Time cannot be stopped – use it
With the year 2023, God gives us time again that we can invest. We look to Jesus, who used his time in an exemplary way (Heb. 12:2). He had a goal, priorities and a partnership that helped him succeed. The goal gives us the direction to take. The priorities, the way to reach the goal, the partnership with God and other Christians the strength to go this way.
Time cannot be stopped
2023 – Wow – another new year. I like to remember New Year’s Eve 1978 very much. To celebrate the year, we set off a table bomb. Only then did we notice that it was placed under the table’s ceiling lamp. The bomb went off and after that our parlour was dark. I also remember the big tam-tam about the millennium change. There were going to be power cuts, computers and planes were going to crash and all because of a programming error. And now it’s already the year 2023. Is it just me or do you yourself feel how time flies by so fast? It cannot be stopped and is slipping out of our hands. Our earthly life is like an hourglass and one day it will run out.
Perhaps we sometimes ask ourselves how wisely we are using the time we have been given? As followers of Jesus, it is good to evaluate our lives occasionally and correct them if necessary. I look back at 2022 and ask myself if I have used my time and energies in the right place? Am I in the place I want to be? One of the worst things that can happen in life is when we let time go to waste. Better than regretting our past is to be able to look back at the end of our lives and be satisfied. But I think this is only possible if we have a clear picture in advance of what we want to achieve.
Jesus our role model
In our faith, Jesus is our role model. He had a clear picture of his mission in life. When Jesus was about thirty years old, he got the opportunity to read the Scriptures. He chose the prophecy of Isaiah which describes the coming Saviour: «The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me with a commission to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim to the captives that they shall be free, and to the blind that they shall see, to bring freedom to the oppressed, and to proclaim a year of grace from the Lord»(Luke 4:18–19 NGÜ). After that he sat down. Many theologians take this moment as the beginning of his public ministry and preaching.
Jesus had a precise vision of his vocation. But even more than that, he reached the goal by setting the right priorities. He knew what was important to achieve the goal. One of his priorities seemed to be in contradiction with his calling. The disciples were frustrated several times when Jesus broke away to be in silence with the Father. His friends could not understand why he eluded so many in need when they desperately needed his help. Jesus knew that without the Father he could achieve nothing (John 8:28). His relationship with his Father seemed to get in the way of his work, but Jesus knew what was more important.
It is the same with us. We too need a vision before our eyes. But even this calling does not override biblical priorities. In the book to the Hebrews we read that we must run like a competitor with perseverance towards the goal. In doing so, we are to «unserting our gaze on Jesus» (Hebrews 12:2 NGÜ). The word direct I like it. I imagine a cameraman pointing his camera and following the actor. The Bible Hope for All translates it a little differently: «In doing so, we don’t want to look to the left or to the right, but to Jesus alone.» This verse describes what must have priority in our lives in order to arrive at the destination. The verse takes us even further: «He has given us faith and will keep it until we reach the goal.» This sentence describes the partnership we need to reach our destiny. We can only reach the goal if we walk the path with His power.
Then in the next part: «He has worked with View of the unsurpassable joy (vision) that lies before Him, He took upon Himself the death of the cross. He did not heed the shame that came with it»(Hebrews 12:2 DBU). This verse describes his motive in suffering. Jesus had a vision of what his going to the cross would bring about. I am convinced Jesus had a revelation in advance. He saw how the people He loved were with Him in the kingdom of heaven. Having super fellowship together with the Father and the Spirit. This joyful sight moved Him to take upon Himself the horrendous death on the cross. Jesus saw the lostness, of Thomas or Ursi, of you and me, that He accepted the most brutal pain.
Jesus was willing to suffer in order to achieve this joy. In the German language there is a word for this, it is called Passion. We use the word in everyday use. It is the willingness to suffer in order to achieve something. We say: he is a passionate artist, musician, gardener or sportsman. Most people have one or more passions. I like cycling and have found that cycling is not always downhill. There are the steep, sweaty, painful, heart-pumping, lung-burning mountain rides under brutally scorching sun. But I’m happy to put up with the suffering, already thinking about the joy I’ll have on the pass, on the cool downhill ride or after the shower.
In life, hopefully, there are other goals besides hobbies that we are passionate about. The beginning of the year is a good opportunity to think about what is important. It’s a new year, which gives us a new chance to get it right.
The gift of time
Incidentally, while I am talking here in front, sand continues to run through the hourglass. It represents the passing of time. The beauty of an hourglass is that you can turn it around. In real life, unfortunately, you can’t turn back time. The positive thing, however, is that in many cases you are given more time again. We won’t get 2022 back, but hopefully we will experience the whole of 2023. Hopefully God will give us another year.
What does the year 2023 bring us? It’s 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days – 8760 hours or 525,600 minutes. For those who haven’t already tapped out by hearing all these numbers, I have a few extra numbers ready. For this year, we are given about 7 million breaths and 37 million heartbeats. And any one of them could be the last. Under the denominator, these numbers represent time. God gives us this time.
Use time wisely
Now I would like to become more figurative again. God has given us a certain amount of time on earth. This glass container symbolises the time we have at our disposal. In our daily life, a day / week / month fills up quickly. The small grains of sand in the hourglass symbolise how time passes. If we are not proactive, the whole container fills up with things we don’t want. Let’s say our goal is to have a family that follows Jesus. Raising a family takes money and usually we have to work for it. This big stone in the container symbolises the time we need to work. Working is important: the Bible teaches us this, we may and must provide for our families (1Timothy 5:8). Children take up a lot of time: you need enough time to help with homework, watch movies, go shopping, chauffeur them to sporting events or music lessons and much more. Maybe we still have a little time for our partner. As Christians, we need time for our relationship with God. This still has half a place. Then we should help our neighbour … but … as we can see, there is no more room for that. And yes, helping out in church would also be good.…
Yes, this time management didn’t quite work out. Let’s start again and set the right priorities right at the beginning. The most important thing is our relationship with God. Work is also very important. As already mentioned, it is extremely important that we take care of our families. Furthermore, our life partner, the children, our vocation, and lo and behold: with the right priorities, much more fits in.
In summary: In life we have to set priorities, otherwise we will never reach the place where we want to be. If you don’t plan, you get planned. and don’t end up where you want to be or should be. Vision, priorities & partnerships get us there. The vision gives us the direction, the priorities the way to get there. Partnerships give us the strength to follow this path.
Finally, I would like to be specific. I read recently that one of the main reasons we don’t successfully manage change in life is that we often take on too much at once. I think it’s good if we focus on one priority. I believe that during prayer and worship God speaks to us. He will show us for which priority we should call on his strength.
Possible questions for the small groups
- What do you think God has called you to do? (Job – family – talents – etc.)
- What are generally valid priorities for Jesus followers?
- Do you still remember your resolutions for 2022? Which ones did you have?
- Are you satisfied with the year 2022?
- Where do you think God wants to set a priority in 2023?
