ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH
(The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod)
Alma, Kansas
A family united by faith in Christ gathering around God's Word and Sacraments.
To reach out in Christ-like concern and Christ-borne love to each other and to those without Christ!
In This Month's
St. John Witness
JANUARY WITNESS
Pastor's Message
“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:16”
Time is one our greatest resources. It is common to review how we use time, and make New Year’s resolutions to help us use time more wisely. In fact, phones and watches have many time management features built into them. If you look at a typical week, are you satisfied with how you have budgeted the 168 hours God gives to you?
Let’s think about this a little bit. It is easier to fill a jar with big rocks first, and then add sand later. So what are the most important things in your life?
We need to sleep, so let’s schedule 56 hours for sleep each week. That leaves us with 112 hours remaining. Let’s assign 12 hours to our daily meals. Work and travel time will consume another 48-60 hours. That means we have about 58 hours that are free for us to use as we please, more or less depending upon work schedules, which remain for the rest of the week.
If we tithe this free time, we can see that about 5 and one half hours should be given to God. This is time for us to be in worship, Bible study and prayer.
But we usually agree God and family are to come first, right? It may seem unnecessary to structure family time, but if we don’t it will soon be lost to us. Phones, TV,’s, and other electronics can use up all the remainder of this time. So schedule time to talk as a family, share as a family, and to have fun as a family. The ages of children may change time needed for care. Ages of parents may change time needed for their care. Health concerns also affect our use of time (for example: I have doctor’s orders to put my feet up several times per day due to my blood circulation – while that time may be spent reading, it also works for a nap!)
Our starting number is 168 hours. We won’t ever finish the week with more than that. It keeps coming, and it keeps going, one second at a time.
But God is the giver of time, and He uses time for His purposes, too. “In the fullness of time God sent forth His son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the Law.” (Gal. 4:4) Jesus is God’s gift, in time, for eternity.
As God gives us time, He wants us to appreciate its value, to thank Him for it by our godly living, and to plan to use it wisely. We also have the understanding that He may change our schedule according to His will, Life is interrupted by events, challenges, and relationships. Look for ways to serve Him, and to use this time to the glory of God.
Rejoicing as holy children of God! Pastor Grimm 