Asher Church of Christ

Have you ever looked around your house and thought about the number of clocks you have? I did that a few days ago when the time changed back to CST.
I was amazed! We have clocks everywhere! The bedside alarm clock, clocks on the microwave — and stove, the radio in the kitchen, the VCR has a clock, and, for some reason, we have another “decorative” one on the wall. And to top that off each of our wristwatches, clocks on the dash of the car, and on and on. The bank even feels obligated to tell us what time it is and whether it’s hot or cold!
I am reminded of the lady on a Kansas City talk show when daylight savings time was first introduced. She complained the “extra hour” of daylight was just “ruining her roses!” I am sure there are times all of us wish there really was an “extra” hour to allow us to get daily tasks completed.
All time is a creation of God. When we speak of the beginning of time we go back to the creator who was around when time did not exist. The Great “I Am” has no beginning and no end and is not subject to time limitations. In fact with Him, “A day is like a thousand years and a thousand years a day.” (Psalm 90:4; 1 Peter 3:8) We recall the passages in the Bible describing the beginning of time: “And the evening and the morning was the first day.”
Can you imagine — the first day! Man didn’t exist, just space and time. Since that beginning, God’s universe has run so perfectly and precisely that we set OUR time by HIS time. God controls time and is not controlled by it. He has no “Day Timer” wrist watch or calendar; His timing is perfect. The rotation of the sun and the Earth’s revolutions are so precise that miniscule differences in timing and the planets would collide, resulting in oblivion.
Science continually gets better at measuring time and we now calculate a year as exactly 365.24 days. Sometimes science has to add an “extra tick” to its timing devices to stay in harmony with the REAL time.
We are a clock-controlled culture! We mark time, observe time, calculate time, and yet probably fail to recognize its real value. We plant “time capsules” for future generations and dream of “time machines.” We have a time to get up, go to bed, be at work, and schedule everything by time.
We speak of “overtime,” “borrowed time,” “extra time,” “out of time” and even “time out.”
Young people think they have all the time in the world and older people are said to be living on borrowed time.
Preachers are very conscious of time since most churches have big clocks very visible to make sure we get out on time. I preached in one church, years ago, that had built a clock into the pulpit. It had a little red light that came on after 20 minutes. I always have been afraid that “sermonettes” make “Christianettes” and how well was more important than how long.
Here are some facts about time:
1] WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER TIME… We cannot go back and reclaim it, force it to be longer or shorter. Time past is gone — it’s gone, never to be relived or changed. So many people go about with the regrets or successes of the past and they fail to live today. One does not go forward while looking back!
At the same time, one cannot live expecting the future, waiting for some special moment which may or may not come.
2] WE DO HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER HOW WE USE TIME. Wise Solomon said: “There is a proper time for everything.” (Ecclesiastes 3: 1ff) There is a proper time for work, play, recreation and rest. There is also a time for worship and that wise use of our time makes life better in every way.
How do you use your time? Here are some interesting ideas for you to ponder. If a person lives 75 years, he has spent time as follows: 3 years in education, 7 years eating, 14 years working, 5 years in an automobile, 5 years talking, (triple that if you are a preacher), 1 year sick or recovering, 3 years reading books, 12 years in amusement and recreation, and 24 years sleeping. If that person is in Bible school and worship every Sunday, he only spends 11 months in the most important activity of life. Five years in a car? Twelve years in amusement? And only 11 months in worshiping God?  Now tell me about priorities in life!
There are two lies we tell ourselves about time. One is “I don’t have enough time.” If we use our time properly, on the right priorities, we will find time for Bible study and worship to God. The second lie is: “I have plenty of time.”
3] TIME IS A LIMITED COMMODITY. Time will run out on you! Literally one minute we are here and the next we are gone. With every beat of your heart, time ticks away.
As a minister, I have sat at the bedside of many as they breathed their last breath and listened to the lament, “I wish I had more time.” More time with my family, more time for God, time to help others. Most would give everything for one more day. Never one time have I heard “I wish I had more time” to work, take in the ballgame, go to the lake or make more money. Medication, transplants, heroic efforts, prayers of loved ones won’t stop it and millions won’t buy it. The timepiece of our life will one day tick the last tick.    
Hey, it’s 2004 and I’m still here. How can I make you realize, in the very core of your being, that at ANY MOMENT, at the snap of a finger, your time can end and you will be ushered into the presence of the Lord. One thing for sure, you cannot stop the clock.  There are no reruns.
I don’t know what time it is in your life but I know it’s not yet too late. It’s time to settle your past and get right with God! It’s time to set your mind and affections on the everlasting not the temporary. It’s time to set priorities straight. I don’t know what time it is but I know it’s too late to wait!   by Jim Kelly, His Servant