Time

Thursday night I was able to see the newest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The movie's big bad villain is a man named "Kang the Conqueror." What makes him a great threat is his ability to manipulate time and reality. Without spoiling anything that the trailers already haven't, he attempts to get the movie's heroes to do his dirty work by offering them more "time" as a reward.

Who wouldn't want more time? More time with loved ones. More time to travel. More time to get things done around the house. More time to relax. The idea of having more time to do what we want is appealing.

But it's not realistic.

The Bible says that our time here, in these bodies, is limited. We only receive so much of it and we have very little control of it overall...

Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble. They spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure. (Job 14:1-2)

Thinking about how much time has passed since the dawn of creation, whether it's 6,000 or 65 Million years, it doesn't matter: Our time on earth, even if we live to see 100 years old, is short in comparison. I have these tulips in my backyard that spring up every year in March - they're gone in weeks, maybe a couple months if they're lucky. The Word of God teaches that our lives are like the lives of flowers. Here today, gone tomorrow.

One of my favorite quotes from the movie comes from Kang when he says, "Time, it isn't what you think. It's a cage." Like a cage restricts and contains those within its walls - time does the same. While we are here in these bodies, we cannot escape the impact of time. It ages us and limits how much we can do. And once we spend time, which is ever-occurring, we cannot recycle and reuse it. Unlike a time-traveling supervillain like Kang, there is very little we can do to manipulate time, but the Bible is clear what we can do...use it wisely.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalms 90:12)

Jesus, while He was here on earth, was also limited by time. He understands how quick our lives are and how time escapes us so easily. Therefore, Jesus had to be strategic about his ministry and time on earth. He recognized just how important each opportunity was that came before him. Now, that doesn't mean Jesus rushed everywhere He went or made reckless decisions, rather, He made careful, specific choices about what He did with the time given to him. He taught all of his followers to do the same.

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. (Matthew 26:40)

When Jesus found the disciples sleeping instead of praying, He didn't hide his disappointment. Sure, they probably needed rest, but Jesus recognized what the greater priority was at that moment. We should be asking ourselves, "What is it that God needs me to do at this moment in time?" It might be instinctual to answer with things that we want or need to do, but as the Bible puts it, we must crucify our flesh and think about what the more pressing matter at hand is. Because we are only given a specific amount of time, it is vital that our priorities be in proper order.

In Luke 10, Jesus visits the home of two friends, Martha and Mary. Martha waits on Jesus and the disciples while Mary chooses to sit with Him. This upsets Martha but Jesus says that Mary's priorities were in order - that she had chosen the better thing. When I think about this, I do feel a little convicted. I love keeping my house in order and serving others, but even Jesus said that time spent directly with Him is a better thing. Does it mean we shouldn't serve others in Jesus' name? Of course not. But this demonstrates that time is precious and we should devote as much time as we can to being in communion with Him - that means prayer, worship, and meditation on the Word of God.

I'm encouraged today to think of time differently. I'm not getting any of it back. Neither are you. What can we do to make the best use of our time? I believe that the more time we spend with Him, the more clearly we will be able to hear His voice and take the actions He desires of us.

This is especially true if you haven't made Jesus Christ the LORD of your life. If you are still living for yourself and this world (your family, career, and life coming first), then you need to make immediate change and begin putting Jesus at the forefront of all you do. We are not guaranteed tomorrow.

There's a song by country music artist, Cody Johnson, called "Til You Can't." It's all about the value of time and seizing opportunity. While the focus of the song isn't directed on knowing the LORD, it delivers a powerful message that we need to seize opportunity while we can, because we don't know for how long it will be available to us.

The Bible is clear that one day Jesus will return and by then it will be too late to repent of sin and follow Him. We must make that decision today because we do not know how long we have.

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. (Isaiah 55:6)