Imagine a bank that agrees to credit your personal account with $86,400 each morning. The only stipulation they make is that they will carry over no balance from day to day — every evening they will delate whatever balance you failed to use during the previous day. What would you do? My guess is that you would aggressively draw out every cent and find a way to spend it before the end of your day.
This may surprise you but, each of us has such a bank. Its name is time. Every single morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds and every evening it writes off as lost whatever you have failed to invest or spend for a good purpose. It carries over no balance, it allows for no overdraft. There is no loan policy and no credit line. When your day ends, the balance is lost. And when you begin a new day, you will again have 86,400 more seconds to spend.
The writer of Psalm 90 addressed this reality when he penned the following words: “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.” (Psalms 90:1-4, KJV).
For many of us, time has passed quickly. Yet, the reality is there is no going back and there is no drawing against tomorrow. We can rejoice over the godly investments of our past, but we must also realize that our lives are not over yet. We must be willing to live in the present on Today’s deposits.
The Psalmist sums it all up this way: “So, teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
How do we number our days? We must first of all understand the true value of time! God says that every day is precious, and we should treasure it and invest it with care. Someone creatively wrote these words: “Treasure every moment that you have! Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift — that is why it is called the present.”
Finally, we must understand the true value of the wise investment of time. You can’t buy, find, make or save more time. You can only invest it. In fact, as with your money, where you ivest your time reveals what is most important to you.
So, treasure your time. It is the most valuable asset you are ever given in this world.
WES BARTEL
Director of Senior Adult Ministries