Time is of the Press-ence
Time is of the Press-ence
Time is a funny thing. Always ticking, never giving. A resource we all share, but are reluctant to give away. One that seems endless in amounts. Yet cannot be captured, manufactured, or stored up. It comes and goes at various speeds (perception) and constantly ticks away at the same pace it always has since, well, time began. Constant, like the waves of the ocean, yet fleeting.
It is a resource that can only be used or wasted; shared or lost. It may be the most precious and valuable resource that we have. Children seem to have it in endless supply, and that is the envy of us all as we age.
There’s definitely moments in time that we wish would stand still. That we wish we could live in and be in forever. Moments when my beautiful girls were babies… I wish I could live in and stay in forever. But that time came and went and remains a memory.
In Exodus 3 at the burning bush, God tells Moses that before time began, “I Am.” This tells us that time was a part of creation when God spoke those four unfathomable words, “Let there be light.” In that moment, time began, and we’ve been trying to catch it ever since.
There is an example in history that records when time actually stood still. The Bible records this in Joshua 10:12-15 when Joshua asked God to give him more time to defeat his foes. This is an interesting example of perspective. From an ancient human standpoint, it is the sun and moon, the heavenly bodes, that move in our sky. When in actuality we know that it is the earth that rotates and revolves around the sun. So God probably slowed down the rotation of the earth to give Joshua the extra time he was asking for. For Joshua, the sun stood still… and so did time.
Now, I’m not saying that if you ask God to make the sun stand still that He will grant your request. I’m also not saying that He won’t do it either. He’s God. He does what He wants and what is best for us. To better illustrate this, there’s an old saying I want to juxtapose: “Youth is wasted on the young”
That saying may be more adequately stated that time is wasted on the young. I would simply like to point out that it isn’t youth or time that is wasted on them - it is wasted by them. They waste just as much time as you. They just waste it in different ways - ways you probably disagree with. They use a phone - you use a tv. Both are screens.
The simple fact is time is wasted on those who waste it. Time is used by those who use it. And time spent waiting isn’t always time wasted. Here’s three things to think about when it comes to waiting…
Wait on the Lord.
Wait for the Lord.
Wait with the Lord.
If we’ve learned anything from the first several verses of Ecclesiastes 3 it should be this… there is a time for everything… except to waste time.
The problems we humans seem to have with time is timeline more than time itself. We realize that time ticks away at the same monotonous and continuous pace it always has. We don’t struggle with having 24-hour days. We struggle with how to use 24 hours given in each day. We struggle with punctuality of our own practices, but also of our perspectives of others… and of God.
To infer that God is late is to imply that He does not have control of time. Which is to also imply that He is controlled and constrained by time. Which is to imply that He could not have created it when He created the universe, or that He created the universe. Which is to imply that He is not, in fact, God. Therefore God is not late, because He is God, who is always on time.
And, by direct effect, He cannot be early either. He is always on time.
The truth is, we’re not living on borrowed time, we’re living with given time. We’ve been given all the time we’re going to get - we just don’t know exactly how much that is like He does. You’re not living on borrowed time, but you’re not promised tomorrow either.
So what is it that you are doing with this funny thing we call time? Are you using it? Are you wasting it? Are you losing track of it? Or just losing it?
Time is a pressing essence. Time is of the essence. It is absolutely essential, critical, and crucial. So press in and press on. You may not be promised tomorrow, but you’ve been given today. Use it. Don’t waste it. Time is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.
Time is a funny thing. Always ticking, never giving. A resource we all share, but are reluctant to give away. One that seems endless in amounts. Yet cannot be captured, manufactured, or stored up. It comes and goes at various speeds (perception) and constantly ticks away at the same pace it always has since, well, time began. Constant, like the waves of the ocean, yet fleeting.
It is a resource that can only be used or wasted; shared or lost. It may be the most precious and valuable resource that we have. Children seem to have it in endless supply, and that is the envy of us all as we age.
There’s definitely moments in time that we wish would stand still. That we wish we could live in and be in forever. Moments when my beautiful girls were babies… I wish I could live in and stay in forever. But that time came and went and remains a memory.
In Exodus 3 at the burning bush, God tells Moses that before time began, “I Am.” This tells us that time was a part of creation when God spoke those four unfathomable words, “Let there be light.” In that moment, time began, and we’ve been trying to catch it ever since.
There is an example in history that records when time actually stood still. The Bible records this in Joshua 10:12-15 when Joshua asked God to give him more time to defeat his foes. This is an interesting example of perspective. From an ancient human standpoint, it is the sun and moon, the heavenly bodes, that move in our sky. When in actuality we know that it is the earth that rotates and revolves around the sun. So God probably slowed down the rotation of the earth to give Joshua the extra time he was asking for. For Joshua, the sun stood still… and so did time.
Now, I’m not saying that if you ask God to make the sun stand still that He will grant your request. I’m also not saying that He won’t do it either. He’s God. He does what He wants and what is best for us. To better illustrate this, there’s an old saying I want to juxtapose: “Youth is wasted on the young”
That saying may be more adequately stated that time is wasted on the young. I would simply like to point out that it isn’t youth or time that is wasted on them - it is wasted by them. They waste just as much time as you. They just waste it in different ways - ways you probably disagree with. They use a phone - you use a tv. Both are screens.
The simple fact is time is wasted on those who waste it. Time is used by those who use it. And time spent waiting isn’t always time wasted. Here’s three things to think about when it comes to waiting…
Wait on the Lord.
Wait for the Lord.
Wait with the Lord.
If we’ve learned anything from the first several verses of Ecclesiastes 3 it should be this… there is a time for everything… except to waste time.
The problems we humans seem to have with time is timeline more than time itself. We realize that time ticks away at the same monotonous and continuous pace it always has. We don’t struggle with having 24-hour days. We struggle with how to use 24 hours given in each day. We struggle with punctuality of our own practices, but also of our perspectives of others… and of God.
To infer that God is late is to imply that He does not have control of time. Which is to also imply that He is controlled and constrained by time. Which is to imply that He could not have created it when He created the universe, or that He created the universe. Which is to imply that He is not, in fact, God. Therefore God is not late, because He is God, who is always on time.
And, by direct effect, He cannot be early either. He is always on time.
The truth is, we’re not living on borrowed time, we’re living with given time. We’ve been given all the time we’re going to get - we just don’t know exactly how much that is like He does. You’re not living on borrowed time, but you’re not promised tomorrow either.
So what is it that you are doing with this funny thing we call time? Are you using it? Are you wasting it? Are you losing track of it? Or just losing it?
Time is a pressing essence. Time is of the essence. It is absolutely essential, critical, and crucial. So press in and press on. You may not be promised tomorrow, but you’ve been given today. Use it. Don’t waste it. Time is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.
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