An interesting thing happens when raising children. You will not need to teach a child to say, “mine.” As soon as the child understands the concept, everything is “mine.” That firetruck, “mine.” That sippy cup, “mine.” That book, “mine.” Everything is “mine.” But do you know what you will need to labor repeatedly to teach a child? To share with his or her sister.
We come into this world thinking that we own the joint. But, nothing in this world is truly your own. All good things have been given to you as a gift from God. Your time. Your treasure. Your talents and gifts. Your family. Your friends. All things are not your own, they are a gift from God to be used for his plans and pleasures.
Let’s just take one of these topics: time. Life is short. Were you alive on 9/11? Were you alive during the Gulf War? The Apollo 11 moon-landing? D-Day? Black Tuesday? Few people today remember Black Tuesday, when the stock market crashed. Yet in the scheme of things, these events happened over a very short period of time. Put them in the perspective of the American Revolution, the Reformation, and the Egyptian dynasties, and you will see how brief our lives on this planet are.
Moses, in one of the oldest Psalms, said, “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures… (Psalm 90:10).” What is the solution to living for such a relatively brief time? Moses prayed, “May the favor of our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands (Psalm 90:17).” The word “establish” here means to confirm the work we do. It means to give our work permanence and meaning that will never fade away.
Many of our schedules are filled, often with frantic activity. How often do you inventory your use of time? Are you using it well? The Lord, who has given you this time, entrusted it to you. He wants you to invest your time in things that will not pass away, like relationships, people, telling the gospel, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and other things that honor God. Don’t squander your time watching nonsense TV, petty video games, or scrolling aimlessly through social media. Use the time given you for eternity.
Your time is not your own. It is a gift from God. Use it for the glory of him who gave it to you.