Are you hoping that it will be a better year than last? Usually, when I hear people speak about the New Year, they speak with a tone of hope. They hope that life will be better. They hope that their investments will recover from last year's losses and grow again. They hope that they will enjoy good health. They hope they will be happier. But mostly they are worried that things could only get worse.
Today, I want to be sure that I tell you the most important thing I can for your future in the New Year. 2009 will be another group of days, made up of 365 individual days, 52 weeks, and 8760 hour. Time is the one commodity that we can neither save nor trade. Time is a possession that slips though our lives with each passing second and disappears as quickly as the next second takes its place. It is not to be harvested nor accumulated… it is only to be used. While many of those hours will be consumed with work and sleep what about the rest of the time? Will you spend your time doing something of relevance?
Hebrews 13:13-16 tells us about time and how it is to be used. “… let's go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is—not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This "insider world" is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let's take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus' name. Make sure you don't take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of "sacrifice"—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.”
The lesson for us is that our time on this earth is short compared to eternity. We are simply asked to proclaim a God who loves us dearly to everyone we come across. That is how we offer a sacrifice to God though our actions. It isn’t about being good, but proclaiming that God loves us and forgives us in spite of ourselves.
I am reminded of the funeral I attended many years ago. I knew the deceased person and his family pretty well. When the preacher started talking about the life of the dead man, I actually wanted to stand up, ask the preacher to stop, and open the casket… because I was sure that either they had the wrong man in the box or I had wandered into the wrong funeral. The man the preacher was describing was not the man I, nor anyone else remembered with th
e exception of a few loved ones. In the movie the Wizard of Oz, when the Wizard gives the Tin Man his heart, the Wizard imparts this bit of truth, “...that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.” These are wise words for such a bumbling Wizard. Many people have loved… their money, their stuff, even their own selves. But for others to love you, you first must demonstrate love to them. Giving time, with a smile, can be worship. At first, it might seem difficult or “sacrificial”, but our time can be a gift to God no matter where we are or where we go. This year, make a difference for God and you will have no worries of ever having a bad year, just another good one!
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