Time for the Kingdom (7)
So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90.12
Time and our journey
We began this look at the time of our lives by considering one of the great secrets of the Kingdom of God—the gift of time—and reminding ourselves that we are stewards of this gift, called to invest it in such a way as to return glory and honor to God with all the time of our lives. Time is a most precious gift from God, and we will either use our time as wise people or as fools (Eph. 5.15-17). Only by looking to Jesus can we gain the wisdom we need to make the best use of our time for the progress of His Kingdom.
Seeing our lives from the vantage point of Jesus Christ, exalted in glory and furthering His economy on earth as it is in heaven, helps us understand better what we’re supposed to be doing with our time. Seeking the Kingdom of God with all our time, in all our work is our defining priority, allowing us to arrange all our other priorities to glorify God in all things. So we need to gain an understanding both of how we are using our time in the present and how we can improve the use of our time.
Living each day within the framework of the Kingdom economy, we approach our lives as a journey toward eternal glory. Spending out time like this can help us grow in the Lord, draw on His strength, live sacrificially for others, and do the good works for which we have been redeemed by the Lord (Eph. 2.8-10).
Putting it all together
But how do we put this all together?
That is, how can we get into a rhythm of making the most of our time each day, so that, at the end of each day, we can have the satisfaction of knowing that the labors of that day—all the work we’ve done in all the time of our lives—have not been in vain (1 Cor. 15.58)? Let me suggest three disciplines for helping us improve as good and faithful servants of God who are good stewards of His most precious gift of time.
First, put in place some system for continuous planning.
If, as Moses prayed, we can “number” our days—and all the moments of them—before we get to them, we’ll be more likely to use them for the purposes of the Kingdom. We talk of “budgeting” our time, and this is what Moses has in view in Psalm 90. There is only so much time each day, and we must plan how we are going to spend it so that we can prepare well and make the best use of our time.
Christians, as we’ve seen, live toward the future, arranging the days of their lives in patterns that foreshadow, anticipate, and actually make visible the Kingdom and glory to which we are called and toward which we are journeying. It is one of the great secrets of the Kingdom economy that we know where we are headed and thus what we should be doing along the way.
By planning our lives carefully, thinking through in advance how we want to spend the time of our lives, we’ll have more success in making the most of our time, because we will have accounted for the use of this most precious gift before we actually begin to spend it.
Second, learn to live within an envelope of prayer, so that you are continuously in communication with the living God.
Let Psalm 139.23, 24 guide you here:
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
The cleansing of God’s Spirit is always needed throughout all the time of our lives. Couple this with a prayer for the continuous filling of God’s Spirit (Eph. 5.18-21), and you will be more likely to know His powerful Presence at work within you, willing and doing of God’s good pleasure in all the time of your life (Phil. 2.13).
Let such prayers become the attitude of your heart throughout the day, and you’ll be open to however the Lord may want to convict, correct, or co-opt our time for the purposes of His Kingdom and glory.
Take a few moments at different times of the day to pray these prayers and listen for the Lord’s prompting. This will help to make this prayer an attitude in which you continuously pursue the use of your time for the Lord and His glory.
Finally, partner with a few soul friends who love you, know how you’re trying to live your life, and will provide prayer, encouragement, and accountability for every step of your journey. These should be people who will take seriously the command to “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works” (Heb. 10.24). As you meet with your soul friends for prayer, sharing, strategizing, and growth, you’ll find such companionship to be an invaluable resource to help you in your journey with the Lord. You’ll experience what Augustine described as “souls pouring into souls” and your walk with and work for the Lord will be greatly enriched.
The time of your life
The time of your life that remains to you, whether the days be many or few, can be a glorious, joyous, hope-filled adventure of living for Christ and His Kingdom in these last days. The time of your life can be, well, the time of your life, full of meaning, and fruitful living for the Lord.
But you’ll need to take seriously the challenge of stewardship which God has laid upon you by bestowing His most precious gift of time into your care. Plan well. Keep in step with the Spirit. Share your life with others who will share theirs with you. These disciplines can allow you to invest more of your time into the Kingdom economy, so that in all you do God is glorified, His Kingdom is advanced, and you experience more of the full and abundant life Jesus has prepared for you.
For reflection or discussion
1. How much, and in what specific ways, do the three disciplines outlined here factor into your use of the time of your life?
2. “The time of your life can be, well, the time of your life, full of meaning, and fruitful living for the Lord.” For you, personally, what are some of the keys for making this true of all the time of your life? What needs to go? To be added? Improved?
3. Suggest some ways that Christians can help one another do a better job of making the most of the time God gives them:
Next steps—Preparation: Planning, prayer, and partners: Are these three disciplines for making the most of the time in place in your life? How might you add or strengthen each of these for your journey in the Lord?
T. M. Moore
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: This week in our Read Moore we begin selections from our book, Understanding the Times. This book will be a valuable companion to our study of “The Kingdom Economy.” In our Crosfigell column we’re following Brendan, a 6th century Irish saint, as he pursues the Kingdom economy in his extraordinary adventures. Our daily Scriptorium column takes up the Gospel of John this week in our continuing series, “Jesus throughout the Scriptures.”
Thank you.
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
