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As we'll see in our sermon this morning, time is a good creation of God, and a good gift to us. Since that's true, we are stewards, not owners, of our time. As stewards, we will have to give an account of how we use the time that God gives.
As you enter 2007, conduct an audit. Are you being a good steward of this gift? How have you been spending the time God gives? How are you using it?
Are you using that time to nurture grudges and complaints against your parents, your wife, your husband, your children, your co-workers, your teachers, your elders, God?
How much time did you spend entertaining yourself this past year? And, by contrast, how much time did you spend helping someone else? James says that true religion is visiting orphans and widows in distress: How much time did you devote to true religion this past year? How much time did you spend reading the Bible?
Don't fool yourself with arguments about Christian freedom. Of course, we have liberty to be entertained. Of course, we are allowed to read books other than the Bible. The issue is not permission but balance and emphasis.
If God came this afternoon and asked for a balance sheet of your time, would you be embarrassed to produce one? Would He be pleased with how you've used His gift?
This is not hypothetical. The Lord will demand an accounting of your use of all His gifts, if not today then someday. How are you going to fare when that happens?
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, December 31, 2006 at 07:44 AM
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