Sunday 12 February 2012

How do we use our time wisely

Listen to a really good talk today on how we should use our time well.



Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 (NIV)
There is a time for everything,
 and a season for every activity under heaven: [2] a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, [3] a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, [4] a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, [5] a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, [6] a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, [7] a time to tear and a time to mend, 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 does the worker gain from his toil? [10] I have seen the burden God has laid on men. [11] He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. [12] I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. [13] That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil---this is the gift of God. [14] I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.


Our time comes from and God and we are just giving it back to God.  
God wants to be to be at work in our lives and this extends to how we use our time.

Biblical ideas of time

1. Time is part of God's creation. 

God is outside of time (eternal) and time is part of His creation. Time is part of our life.

2. There is a rhythm to time.  

Psalm 104:19-23 (NIV)
The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. [20] You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. [21] The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. [22] The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. [23] Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening.

There is a pattern to creation - weekly, monthly, yearly. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
There is a time for everything,
 and a season for every activity under heaven:
 
3. Time is limited
 
In the New Testament there is an urgency to time and time is now thought of limited. There is going to be a deadline.

2 Peter 3:3 (NIV)
First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.

2 Peter 3:11-12,14,18 (NIV)
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives [12] as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. [14] So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. [18] But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

We will come to an end and we should live in a way that points towards that. We are coming to a time where everything matters.

Thinking about these there ideas there are dangers we might fall into.

  • We  might to just try to mark time as it feels like eternity now.
  • We think that we can just go with the flow because things will come around again.
  • We may panic that time is limited and try to do everything at the cost of other things such as family.
We need to be able to combine the two Biblical principles of cycles with the finite end that will come one day.

We need a purposeful pattern of life.

God gives enough time for His purposes.

  • Where are we heading? 
  • Do we know where we are going? 
  • Are we living for now or do we have a purpose? 

The work that God is doing in us will be completed and we will be fully mature in Christ.

- what are my priorities? There is not a "one size fits all" answer. Our priorities will be different and will change as we move through life.

We need to think perhaps rather than a balanced life but a blended life. We have many demands on our life and they won't all have equal portions and we should think of all times as important to God. Sleep is also an important part of the blended life. As time changes the blend will change and we should not be afraid of this. Sometimes the ingredients of the blend will change.

Eg.

Ecclesiastes 3:4,6,8 (NIV)
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, [6] a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, [8] a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Is it a time to add something new or to take something away?. We need to be flexible.

Having a pattern. 

God has made us each creatures of rhythm and pattern and we should respond to our individual patterns. 

We should know how to work with our own personal pattern for the day, week, month and year.

We should think and plan about how we use our time to support the God given rhythms and patterns in our lives.

We don't have to fill every moment with productive things. We will have time to work, relax, family, fun etc.

We need to recognise who we are.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
There is a time for everything,
 and a season for every activity under heaven:

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