Psalm 34;1-2 ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad’

DAILY READING    Luke 22:1-38; Genesis 39; Psalm 30

One of the ancient ways of measuring time was the use of the Candle clock. This  way of measuring time also demonstrated how time could be lost irrecoverably. A candle clock is a thin candle with consistently spaced markings, usually with numbers, that when burned, indicate the passage of periods of time. The candle clock could be easily transformed into a timer or alarm by sticking a heavy nail into the candle at the mark indicating the desired interval. When the wax surrounding the nail melts, the nail clatters onto a plate below. The sound would alert a person of the time.

While no longer used today, candle clocks provided an effective way to tell time indoors, at night, or on a cloudy day. As the wax burned away it was also indication of how time burned away never to be recaptured again.

Ephesians 5:16 says “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

There is a need for us to use our time on earth judiciously to the glory of God. We must realize that we are truly living in the last days, and it has become crucial that we do the most we can with the little time left. God has entrusted us with 24 hours each day to use as wise stewards.  If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,000 that carried over no balance from day to day…Allowed you to keep no cash in your account, and every evening cancelled whatever part of the amount you failed to use during the day, what would you do? Draw out every cent every day, of course, and use it to your advantage! Well, you have such a bank, and its name is TIME! Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off as lost whatever of this you failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balances, it allows no overdrafts. Each day it opens a new account with you. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against tomorrow.

We must use our time judiciously, constantly focusing on what God has called us to do. The salvation of our souls and what we do now for the Kingdom of God is what will matter most in eternity.  And we must not mistake activity for productivity. Always ask yourself, ‘what is the eternal value of what I am doing now? How is it impacting the Kingdom of God?’

Someone said ‘live everyday as if it is your last because one day you will be right.’ That is so true! Living everyday as our last places an urgency on our use of time. When we realize that we don’t have forever, it helps us to focus on what matters most.. Time is fast running out on earth. Eternity is counting. You may delay, but time won’t. The clock is always ticking, the hours are always silently going by, many times unnoticed, even as the past increases and future possibilities recede. Unlike the wind, time cannot be felt. Unlike the sun, it cannot be seen; yet, of all nature’s forces, time has the most profound effect. If we don’t use it well, we end life in regret. Someone once said, ‘run the day or the day will run you.’ So let us do what we can while we can.

And one way to redeem time is to be thankful. David  said in Psalm 34:1 ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.’

When we bless The Lord at all times, we are placing our life and times in His hand. And what we commit into God’s hands He is able to keep.

2 Timothy 1:12-says ‘for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.’

When we are thankful and bless The Lord continually at all times, He sees to it that our time on earth is used to His glory. Indeed top on the priority of our time investment is our relationship with God which is the very bedrock of our existence. Time spent with God helps us to focus rightly on the necessary things that need to be done. It is while in God’s presence that we receive specific instructions on what to do. And His instructions lead to our distinction in life.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to begin to make good use of my time. Help me to focus on what matters, and not on frivolities. Let blessing You at all times and being obedient to Your instructions be top priority for me in Jesus’ name.

Quote

For you to enjoy victory in the Kingdom of God, you need to develop a Kingdom mindset that thinks in line with the Word of God.  – WORDBITE 222.