Making Time for Eternity
Time is one of the most precious resources that God has given us to accomplish His will here on earth. Our adversary the devil knows this, so he tempts us with our selfish desires, hoping that we will waste time trying to attain our wants, rather than completing the task the Lord Jesus has given us (Acts 20:24). In the sport of football, when a team is leading with limited time remaining, they will execute plays designed to run the game clock out in order to leave the other team with little to no time to score. In life, one of satan's tactics to delay or stop a Christian from accomplishing God’s will, is to keep delayed with kindomless desires until their time runs out on earth. Satan knows that a delayed and distracted Christian usually fumbles the ball (assignment), allowing him to recover it and run "the clock" out before we realize we can get the ball back. This is why Paul writes,
| “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” - Ephesians 5:15-17 |
Understanding what the will of the LORD is for our lives is crucial, but it's difficult to accomplish it if we do not apply the faith and discipline needed to fight against the pressures of this world. Even if you're spiritually strong enough to fight these pressures, satan will use the worldly desires of our teammates (family, friends, the church, etx.) to delay or stop us. For example: If your assignment is to serve underpriviledged inner city youth for Christ, satan will delay and double-team you with jobs to pay for the things "the team" wanted but not neccesarily what you needed to accomplish your God given assignment. Remember, the LORD will never bless us with something that will take us away from Him. We are only lured away, tempted and enticed when we allow our own evil desires to influence our decisions and actions (James 1:14-15).
The most disheartening play to watch if you’re the losing team, is when the quarter back of the leading team hikes the ball and knells every play until the remaining seconds are ran off the game clock. This strategy for victory is virtually unstoppable because at this point in the game, the losing team has used all their timeouts. During these last series of “plays”, the camera usually scrolls the losing team’s sideline, zooming in on the faces of defeat. Thank God that this life is not a sport, our race is not a sprint, our timeouts are not limited, and that we are encouraged to use them without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17). Yes, I’m talking about prayer; the only weapon that can change our present, future and redeem our past. May we allow the LORD to turn our eyes from looking at worthless things; and give us life in His ways so that we can maximize the time he has given us (Ps 119:37).
Food for Thought & Transformation
Take a moment and write down the hours that you've spent with God this week. Then write down the hours you spent doing other things (work, school, dream planning, worrying, etc.). Now ask yourself, are you only sacrificing limited time to the God who sacrificed His son to give you eternity?
Blessings,
Jason Maji Wilson
Founder/CEO The Yuinon