you will be paralysed by it. It is not healthy. It is not pleasing God, either. Therefore, stop comparing. Instead, dwell in God’s promise knowing who you are in Christ and be faithful to His plan for you. You are bought by a price, that is, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. You are God’s. You are His treasured possession. You are His treasure. Focus, therefore, on fulfilling God’s will and plan in your own life.
Second: comparison to who you used to be.
Others are always comparing themselves with who they were in the past.
Look at what I used to do, look at what I used to have, look at how many good things I did for God, or for my family, and they now forget all about it today. Some spend so much time thinking about who they were in the past, and they forget to live the present and create new stories for God’s glory.
The bible says:
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
Forget what you once did, who you used to be in the past, and press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called you in Christ Jesus.
Be aware of this… Do not waste your time comparing yourself to others or with who you once were in the past! Do what God wants you to do.
- Time Robbers 3: Useless Conversations
The bible says:
Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 2 Timothy 2:23-24
I’ve learned not to waste my time with people who don’t want to change. People who have a harden heart. People to whom we preach, we give advices, but they don’t want to change, they are proud, they always do whatever they want in the end. I can not handle it. I prefer to spend my time with people who want to learn, to grow, to be transformed by the gospel, people who accept that they are imperfect, and they need to change.
A few years ago I studied missiology at a university in Brazil, and there was a missionary who founded more than 2,000 churches in Brazil.
I thought to myself: Today I’ll talk to someone like the Apostle Paul. He was a man of character, with a nice testimony and who had worked for Christ with a beautiful passion. I had 1 hour to speak with him.
He gave me many great advices, but one of them touched me:
He said: I can see You have a nice future ahead. So, don’t waste time with people who don’t walk with you. He said: I’ve wasted much time with people that only wanted just to show off how much they knew of the bible or how well they could do things, and they never wanted to work as my Mission works. They brought me only trouble… they were good people but they only caused arguments, useless conversations….He said: I’m teaching you: Don’t waste time with people like that.
Wow! A Pastor telling you not invest time in people….
But listen carefully! He wasn’t talking about everyone!
We are here to invest time in people, we are here to help each other, but if some people don’t want to walk alongside you, if some people don’t want to work for God by your side, don’t waste time on them,
If people want to only have discussions about the bible, about the law, about salvation, but their hearts say they don’t want Jesus, they only wish to make fun of your faith…don’t waste your time. Tell them about Jesus of course, and pray for them. But move along, and invest your time with people who want to be transformed!
Look what our Master Jesus did with people like that:
…and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
John 8:4-8
Jesus heard their arguments, but he kept silent. It was not worth it to fight them. They didn’t want a right answer from Jesus. They were using the questions as traps.
Jesus didn’t waste time with them, Jesus didn’t give any chances to those Time Robbers.
He only answers: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone e at her”.
He spoke and bent down to write on the ground, I don’t know what he was writing, but it was better than having a useless conversations.
The bible says:
Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 2 Timothy 2:23-24
Don’t waste time with useless conversations.
Time Robbers 4: Worries
You waste time worrying about how you will pay the bills next month…
You waste time worrying about your child that is in school and one day will go to an university.
You waste time worrying about the violence in The world.
You waste time worrying about people you Love…
It’s difficult to live and enjoy the moment when you are constantly thinking about the past or worrying about the future. You cannot change your past but you can live your present and expect a good future.
I want to show to you what Jesus said about worries and how to deal with them.
Jesus said:
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:2-34.
Because Jesus understands that worry is an universal human struggle, he is emphatic when he tells us not to worry. In the original Greek, his statement against worry is couched as an imperative or a command.
Jesus said 3 times “Do not worry”. Here are the 3 Do Nots that Jesus said:
- Do not worry about
God is your Guide. He is your leader. He will show you the way you to follow, the way that he has prepared for you to go through.
Do not worry about what you shall eat!
God is our provider. He is taking care of us. Trust in him. He will fill your house with food, clothes, provision.
- Do not worry about tomorrow
Your future belongs to God. Live the present, enjoy the present, your family, what you have and leave your future in God’s hands, He is preparing good things for you, if you walk in his will.
So, don’t waste time with worries. Do not worry about anything. By prayer, deliver it to God and He will answer you with peace and happiness. Enjoy the life you have now!
Don’t waste your time in anger, regrets, worries, and grudges. Life is too short to be unhappy.”
So, my brothers and sisters:
Be careful with Time robbers!
Things happen in our lives to steal our time.
Be alert of:
- Your device
- Comparisons : To others and who you were in the past.
- Useless conversations
- Worries
We are living evil days. These are a desperate time!
So, don’t waste your time! Seize every opportunity for the glory of Jesus. Make the most of the time, do things for God’s glory! Use your time for God’s glory and live a good life.