“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keeps those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”
                         –Revelation 1:3 (NKJV)
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                    “To everything there is a season, a TIME for every purpose under heaven.”
                                  –Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

       Notice, I have capitalized “time” in the verse above.  I have written many times regarding the subject of time, that substance we seem to never have enough of or are always running out of.  Time, in a way, is sort of mystical.  There was a beginning when God created and thus time started, and we are told that one day time will be no more.  So I want to look at a few things, again, regarding time.
       Let me ask you a hypothetical question.  What is the most valuable thing to you, and possibly on earth?  Most will say family, or my spouse, or my children.  Some may venture to say their health.  I used to ask this question of my students when I taught Apologetics.  Of course being in a Christian school they would mostly answer with something real spiritual:  God, or Christ, or salvation.  I would then counter–I think that it may be choice.  Without God giving us choice, how could we be saved?  Without choice, how could we choose Jesus Christ?
       However, let me say that this is only speculative–something for you to ponder–that it could be time.  Time may be the most valuable thing that you possess.  I say that even in regard to choice, it is time that dictates or provides the situation for you to make a choice.  See there is a “time for every purpose.”  
       I was reading last week and this thought struck me.  There was a conversation similar to what we are speaking of now–time.  A man said that the most important thing that he had was friendship.  The man was countered with the question, “What is it that you do with friends?”  To which he replied, “spend time.”  Hmmm.  The same could be said of family.  
       Perhaps you are one who thinks that wealth or money is the most important thing.  What do you do with it?  You spend time thinking of how to spend it, on what to spend it on, or some more conscientious may think of ways of how to save it and make more money.  All of this takes time  
       When you go to a funeral you remember the time you spent with the deceased.  You remember the times you had with them.  You remember what you did together at this or that time.  Walter Kaiser says that it is important to take “each day as it comes, as a gift from God.”  There may be no tomorrow–that is time only hoped for.  You have today, a certain amount of time.
        I really like what the old minister, Joseph Alleine wrote, “Let us live this one day well!”  He goes on to say that we have been given a new day to the start of a new week, “let us spend this week for God.”  In other words, let us be going about the Lord’s business–using our time for Him.  That takes us to the second part of that verse, “There is a time for EVERY PURPOSE, under heaven.”  You are here to wisely use the time that God has given you.  You are here to spend time working for the Kingdom, not to wantonly spend it on worldly pleasure and foolishness.  This is one reason why we need to start the day with the Lord, to see what He has for us this day.  To make a list, written or mental, of what we should try to accomplish throughout the day for we have a purpose, and we only have so much time to fulfill it.  Remember that God has a plan that embraces every man and woman and all their actions at all times.  
       The words of Paul in Ephesians is really a solemn, almost haunting word, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the TIME, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16, NKJV)  In other words, look at what you are doing with your time.  We are to be good stewards of our time, it is even more important to us that money.  It is time that we spend with family and friends.  It is time that we must be about the Lord’s work; time to be fulfilling our purpose.
       Jesus recognized the value of time when He walked this earth.  He was bound by it, just as we are, and therefore, He must work within time.  He made the statement, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day [while there is time]; the night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:4, NKJV, words in brackets are my explanation.)
What are the words of that song, “Yesterday’s gone, and tomorrow may never be mine…”  Therefore, today is ours–this particular time in history.  There is no instant replay, you can’t live over what time is lost.  Time gone can never be repeated, that is why we are told to be conscious of what we are doing with our time.  I would then ask, what are you doing with your time?  What are you trading for your time?

                    –Zane Grey  (Wanderer of the Wasteland)

       “So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while punishing the wicked right up until the day of judgment.”
                    –2 Peter 2:9 (NLT)
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Does your life ever seem like a roller-coaster?  Up, down, and around, then up some more, then flying downward again.  Just when the job seems to be going right, a new person is hired and your personalities clash.  Just when you pay off the car loan, there is a storm and it wipes off your roof.  The good and the bad, ah, such is life.  Even though Asaph wrote Psalm 80, it is often referred to as Joseph’s psalm.  Perhaps you can relate, maybe somewhat, to his life.  Happy-go-lucky kid, who was thrown in the pit, then sold to slavers, then worked in luxury as a slave, then lied about and thrown into prison . . . on it goes.

          1 — Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
          2 — Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up Your strength, and come and save us!
          3 — Restore us, O God; cause Your face to shine and we shall be saved!
          4 — O LORD God of hosts, how long will You be angry against the prayer of Your people?  
          5 — You have fed them tears to drink in great measure.
          6 — You have made us a strife to our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves.
          7 — Restore us, O God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!  (NKJV)

You do realize that in life, if you are a Christian, that you go through the same storms, battles, droughts, floods, and other disasters that your heathen neighbor does.  When God chastises a nation or brings judgment upon a nation, most often everyone suffers.  Oh there may be times when He protects in a miraculous way His people like He did the Israelites at Goshen, but most often we go through the fire.  The difference between us and our neighbors is that the Lord goes with us.
       When anyone, heathen or believer, nations or individuals turn against God and go in a different direction there will be unpleasant consequences, and sometimes they are dire.  They are meant to get our attention and bring us to repentance.  People think they can do as they please, revel in pleasure, but in the end the consequence is pain, frustration, and can be death.
       There is no hope except in God and that is what He wants to remind you when the hard times come.  Turn to Him in times of sorrow.  Turn to Him when you have forsaken the way that He has told you to take.  Rebellion brings a price and can only be remedied by repentance.  Ah, but verse 7 offers us a ray of hope.  We turn to Him; we look for His deliverance with hope and faith.  We know that with true repentance He will save us.  It is a wonderful thing when the face of the Lord shines upon His people in restoration.

                    “Since all that I meet
                    Shall work for my good,
                    The bitter is sweet,
                    The medicine food;
                    Though painful at present,
                    ‘Twill cease before long;
                    And then, O how pleasant
                    The Conqueror’s song.”
                             –John Newton