HOW TO USE YOUR TIME ON PURPOSE
TEXT- Psalm 90:10-17
Introduction
Here in this Psalm we find David talking about the subject of time. As human beings everything we do is regulated by time in some form or fashion. Each one of us spends a certain amount of time working at our jobs. Some of you spend a certain amount of time going to school. Those of you who are house wives, spend a certain amount of time each day doing your house work and buying groceries and many other things. As your pastor, I spend a certain amount of time each week preparing lessons and sermons. Each and every one of us is regulated by time
Not only are all of us regulated by time but each of us has the same amount of time in a day; 24 hours. Yet within this allotted amount of time, we all use it in different ways. Some of the ways in which we have used our time have been worthwhile, yet other ways in which we have used it has been a waste of time.
As God's people we must always remember that the lives we live and the time that we have here on this earth is a gift from God and because of this we must use it properly.
Ephesians 5:15-17 So watch your step. Use your head. 16 Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! 17 Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants. (MSG)
As God's people we are to be stewards of the time that God has given to us. The word "steward" Webster says means, " One who manages another's property." As God's people we need to be good managers of the time that God has given to us and use it wisely.
Psalms 90:12 Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well! (MSG)
The other night a few of us were out in the church yard talking about this past year. For some of us it has flown by so fast that we could hardly believe that it was almost over and the New Year was just a few days away. Yet this is how our lives are and this is how fast the time we have flies by. David said, "For soon it is gone and we fly away." Our lives and the time that we have here on earth is but a fleeting moment in comparison to eternity.
Job 8:9 Our life is short, we know nothing at all; we pass like shadows across the earth. (TEV)
Psalms 102:11 My life is passing swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering like grass. (TLB)
Psalms 144:4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow. (NIV)
Have you ever asked yourself why it is that some people are able to get so much done in one day? The difference between successful people and average people is that those who are successful use their time wisely. Rather than waste it, they invest their time in those things that matter. We need to ask ourselves, “How much of what I’m doing right now is going to count ten years or 50 years from now? Is what I am doing going to last for eternity?”
Psalms 90:10 We live for seventy years or so (with luck we might make it to eighty), And what do we have to show for it?... (MSG)
Nothing in life matters more than fulfilling God’s purposes in your life. In fact, God has given each one of us just the right amount of time to fulfill his purpose for your life. If you’re not able to get something done on time, it’s probably because it’s not God’s will and he never intended for you to do it to begin with or, because it is God’s will and you’re just not doing it the right way.
1 Corinthians 7:29 I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don't complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple... (MSG)
How do you do that? How can you make your life simpler? How do you invest your time so you’re not wasting your time. You use it the way God intended for it to be used. God wants us to use the time he has given to us here on earth five ways. Let’s look at them together this morning.