Time Is Money

Matthew 25:34-40

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

On Saturday we attended the Greenville Hope Center’s Banquet featuring Brian Birdwell as the guest speaker. At the end of the night, Pastor Randy Daw gave the closing prayer. It was right before they took up donations for the clinic, and he read the above scripture. And then he said something that really stuck with me, as it probably did the other attendees with their checkbooks at hand.

“He wasn’t talking about paying for someone else to do that work. He said, ‘inasmuch as you did it’. We are not supposed to just pay other people to do what we’re supposed to be doing; we’re supposed to be doing it.”

It made me think how much easier it is to just pay someone else to do the work for us. And how often we resort to doing that. We [American’s] pay someone to grow our food; we pay someone to train our children; we pay someone to represent our government; we pay someone to minister for us. Time is money, after all. We don’t have time to do what we’re called to do. “We have busy lives.” Yet, most of the time what we’re busy with, is making money.

So, wait a second, we’re spending all this time making money, to pay someone else for whatever we need, instead of doing it our-self because we don’t have enough free time because we’re working too much to pay for someone else to do it for us? That seems rather... pointless. Or stupid.   

It also made me think about what I’m spending my time on. Why don’t I have time to help these people? What are my thoughts focused on? Luke 12:34 says: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Where is my treasure? What things do I delight in and spend my time/thoughts on? Psalm 37:4

It also made me ponder another thought; We are very selfish with our time and we think too highly ourselves. We are, in fact, saying, “I have time to do all these things that I enjoy, but I don’t view these people that need help as being important enough for my time, so I’ll just give them money.” Our time, after all, isn’t ours, it’s God’s. And we don’t even know if we are going to be here tomorrow! James 4:13-15 says, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

Matthew 6:19-20 says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Our time is so incredibly precious. It really is a vapor that is only here for a little time. I have been realizing it more as I wonder, what happened to last month? Wasn’t it just Thanksgiving? What have I been doing with my time? Truthfully, I have not been a good steward with my time. Days turn into weeks, and then months, and then years. And I know one day I will look back and think, Why didn’t I use my time more wisely? Why wasn’t I investing in things that will matter for eternity? I have met so many adults that would give all the money that they had, if only they could go back, and use their time wisely and for the Kingdom. Because, truthfully, youth doesn’t last for ever. The energy and exuberance that we have, will slowly wear down with age.

Unfortunately, we are also incredibly selfish (I incredibly so!). Everything that we have here in America, is almost handed to us on a silver-platter. We don’t have to go hungry, we don’t have to walk 5 miles to get water. We are so absorbed in our own little world with our friends and activities, that we hardly notice those that we pass by. The lady in Wal-Mart crying; the teens dressed in black with the piercings that are hurting and just want love and truth; the tough-guy scowling at passer byers. There are so many people that we (I) could be helping, if only we paid attention.

"Oh my friends, we are loaded with countless church activities, while the real work of the church, that of evangelizing and winning the lost is almost entirely neglected." Oswald J. Smith

"God save us from living in comfort while sinners are sinking into hell!" Charles Spurgeon

"You have one business on earth-to save souls" John Wesley

“You have enjoyed yourself in Messiahianity long enough. You have had pleasant feelings, pleasant songs, pleasant meetings, pleasant prospects . There has been much of human happiness, much clapping of hands, and much shouting of praises – very much of heaven on earth. Now then, Go to God and tell Him you are prepared as much as necessary to turn your back upon it all, and that you are willing to spend the rest of your days struggling in the midst of perishing multitudes, whatever it may cost you”  Gen. William Booth