Time is of the essence.  This phrase is found in many legal proposals to move the party  to realize the importance of a quick decision and completion of the bidding process.  If the matter is important, don’t delay because someone else is going to move ahead of you and win the proposal.

Likewise, being a disciple of His means that time is of the essence.  When an assignment is giving to us by our Lord, it is important to handle it quickly and expediently.  We see what happened to Jonah who delayed and ran away from his calling.  He didn’t want any part of the ministry to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh.  Instead, he jumped unto a boat going in the opposite direction.  When the ocean became angry, he went down to sleep while the rest of the crew petitioned their gods for help.  When they ask him to petition his God, Jonah went to sleep rather than have God interfere in his life’s priorities.  But he eventually learned an important lesson and completed the assignment given to him.  But even after which, he had an attitude problem with God’s mercy.

The point being that God’s plan will be completed.  We either choose to participate or not.  If a plan is God’s Will, nothing is going to prevent it from being accomplished.  There is no obstacle large enough to prevent it.  There is no person who will prevent it.  There is no time delay that will prevent it.  The time delay only affects us as people because of our physical limitations.

We are instructed to redeem the time.  We are not to waste the time, but to put it to good use.  And good is a relative term.  One person’s treasure is another person’s junk.  For example, if we are waiting on the Lord for an answer to our prayer, we may wait while resting, while visiting with friends, while walking through the park, or while reading a new book.  Other people may look at us and disagree with our approach.  They can’t seem to understand that approach.  They believe we should be diligently working and busy in some ”productive activity” in seeking the Lord’s answer.  The fact is we have a different approaches to solving the problems in our lives.  Either one is acceptable to our God depending on our attitude and faith.

No, God doesn’t delay.  God’s timetable is right on schedule.  And we’ve learned over time to follow His timetable.  Since He is always on time, our faith waits on Him.

OUR PRAYER

Our Eternal Dad, it is good to know that you are always with us and in us and for us as we live in Christ.  It is reassuring that you have a plan and timetable for all of us.  We thank you that you are eternal and not limited by time.  You control it and direct its course.

Help us to learn to live with the time we have each day.  Let us learn to redeem the time and invest in it wisely.  Let our time be dedicated to serving you and discovering more of you and your ways.  Help us to redeem the time through service for others.  Let us learn to manage our time for your glory and honor.  Thank you Jesus. we pray. Amen.