Making the best use of the time, Ephesians 5:16a (ESV)
Some days really make you wonder why you ever got out of bed. Such was the Sunday morning when Randy started to hear ringing. He was trying to lead a time of singing when from some where in the pulpit came a loud ringing. It was a phone. “Can you answer that!” Stella hollered out from the second row. “I’m expecting a call from a friend.” With a roll of his eyeballs, Randy answered the phone and turned it over to Stella.
About five minutes later, Randy started hearing ringing again. This time it was coming from the chalkboard behind him. “Alright,” Randy called out, “Who left a phone on the chalkboard?” “It’s mine.” Stella called out, “Can you answer it for me, it might be an important call.” Even though he wasn’t thrilled with the interruption, Randy answered the phone and than turned it over to Stella.
A couple of minutes later, as the pianist was getting ready to play another song, the piano started to play on it’s own. The pianist let out a shriek and fainted and Stella jumped up and said “Can somebody answer my musical phone? I think I left it in the piano.” As somebody assisted the passed out pianist, Randy managed to find the phone in the piano and turn it over to Stella once again.
Ten minutes later as the congregation was getting ready to pray something started beeping. Somebody thought it was the fire alarm and as they started to evacuate the building Stella jumped up and hollered to Randy, “That’s not the fire alarm, it’s my other phone. Will somebody help me find it?”
After a frantic search, Randy finally found the phone in the baptistry but this time he wasn’t giving it to Stella. Without answering, he shut it off and tuned to Stella, and said to her, “I think we need to have a talk about all of these phones.
“What’s wrong?” Stella innocently asked, “Don’t you like their colors? Or is it because there isn’t enough for you to talk too.” “That’s not it at all!” Randy said as he tapped his fingers on the pulpit “Oh, I know.” Stella spoke again, “You’re jealous because no one ever calls you.”
“Stella!” Randy said with a raised voice, “What!” Stella asked. “Besides being a major interruption,” Randy started to tell her, “You’re spending to much time on the phone. There are other things that you should be doing with your time.” “There is?” Stella questioned and before Randy could say another word, She answered her self, “You’re right, I should be watching my favorite TV show right now.” And with that Stella gathered her phones and left.
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16(ESV)
Wise king Solomon made the following observation. There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven ... A time to be silent and a time to speak. - Ecclesiastes 3:1,7b (NAS) Like Stella we often don't know the difference between when to be quiet and when to talk, when to do this and when to do that. We fail to make the best of our time - we waste it.
How do we waste time?
- By not really being efficient
- By watching meaningless television shows
- In the evenings at home just doing nothing
- By what we read
- By unprofitable activity on weekends
- Spending to much time in bed
- Procrastinating
- Etc...
Time is the gift of God and we are to make the best use of it that we can. We can sit and twiddle away hours and engage in activity and conversation that is of little, if any, value or worth; or we can use time wisely, keeping our thoughts and hands busy...
- In our profession and work, contributing to the good of society.
- In our worship, and service for Christ
- In meeting needs
- To witness and share Christ.
- To pray
- Etc..
Here's something to ponder
- Are you wasting your time?
- How might you use your time more wisely?
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