Owning Our Time: Part 2 - The Distribution

In the first part of this series, we looked at the Dilemma with our time, specifically as it related to the Time we spent serving the Lord. If our only service to the Lord are those activities which we do with and through our church, we are drastically limiting the time which we are given. And, as is usually the case, we will say things like, "We are too busy," or, "I don't have any time," and these would be untrue. As we mentioned before, no one just HAS time: we have to MAKE it or TAKE it.

As we consider our time and how we use it, I want to look through a familiar passage of scripture: Matthew 25:14-30 (before proceeding with the blog, let me encourage you to read this passage).

First, in this simple parable that Jesus shares, I wanted identify the gifts that were given. Notice that each servant was given a DIFFERENT amount of treasure, or means:

"To one [the Master] gave five talents, to another two, and to another one..."

And those talents, or amount of financial resource, were given to them based on their specific skills, and the levels of proficiency within those skills:

"[the Master] gave to...each according to his own ability..."

So, up to this point, the gifts are not the same, and they are given on the basis of differing criteria. It would seem that the more proficient servant received more money than the other two. So, it would make sense that the one who received more was able to gain more by his wise handling of those provisions. The second servant could say truthfully, "Well, I wasn't able to earn as much as the first guy, because he was given a larger sum to invest than I was given."

However, there was a provision given to the three servants that was completely equal:

"[after the Master divided up the money among his servants], each according to his own ability; and then he went on his journey."

He left. He divided up the money among his workers, and he left. From his departure to his return was a specific amount of time. We are not told how much time passed between his leaving and his returning other than that it was "after a long time". So, despite those servants being given different sums of money based on their differing skills...they were all given the same amount of time. Not a single one of those servants could look their Master in the eye and say, "Well, I didn't have enough time to properly invest the money!" Such a statement would be untrue.

The hard truth of this parable is that despite the different gifts, the issue was not the amount given, or even the amount gained by their wise investing, but rather the obedient and faithful use of the provision given, and the wise use of time that was afforded to each. The third servant, though entrusted with a sum of money based on his skill, did not act wisely, and did not take full advantage of the time that was given to him.

The same is true for us! We may not have been given the financial resources of some of our friends, or have the abilities of others, but we all have the same 24-hour day to spend Glorifying God, and investing what He does provide us for His Kingdom. When it comes to time...all things really are equal. "I wish I had more time to spend studying my Bible." FALSE. You do not lack time, you lack discipline to say 'No' to some things that you may be able to say 'Yes' to others. After the day has past, if we look back on what we have done saying, "I wish I had more time for this or that," than we have wasted time on something that has not satisfied us, or enriched our walk with the Lord in some way.

And finally, we are not promised a specific amount of time. The servants did not know whether their Master would return in the next hour, or in the next year: they only knew that they were given a specific amount of resource based on their specific skills to faithfully serve him. They had no idea how much time they had at their disposal. Take a look at these sobering reminders concerning our time:

Time is fleeting - James 4:13-15

Life is a vapor! When we are young it may seem like we have all the time in the world, but in reality, time moves so fast, and before we know it, we are looking back and more life spent than life we have remaining.

Time only exists in the Present
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift; that's why it is called the Present! We are encouraged to let go of the past (Philippians 3:13), not to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34), and to take full advantage of the here and now (Joshua 24:15, Esther 4:14, John 9:4). You may not HAVE time to look those verses up, but be sure to MAKE time or TAKE time to do so.

Our days are numbered
Our time on this earth will come to a close at the end of OUR time (Psalm 139:16) or at the end of ALL TIME (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). We do not know when that time will come. God does not disclose to us our own expiration date, just as he did not disclose the time that He will bring this story of Creation and Redemption to a close with the second coming of Christ. So, since we have no clue as to when the Master will return, or when the sand of our own hourglass will run out...






We must take full advantage of the time given (Ephesians 5:16).
But where do we begin? In the next article, we will look at ways to evaluate our time, taking stock of our day, and the ways we can wrench time out of places we didn't know we had, or to redeem time from activities that are not beneficial to us, or the God and His Kingdom.