TIME

By David J. Riggs

                        
Intro.
   A. "Soon, in your hand will be placed a priceless gift. Look at it
      closely. There is no price marker stamped on it. It cannot be
      weighed, because no scale can balance its value. A king's      
      ransom in comparison is as nothing; yet, it is given to beggar 
      and prince alike. The giver asks only that it be used wisely   
      and well. This jewel, rare and unique, is not displayed in any 
      shop window. It cannot be purchased, cannot be sold. No other  
      treasure holds the possibilities this gift offers -- none can  
      surpass its golden splendor. Of all gifts, this is one of the  
      most precious. It has been offered many times before; today,   
      from the depths of a limitless love it will be given again. It 
      will be left to you to find the golden thread running through  
      it. Only with great care will the jewel retain its luster.     
      Carelessness, ingratitude and selfishness will tarnish the     
      brilliance, break the unspoiled thread, mar the perfection.    
      Guard it closely, lest through weak fingers it slip from the   
      hand. Look often at its faultless beauty. Accept it as it is
      offered from the heart of the giver. Consider it as the most
      treasured of possessions, for of all gifts it is by far the    
      greatest. It is the gift of "time," and the giver is God       
      Almighty." (Author Unknown)
   B. "Time" is that period between creation and the Second coming of
      Christ.
      1. Or, more practically, it is that period between one's own
         birth and death.
   C. There are many remarkable things about time.

I. TIME IS REMARKABLE BECAUSE OF ITS VALUE.
   A. It is Benjamin Franklin who said, "Time is the most valuable   
      thing in this world."
      1. The value of something is determined by supply and demand.
         a. Time is always in short supply and great demand.
         b. Everything requires time. Every activity takes place in
            time and uses up time.
         c. Most people take for granted this unique, irreplaceable,
            and necessary resource.
         d. Nothing else distinguishes Christians from ordinary
            people as much as their use of time. 
      2. Psalm 90:10-12
         a. We can see that things haven't changed a great deal
            since the hundreds of years before Christ when this was
            written. Our life-span is still about the same.
         b. As one considers his short life-span here on earth, his
            greatest question is, "How can I apply my heart to
            wisdom?"
            (1) In other words, "What is my purpose and goal
                while I have time, and what can I do to accomplish
                it?"

II. TIME IS REMARKABLE BECAUSE IT IS NOT REPLACEABLE.
   A. There is no way to retrieve even one second once it passes.    
      This is not true with other things.
      1. One's character can crumble, but can be rebuilt.
          a. One can lose his health, but can recover.
         b. Friends can be lost, but restored.
         c. We can see love die, but revived.
         d. Money can be lost, but regained.
      2. However, once time has passed, it is gone forever.
      3. We talk about "finding time," "making time," and "saving
         time." We use those common figures of speech, but in reality
         none can be done.
         a. "Finding time" - There is no time to be found because
            none has been lost.
         b. "Making time" - No scientist or engineer has ever made
            even a minute that we can add onto a day.
         c. "Saving time" - We cannot deposit time in a saving vault
            and draw from it later.
   B. The Bible teaches regarding the preciousness of time and the
      responsibility of using it wisely.
      1. Death soon overtakes us. Eccl. 9:10; John 9:4
      2. We should take advantage of the opportunity that we now
         have. Eph. 5:15-16
      3. Someone wrote: "Just a tiny little minute, only sixty       
         seconds in it, forced upon me. Can't refuse it. Didn't seek 
         it, didn't choose it, but it's up to me to use it, and I    
         must suffer if I loose it; give account if I abuse it. Just 
         a tiny little minute, but eternity is in it." (Author       
         Unknown)

III. TIME IS REMARKABLE BECAUSE IT IS ELUSIVE.
   A. We have often made these statements "Where did the time go?"
      "I wish I had more time" or "Time has really flown."
      1. This is odd because our generation has more "time-saving"
         devices than any other, but has less time.
      2. Seventy-five years ago, a man would plow all day with his
         team and would turn over only about two acres. The woman
         often milked cows by hand. She made nearly all of the
         clothing by hand. She washed clothes on a washboard and
         hung them on a clothesline to dry.
      3. Today, the man with a tractor plows 50 acres in a day. The
         wife doesn't milk the cows any more. She buys her milk and
         butter at a nearby grocery store. In most cases, she has a
         washing machine that washes the clothes and a drier that
         drys them.
   B. What's sad is that we claim that we don't have time when we
      have all kinds of time-saving devices.
      1. We have more leisure time today than in any other time in
         the history of man.
   C. Without doubt, the greatest robber of time in our generation is
      television.
      1. "The average family watches 6.46 hours of television per
         day. They see, on average, 175 commercials each day."
         (From "Advertising," in The Boston Globe). The only
         things Americans do more than watch television are work
         and sleep. 
      2. It's difficult to comprehend the waste from watching
         television. By the age of 20 the average American will have
         been exposed to at least 20,000 hours of television. 
         a. Calculate, for a moment, what could be done with even
            a part of those hours. 
            (1) 5,000 hours are what a typical college
                undergraduate spends working on a bachelor's
                degree.
            (2) In 10,000 hours, you could have learned enough
                to become a doctor, lawyer, or an engineer.
            (3) In that time, you could have learned to speak
                several languages fluently.
            (4) You could have learned to read the Bible both in
                the original Greek and Hebrew.
            (5) You would have had enough time to walk
                completely around the world and written a book
                about it.

IV. WE LIST THREE BASIC AVENUES IN WHICH WE SHOULD USE OUR TIME      
   WISELY.
   A. We should learn what true discipleship is. A disciple is       
      simply, "A student and follower of another."
      1. A true disciple will learn what it takes to become a        
         Christian, and will learn how to worship in spirit and in   
         truth. John 8:31-32
         a. We claim to be disciples of Christ. We need to take time
            to obtain an adequate knowledge of Christ, of what He
            taught, and how he lived.
         b. "If I had met Him walking by the blue Galilee,
            Would He have stopped and said, follow me?
            And if He had, I wonder, when I think it through,
            How could I have followed Him, with so many things to
            do?"
   B. We need to take time to lead someone to Christ. 2 Tim. 2:2:
      Prov. 11:30
      1. We need to keep in our minds the absolute importance of
         leading someone to Christ.
         a. In all the good that can be done on this earth, nothing
            compares to converting a soul to Christ.
         b. Material aid has its worth. However, this saying is true
            to life: "Nowadays, if you help someone in need, that
            person is sure to remember you the next time he is in
            need."
         c. As we said, there is no greater work than saving a soul.
      2. Don't let those golden opportunities of saving a soul, the
         greatest endeavor this side of eternity, pass us by.
         a. Maybe it's a person in our own family.
            (1) We need to take time to lead and guide a soul to
                God.
   C. We need to take time for the basics of godly living. (Chart
      below)
      1. Time - to show kindness to someone. Matt. 25:34-40
      2. Time - for personal prayer, devotion, worship. Psalm 104:34;
         119:18; 145:5
      3. Time - to offer the apology that saves a friendship. Matt.
         5:23-24
      4. Time - to show family members consideration. 1 Tim. 5:8;
         Eph. 6:4
      5. Time - to speak words of encouragement, cheerfulness,
         edification. Eph. 4:29; John 16:33; Prov. 25:11-12
   D. Thus, let us use our time wisely.
      1. "When I was a child, I slept and wept - time crept.
         When I was a youth, I laughed and talked - time walked.
         When I became a full grown man - time ran.
         When older still I daily grew - time flue.
         Soon I shall be traveling on - time gone."

Concl.
   A. The wise will do the things that need to be done while they    
      have time and opportunity to do them.
      1. The unwise will continue to "put off" until it's too late to
         do them.
   B. If you are not a Christian, become one before it's too late.
   C. If you have left the Lord, return before it's too late. Please
      consider this grand old poem.

I looked upon a farm one day. 
   That once I used to own; 
The barn had fallen to the ground. 
   The fields were overgrown. 

The house in which my children grew. 
   Where we had lived for years -- 
I turned to see it broken down. 
   And brushed aside the tears. 

I looked upon my soul one day. 
   To find it too had grown 
With thorns and nettles everywhere. 
   The seeds neglect had sown. 

The years had passed while I had cared 
   For things of lesser worth: 
The things of Heaven I let go 
   When minding things of Earth. 

To Christ I turned with bitter tears. 
   And cried, "O Lord, forgive! 
I haven't much time left for Thee, 
   Not many years to live." 

The wasted years forever gone, 
   The days I can't recall; 
If I could live those days again. 
   I'd make Him Lord of all. 
  (By Theodore W. Brennan)

Chart:
We need to take time for the basics of godly living.

Time - to show kindness to someone. Matt. 25:34-40

Time - for personal prayer, devotion, worship. Psalm 104:34; 145:5

Time - to offer the apology that saves a friendship. Matt. 5:23-24

Time - to show family members consideration. 1 Tim. 5:8; Eph. 6:4

Time - to speak words of encouragement, cheerfulness, edification.
Eph. 4:29; John 16:33; Prov. 25:11-12