Time

Time is a funny thing.


I'm 20 years old and half-way done with college. How on earth did that happen?  I feel no closer to adulthood than when I was 12.


Ok, maybe that's a slight exaggeration.


But in all honesty, I am more than a little uneasy at the pace of life these days. It doesn't just feel like there isn't enough time in my days; it feels like there isn't enough time in my weeks, my months, and (definitely) my semesters. I feel like I am at such risk of missing moments and opportunities.


I've been telling God about all of these worries lately, and the funniest thing has been happening- He's teaching me about His timing.

Besides this you know the time that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep, for salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

Romans 13:11

He is teaching me the importance of being intentional with my time.  It is ridiculously easy to spend so much time on things that don't matter.  

Its funny how I can be so concerned about time and yet so prone to wasting it. 

So, I was left with a question.

How does God want me to spend my time?

I love when I ask God a question and He answers with a scripture that seems to have been written precisely so I could find it in that moment.


It seems that God spoke through Paul a long time ago on how He thinks we should spend our time:

We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you... 

and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.  

Be at peace among yourselves.  

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, 

encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

See that no one repays anyone evil for evil,  

but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.  

Rejoice always. 

Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances 

for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ for you.

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything.

Hold fast to what is good, abstain from every form of evil.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless as the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

He who calls you is faithful, He will surely do it. 

1 Thessalonians 5: 12-24

I pray that I will never stop being amazed at the power of the Creator of the world to fulfill my every need, to quiet every fear, to answer every question.

With 2012 being only a day away, I feel pressured to make a resolution.

This year, my resolution is to make the most of my time.  I am resolving to be intentional. I am praying to be defined by Paul's words in 1 Thessalonians- and I can't wait to see how it goes. 

I'll leave you with an incredible quote I heard on the radio today:

We manage time; we waste time. We spend time; we save time. 

We wish the time would come; we wish the time would pass. 

We see time fly; we feel time drag.  

We watch clocks and carry calendars, creating the illusion that we somehow control time, 

yet all the while moments flow forward like a mighty river that cannot be stopped, harnessed, or re-routed.

Yet, God controls time.  

He created time and we, His creations, are fenced by His time.  

We are directed and guided by His holy and loving Hand.

The year 2012 is a gift of time from God. How will you spend it?

Jon Walker