LIFE’S MOST VALUABLE COMMODITY

Ephesians 5:16

Fair Avenue Baptist Church

Sunday Morning Sermon

January 11, 1998

Let me start by asking a simple yet complex question:

“What is life’s most valuable commodity?”

May I suggest to you, that for any Spirit-filled believer, it is TIME.

One of things that will change your life is to discover that the word “steward” is I Cor. 4:2 carries the idea of “a manager of a household or an estate.”

It comes from two words, one which means “a house,” and the other “to arrange.”

With eternal life awaiting us, between now and the time we see Jesus face to face, our Lord and Saviour wants to bring out the best in us by urging us to consider ourselves “stewards” of the life He has given us.

Think with me about three things the Bible says about this most valuable commodity of time and then notice the guidance the Word of God gives us as we seek to be good

stewards of it.

I.  TIME AND ITS VALUE

James 4:14, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little while, and then vanisheth away.”

Think with me for a moment.  On any given day, no one has more or less of it, we all have the same amount of time.

It is a truth that is inflexible,

It is a truth that dominates our lives,

It is expensive,

It is measureable,

It is unique,

And it is irreversible.

It is the most talked about resource and yet probably the most misunderstood.

You can buy time-management books,

Day planners,

Work schedulers,

and more and more,

and some people cannot live without their books.

The truth is that generally, as a child of God, we do not understand the value of time, and will never understand it until there is no time.

What we need to do is realize the value of time and then ask the Lord for the ability to live our lives as faithful stewards of the time we have.

Someone said, “It is not the days of your life but the life of your days that counts!”

Our prayer and heart’s desire should be that we should be a Spirit-filled managers of our time.

I.  Time and its value

II. TIME AS A VEHICLE

Our text verse in Eph. 5:15-16 said, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, for the days are evil.”

A Spirit-filled Christian not only recognizes the value of time, but also is very much aware that we should carefully and wisely conduct ourselves between now and eternity.

A Spirit-filled Christian is acutely aware of the importance of “redeeming the time” in this evil day and age in which we live.

Let me give you three definitions of time that will help you stay on course in your work for the Lord.

It is the dimension in which change takes place.

It is the raw material of life.

It is the vehicle to get things done.

Another quote I read was “It’s not the number of hours you put in that count, but what you put in the hours.”

There is a lesson we need to learn that is often overlooked.  At the Judgment Seat of Christ we will not be judged for what we did.

No, we will be judged for what we have done compared to what we could have done.

When it comes to doing something for the Lord, there are three temptations:

SHINE       think that we are really something

                   think that we are irreplaceable

WHINE          complain that we can’t do it

                   complain and make excuses

                   complain that it’s not our job

RECLINE  just don’t do a single thing

                   let someone else do it

                   I’m too tired

Which one fits us this morning?

God deliver us from lazy Christians,

God give us Christians who want to do something for the Lord.

What we need is three things:

Right priorities;

set some goals in life and in the Lord’s work

Right planning;

essential to plan your work and work your plan

Right procedures;

using the principles of the Word of God

I.       Time and its value

II.      Time as a vehicle

III.    TIME AND ITS VIOLATION

Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”

The word “number” means “to divide out, to measure out, to allot, to appoint,” and points us to the thought of “to schedule.”

If we could paraphrase we might say, “Teach us to schedule our days wisely.”

The truth is that we are guilty of NOT wisely scheduling our days.

We are not using our time wisely.

We are wasting our time.

We are NOT redeeming the time.

We are too busy,

We are too busy for ourselves,

We are too busy for the Lord’s Work.

Someone said, “What one postpones, one often abandons.”

The sin of procrastination is a deadening force in a Christian’s life.

Nike’s catch-phrase is “Just Do It.”  We read it on shirts and jackets and commercials.

It ought to be the catch-phrase of every

Christian who sees a need in the church - JUST DO IT.

There is enough time in any given day for each and everyone of us to do the will of God for our lives and in His service.

Christian, it is so very important that we see ourselves as stewards of the gift of time each and every day.

One more saying:

Yesterday is a canceled check,

Tomorrow a promissory note,

But today is a blank check.

I close with this thought:  Ou prayer this morning should be that God would enable each of us to be good and faithful stewards of the most valuable gift of all - TIME!

(1998 Sermons / I / Time)