HomeWord - Dec. 2, 2010

It's Time to Seek the Lord
This devotional was written by Jim Grams
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die… —Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

The most probable author of the Book of Ecclesiastes was the incredibly rich and powerful King Solomon. It is a book filled with statements of hopelessness and an attitude that says, "Life doesn't matter." But in Chapter 3, Solomon talks about there being a "time for everything": A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to be silent and a time to speak. It isn't hard to get the picture. God wants us to examine how we spend our time.

I was looking around my house the other day and decided to count the clocks. I couldn't believe it. There were 21! Try counting the clocks in your home and don't forget the DVD player, the microwave and even the coffeemaker. Clocks are everywhere!

We are so very time conscious in fast-paced North America. I remember some of my trips to Africa's great interior. I was in a Mozambique village without TV, no newspapers and no clocks. It was very easy to even forget which day of the week it was. All events in those villages were scheduled by the sun and not the clock. It was awesome!

I think all of us would be a lot better off if we scheduled our lives by the SON! Every event in our day should be centered in our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I wonder how often we have looked at our wristwatches and rushed away from an opportunity to share Christ's love with someone who was just ready to open his or her heart.

Let's determine today to ask God to help us be less time controlled. Let's decide to serve Christ every minute and make each day, His day…by being obedient to His call. Walking with the Lord requires keeping our eyes fixed on Him every single moment.

Solomon ends his depressing view of the world with this great conclusion to the book of Ecclesiastes: "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."  He actually got it right in the end. We need to decide to get it right every morning, by obeying God without constantly looking at our watches. Time is not money; time is an opportunity to seek our Lord, and it's a gift we need to give Him daily.

GOING DEEPER:

1. Are there any blocks of time in your day where God is excluded?  Do you find yourself wasting minutes or even hours of your valuable day?

2. Try praying short prayers throughout the day.  In the middle of your busiest hour, pause a moment, and just talk to your loving Heavenly Father.

FURTHER READING:

Hosea 10:12; Ephesians 5:15-16