You Can't Get it Back

1 YEAR, 12 MONTHS, 365 DAYS, 8760 HOURS, 525,600 MINUTES, 31,536,000 SECONDS

There are 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a 7 day week. Stop right now and think about how you have spent the last few days. Many will have put in eight or more hours at a job. Some may have been caring for children. What ever activity you have done, it takes time. We take time for granted. Time is one of the most valuable assets every human being has and yet we treat it like worthless trash. We think we have all the time in the world, but the harsh and cold truth is we don't know if today is going to be our last day on this earth.  Jesus talked about the serious error of treating time like garbage, In Luke Chapter 12, starting at verse 16:
 "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully, and he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?', "So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods, 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take it easy, relax; eat, drink and be merry." "But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?"
We now are a 'world of fools' Fool, that is what God calls a person who spends most of their time on earthly pursuits rather than things of God. . According to Nielsen's Total Audience Report, Americans aged 18 and older spend at least 11 hours watching TV, listening to the radio, or using their smartphones or other electronic devices.  11 hours out of a 24 hour day minus 8 hours of sleep, minus 8 hours work leaves a negative balance "-3", which of course doesn't exist, we only have 24 hours in a day not 27. So how much of this time is Gods? In reality, ALL of it. God loans us our time here on earth. And it is such a very short time at that.

 How about those who call themselves Christians? Surely they are spending a majority of their time on spiritual and godly things.  Well, the sad truth is professing Christians are no better stewards of their time than non-believers. According to American Bible Study's Barna Group State of the Bible research from 2014, 88% of households have a bible, but 46% don't even read the bible, 53% only read the bible 3 to 4 times a year. Only 15% of bible owners actually read their bible daily, 13% read scriptures weekly.  The average bible reader spends an average of 30 minutes when they do read the bible. This is just an average, some spend less some more, but most people spend 30 minutes of the 24 hour period reading the bible.

Why the Bible? Now bible reading is not the only 'spiritual activity'. But it is a major one. There are so many scriptures about the importance of the Bible, one of those verses is 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.  How can you know what God commands if you don't read His instructions? What does God say about how often and how much time we should spend on His Word? Is it just a few minutes or just a few times a year? No, this is what He says in Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 

Wow, think about this verse, if we study and meditate on His word day and night and learn to follow His commands and laws, we will be prosperous and have good success. God's Word=Success.

Strive for Success. Being successful is a goal of many people, they strive for their dream job /career, their dream marriage, the house, the car, the white picket fence, or a life of ease, partying, playing games, and being entertained; and when they achieve these things they think that are successful, they've 'made it'.

Actually that is what the world praises people for, 'oh they are so successful, look at them, they are rich and have everything.' But God has a completely different opinion about what is 'successful', the truth is He has some very harsh words for those who think they are 'rich and successful' and don't need God.
"Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, Jesus reveals their true state, "you don't know that you are wretched, miserable, poor blind, and naked."

The End of The Matter. We waste time, we have our priorities upside down, we take time for granted, we take the mercies of God for granted. But thank God He is a merciful and forgiving God. There is a time to live and a time to die, but in between those two ends is our duty to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God. Are you building treasures in heaven where thieves can't steal or break in; or are you heaping up coals of judgement by laying up treasures on this perishing earth? One day we all will have to stand before God to account for EVERYTHING done/said in the body. Do you really think He is going to say, "Well done good and faithful servant for: watching 11 hours of tv or texting playing games, or Good Job for working 80 hours a week on your job, or Good Job for partying every weekend at the club."

24 hours in day, but what are you doing with the time God has mercifully blessed you with? I end with a word from God, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians 5:15-17.  We only can find what the will of the Lord is by reading His Word!


The Good News is there is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. Believing in Jesus saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW.

This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived.

Bible verses related to this post: Luke 12:16-21, 2 Timothy 3:16-17,Joshua 1:8; Revelation 4:14-18; Ephesians 5:15-17; Colossians 4:5, Matthew 6:33
resources: www.statista.com; http://www.americanbible.org/uploads/content/state-of-the-bible-data-analysis-american-bible-society-2014.pdf