Eternal But On Time

As a Ghanaian, this topic is very hard to right about without scratching myself. I guess that is why Hebrew 4:12 describes the Word of God as the sharpest two-edged sword. The Word of God reveals our faults. Paul knew this and hence disciplined himself by the same word:

I Corinthians 9:27 NKJV

But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

The concept of time is one I have seen disrespected all my life. The punishment and some quite severe seems to have not succeeded in convincing us of the importance of time. I guess understanding does not necessary come from the rod although it may take foolishness away. On the contrary, most foreigners (mainly westerners) seem to have a better appreciation of time. I cannot say whether this appreciation is systemic or true understanding.

When we come before the judgement seat of Christ we will essentially be accounting for our time. You may not have noticed but our lives are just countdown clocks. When you look at time this way all of a sudden everything you give time becomes something you are willing to sacrifice a bit of your life for. Well, is this always the case? In an Economics modelling sense, Yes! We may not always be aware.

My main verse for today is:

Habakkuk 2:3 NKJV

For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.

In recent times I have become very particular about time management because I have realized that it is in fact life management. This post I guess is to keep not just you but most importantly me remaindered of God idea of time and how it ought to be used.

Many would think that a sovereign God would do things as and when He likes. We are not to be blamed for such thoughts. After all, many leaders today lord their positions over others. On the contrary, God works according to a plan which we can also describe as His will. A plan presupposes a time reference. In this case since this plan concerns man, we can then suggest that God works in the time of man.

We know from the scripture above that God appoints a time for every vision. This means in His plan there are set times. What are these set times for? Why not just get His plan done at anytime? Another very important characteristic of this vision and its set time is that they are spoken for by replaying the Providential steps that manifested it.

The last section of the verse shows a divide between God's plan and man's. It would seem that man is always in a hurry compared to God. It may be due the the limitation in time. The assurance given is that the plan of God is better and hence to wait on that since God will not delay when the time has come.

It is quite clear from this scripture that although God is eternal He works within the constraints of man's time. We see God portrayed as one who is not late. This brings me to the crust of my discussion. What does it mean for a person to make time for something or someone? When we wait on God, it is usually so that His divine power will come to either our aide or that of another. This means our expectation in an appointment with God is that we are empowered through the exchange of the God life and our own life.

It would then seem to me that every little bit of time we give is us giving away our life. This holds for not just the time we spend with God but with every thing or person. Christ gave all His time to us so that the exchange produces eternal life in us. Parents usually give away a huge chunk of their time for their children. A spouse gives away a lot of time and sometimes in vain. Many today give the biggest and best part of their time to their professional work. The currency for acquiring anything seems to be time and by implication life.

Well, what does all this say about being late? By being late, I am wasting the time or life of those in wait of me. This may look like a very extreme way to look at being late but it is not. If we all have limited time and we decide to make time for each other dishonouring it is giving no regard to the life of the other.

Why are so many Ghanaians always late? The answer is simply poor planning. A God who is omniscient still takes time to plan. Who are you to live life without doing so? When we fail to plan we fail to think about what is important ahead. In many cases, your day is always made up of what is important competing with what is not. Planning will in fact prompt you to call off an appointment early enough not to waste someone else's life.

Taking some time each week to plan your week may be one of the most valuable additions you can make to your life. Valuable because it is at the core of not wasting your life. Some may think that the Holy Spirit will direct you always and hence planning is not needed. On the contrary, we need the Holy Spirit to plan; to align our plan with God's plan.

Make everyday count in your life by making time to ask God every evening: what is the agenda for tomorrow?

Mind your reading.... OnePlus @ work