Today’s Reading: Psalm 62:8 NIV
Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.
Good morning!
When my telephone rang early this morning, its shrill sound resonated throughout the house! I hurried to the kitchen to grab the nearest portable phone from its stand, hoping it would not wake our guests. When I answered, my husband was on the other end of the receiver, calling from the church. “Do you know what time it really is?” he said, in a rather frantic voice. At first, I thought we may have set our clocks wrong the night before. With the change from daylight savings time to standard time, we rolled our clocks back one hour before we went to bed. Apparently, some of our clocks were supposed to automatically change at 2am, but for some reason, they did not. When Jeff arrived at church, he was relying on a clock that had not yet changed from daylight savings to standard time, and was alarmed when he realized it was not the correct time, as he first thought. Have you ever lost track of time?
Our culture teaches us to observe the time. We track it with our birthdays and blackberry calendars, and we wear the time on our wrists. We watch the seconds tick away on our computer screens, and on the dash boards of our automobiles, scurrying to our next scheduled appointment, praying to arrive on time. We see the time change in the brilliance of nature with every season; it is as if we are afraid, somehow, that time will slip away from us and we will miss out on something of great value. We are often reminded that our biological clocks are ticking, especially at our annual physicals; and we wonder if there will be enough time left to do the things we really want to do when our bodies have worn down. Will there be time to do the things we really want to do when we are no longer obligated to full-time work and/or study? No one wants to waste a single minute of each day. How do you spend the time you’ve been given?
It is so easy to lose track of the time. Where has it gone? Will we waste time chasing after the minutes that have already passed us by, somehow wishing we could go back and change that one foolish word said in a fit of anger, or one poor choice that leads to a lifetime of remorse. What will we do with the time we have left? How many minutes are ticking away on your time clock today? Do you really know what time it is?
Every minute is precious. All time is held in the palm of the Master’s hand. We spend our days the way we choose and it is His priceless gift to you and me. Will we waste the time we’ve been given or gratefully return it to the time giver? The Psalmist reminds us that we must learn to trust the Lord at all times. When we know Him, His gift of time becomes extraordinary and priceless. We stop taking the time we have been given for granted and begin using it to honor and glorify the One who holds all time in the palm of His hand. We begin to let go of our incessant need to hold fast to our time trackers, and simply live it out in a manner that is pleasing to Him. When we invest our time in loving each other the way Jesus loves us, our days are filled with great joy; our names forever recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
This morning, the sun was up over our parsonage at 6am Central Standard Time. There is still time for an early morning walk before worship begins and I intend to take it. Do not miss a minute with your maker. Trust Him today with the time of your life. He will give you exactly what you need to make the most of each new day. Hand Him your whole heart today, for the Lord God Almighty is your only refuge.
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO
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