Stop Wasting Time!

Tuesday Inspiration

Topic: Don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today.

James 4:6-10

When I was younger in elementary school I wrote a poem about tomorrow.

When I think of tomorrow I think of my grandmother who never reached it.

Now I think tomorrow is just myth or an illusion

in the minds of those who dare to consider it.

Tomorrow eluded the prophets the wise men the scholar.

Tomorrow is a prize that has never been won.

A time is space which never seems to come.

So live life to its fullest and don’t miss the fun.

For if you leave it until tomorrow….it will be left undone.

God gives us a certain amount of time on our clock. No one knows when their time will be over but we often spend our time wasting our time.

We waste our time with things of this world that never fulfill us. We aren’t fulfilled because our time is being spent on things of this world when we are not from this world. We fill our lives with material things or fleshly desires that only satisfy us temporally or not at all.

We have to stop wasting time. Time wasters are things that keep us from the Lord. We live it every day. Its equivalent to seeing our car keys, but going to our car, cutting a hole in the floor, and using our feet to drive the car instead of the engine (wasting time) or taking the wheels off our bicycle and holding in our hand and running to our destination (wasting time). It sounds silly but that is what our life is like every day when we choose to ignore the one who created us, who is the key to our engine.

Some of us are doing a lot of good things but we are not spending time with the Lord. Our clock is ticking and when our time is up and we stand before the Lord, will he say “I never knew you” (Matt 7:23). All those things we put before him are going to seem completely irrelevant in the end. Today may be the end. We hear the whisper in our ear. We feel the tug on our heart. Yet we continue to “put off tomorrow what we could do today”.  The Lord promises that we will eat the good of the land (Isa 1:19). He said he will exalt us and cause us to ride upon the high places when we delight in him (Isa 58:14).

 When we do not delight in the Lord we give into temptation. When temptation comes and it will, we must resist the devil and he will flee (Jam4:7). He has no choice but to flee, he has no power. God has given us power, love and sound mind. He gives us the power to resist, he gives us the mind to resist, we just have to want to and stop wasting time. When we play and dance with the devil we are wasting time. We are playing Russian roulette with our lives. When we praise God in one breath and give into temptation in the same instance we are double minded, we are unstable, and we are wasting time.

God does not tempt us. We can only be tempted if we have a desire outside the will of God. If we draw near to God he will draw near to us (Jam4:8). Meaning we will have the mind of Christ, he will abide in us and we will desire those things of the Lord and we will no longer waste time or give into temptation.

Temptation begins with a thought, that leads to a desire, that leads to sin, that leads to death (Jam 1:13-15). We face spiritual death daily because we are wasting our time thinking on things of this world and not on things that are above that are pure (Col 3:2, Phi 4:8).

Let us use our time wisely. We are promised blessings when we remain steadfast under trials (Jam 1:12). The secret to enduring during trails is to draw near to God. He will give us peace that surpasses all understanding. Peace that surpasses all understanding is when it doesn’t make sense. It means peace when we are up and peace when we are down. It means peace when we hear bad news. It means peace when things aren’t going our way. It is crazy peace that we can only receive if we stop wasting time and start using our time for what the Lord wills (Jam 4:15).

Let today be the last day we waste time. Let us cleanse our hands and purify our hearts (Jam 4:8). Let us have one mind, the mind of Christ. Remember every time we are tempted is due to a desire. If we chase after the Lord our desire will be of the Lord any other desires are areas we have not turned over to him. The devil can only tempt us with things we desire. Desires come from a thought and if we keep our thoughts centered on Christ we will be immovable and unshakable (1Cor 15:58). Don’t be a shaky building swaying back and forth with loose foundation ready to crumble and fall with the next wind. Abide in the strong tower (Psa 61:3, Pro 18:10). Stand on the Rock, take refuge in the Lord (2Sam 22:2-3).

Try God today, he is faithful and can be trusted. Stop wasting time and begin enjoying your time. Jesus is knocking on the door, please let him in. Most of us have those things we need every day, exercise, coffee, shower, etc. What we need most is the Lord. We cannot afford to waste any more time. Seek and you will find the time (Matt 7:7, Jer 29:13).

God Bless you and yours!

Jesus Loves You! Are you in need of salvation? Take the first step. Click here

 

Pray

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever.

Amen.