1 Thessalonians 3.8 For now we really live, since you are
standing firm in the Lord. (NIV)
Yesterday, while chipping away at my job I had thoughts –
I usually always do. Part of my routine each day is to read the Bible, read a
blog or two, and read some journalistic commentary on what’s happening in the
America around me. Okay, and I Facebook as well – I like to see what others are
thinking, saying, and pictures they’re posting. And then I go off to work….and
think.
I thought about Christian ministry yesterday and what it
is the Bible (specifically God) is asking of me and you as we claim to give our
lives to Him. What does God want us to do and how well do we do what we do?
That led me to think about the practice of a time study: what do I do
with all of my time during a given day, a given week? How well do I use it, and
how much of it do I really give to God?
There is a principle in Scripture called tithing. Tithing refers to, “giving a tenth”. It’s an ancient
practice, and it is kind of the Biblical mandate (if I could use the m-word) on
our usage of three things: our time, our talents, and our treasures. Usually
the tithe thing is about money. That’s not to say it’s all about money but in
most people’s minds when you say tithe
they think money.
The reason I bring this up is because I think we (in
America, land of the free, home of the brave) don’t give God much of our time.
Time is a precious commodity for us here in the west and we cling to our time
as if it really doesn’t matter what we do with it. For the believer, nothing
could be farther from the truth. Our possession of time is something we really should
be accountable to…
So, when Paul writes to the Thessalonians and says, “For now we really live, since you are
standing firm in the Lord.” What do we think he meant by that; that the
Thessalonians were good at church attendance? That they were good at
membership? That they were good at being well behaved in their faith? Or that
they devoted to God and liberal in sharing their time in with Him in godly
pursuits? It seems they stood firm for something.
So, I’m thinking about a time-study and examining how
well I use my time and how much of it I really give to God. My time is not my
own, no matter what I think of it. And God deserves my time – not because He’s
lacking, but because I am. For God so loved the world… that He gave…
In order to do a good time study I need to know what it is I’m to be doing for God (or,
for you purists, being for God). I
can’t do or be if I don’t really know or accept the mission given to me. So,
along with a time-study, I need to have a mission
statement (what do I believe) and a ministry
description (and what should I be doing); what am I really all about (I
mean beyond work, Facebook, and TV)?
Over the next little while, while using statements like
Paul’s above, I’m going to explore this in a bit more detail and then I’m going
to actually post my time-study and give an honest picture of what my time tells
me and you about my claim to be a Christ follower… Lord, help me.
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