HAL BRADY: The commodity of time

If I were to ask you “What time is it?” many of you would look at your watches, but if I were to ask you “What is time?” that would be different. Oh, we know what we mean when we talk about “making time,” “saving time,” “spending time,” or “killing time.” But what is time? Even though time has been defined as “a measurable period during which events occur,” there is a mystery about time. We simply cannot grasp it. The moment we try to identify it, it’s gone. However, we can identify with Paul or we should be able to identify with him. Writing to the Ephesians, Paul says. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise making the most of the time…(Ephesians 5:15). Here we see that no occasion is too insignificant for redeeming the time. Whether we are in a business transaction, attending a concert, at a ballgame, participation in a demonstration or discussing at a public forum, no occasion is too insignificant for redeeming the time. Time is precious, and God takes it very seriously. So why should we make the most of our time?

First, because time is a gift from God! The most important fact about time is that God owns it — all of it — our time and our times. The psalmist declares, “My times are in thy hand” (31:15). The writer of Luke’s Gospel adds: “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 27:28). Time does not belong to us. It belongs to God. Consequently, every day is sacred. Every day is time entrusted to us by God. Every hour is God’s sacred hour. Every moment is a gift.