Time the Most Precious Commodity

Recently I finished a short essay from John Edwards "The Preciousness of Time and the Importance of Redeeming It". Thanks to our friends at the Rebelution.com for pointing me to it. For me it hit on two very timely topics.

First it provide me the nudging to examine how i spend my time. With The New Wine Conference behind us myself, my family, and the ministry I lead turn to a season of rest. For me this means that my free time actually is free. If you're like me this means that it can also be dangerous. I'm apt to spend hours channel surfing, when i could be actually surfing, it means I spend time reading pointless RSS feeds when I could be feeding by reading things that would nurture my soul, I'm prone to end up interacting with twitter posts when i could be interacting with my wife and daughter. Time will be spent this summer one way is honoring to the Lord the other leads to a life of a sluggard. Yikes.

"You have had much time of leisure and freedom from worldly business. Consider to what purpose you have spent it. You have not only had ordinary time, but you have had a great deal of holy time. What have you done with all the Sabbath-days which you have enjoyed? Consider those things seriously, and let your own consciences make answer."

Second, Edwards in a very pastoral way urges the reader to view time as the most non expendable, most precious of comedies. I'm reminded of the brevity of life and often of seasons of life. Abbie, my daughter, is a constant reminder of this. Her changes are daily as she grows and matures. Her coo's will soon turn to words, and her seemingly irrational motions to a very active toddler. As my first fathers day passed this last weekend I looked back and realized that every moment that God has given my family is just as important as what we from a human perspective choose to value.

"Second, time is very short, which is another thing that renders it very precious. The scarcity of any commodity occasions men to set a higher value upon it, especially if it be necessary and they cannot do without it. Thus when Samaria was besieged by the Syrians, and provisions were exceedingly scarce, “an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.” 2 Kin. 6:25. — So time is the more to be prized by men, because a whole eternity depends upon it; and yet we have but a little of time."