8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
– 2 Peter 3:8–9 (ESV)
15 My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
– Psalms 31:15 (ESV)
12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
– Psalms 90:12 (ESV)
14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
– James 4:14 (ESV)
1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
– Proverbs 27:1 (ESV)
It was the great cultural curators, the Rolling Stones, that popularized the tune…
T – – I – – M – – E… Is on our side. Yes it is…
Come on, sing it again! Did you sing through the chorus and realize you can’t recall another word of the song? If so, it’s ok. It turns out, you’re not alone. As a matter of fact, it turns out the song didn’t even have verses when it was first written. It’s simply one of those lyrics that gets stuck in our heads. We sing it, we whistle it, we hear it in shows and find it played at cultural events. But have you stopped to consider what it says?
Is time really on your side? What does that even mean? If you look it up, you’ll find that it essentially means that you have plenty of time to do what you need to do. You might say in it’s place, “No need to rush, I have all the time in the world.” So let’s think on this again, is time on our side? Whose side is time really on? I’d say time is on God’s side, but 2 Peter 3:8-9 makes it clear that God is over and above time. His plans are neither enhanced or hindered by time.
For most people time is a completely different story. The western world is ordered, controlled, and chained to time. It’s about order, efficiency, progress, and even money. As such, we can’t get enough. As so we like to sing that time is on our side. However, in this sense, time really isn’t on our side, is it? James 4:14 reminds us that time is short. Proverbs 27 warns us that we are not promised tomorrow.
On the other hand, for us as Christians, we can actually say that time is on our side. Indeed, our time on earth is limited. But we know that time is on our side because God is on our side. The Lord has our days numbered, and our times are in His hands (Psalms 31:15). We need not fear time because we know that He will enable and strengthen us to live long enough to fulfill every purpose He has for us. Yet we must not squander our time but rather number our days that we might serve Him well. (Psalms 90:12)
How are you doing at stewarding your time? Can you say that it is on your side? This week, in our series, Too Little, Too Late, we are considering how to steward our time wisely for the Lord. Knowing time is limited and precious is a great motivator for us to come and press deeply into the Lord and His Word for wisdom. Please take some time to read 1 Peter 4:1-11, giving special attention to verses 7 & 8. With all this talk about time, it feels kind of odd to say I can’t wait for Sunday to come. But truly… I can’t wait for Sunday to come!
Loved & Sent with you,
Pastor Jerry