Time

Two days ago, we (excluding our wise friends in AZ, HI, Samoa, and Puerto Rico) “lost” an hour.  In an attempt to lengthen the day, governments (No, it actually was not Ben Franklin) decided to adjust our schedules.  If you planned ahead, you intentionally fooled yourself on the 10th by setting your clocks to make the impact on the 11th less severe. That is a good trick you can use next year if you didn’t already know it.

Whether you are a fan of changing clocks twice a year or not, I am sure you understand the desire to lengthen our days. Unless you are in times of deep despair you, like most, long to extend not only a day but the number of your years. There is something about the four numbers that follow the dash on a headstone that concerns us.

You and I want to live longer so we can enjoy time with friends and family, contribute to society, and simply have time for memorable experiences. These are not faulty desires.  They can, however, be hindrances to a life well lived. For, by focusing on the number of our days rather than the value of each day, we in many ways miss the point of living. 

Living well does not necessarily mean living long.

What, then, is the appropriate measure of a life’s worth?

The Apostle Paul wrote: 

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:21 (NIV)

“To live is Christ” – Now that’s succinct.  It must be the correct answer – how can any answer be wrong when it is “Christ” after all? But, what does it mean?

 At Rabbit Creek Church, we define our purpose as “equipping people to live their everyday lives for Christ”.  When we consider Paul’s words from Philippians as well as his words from Romans (from which we as a church derived our purpose statement), we realize that to live for Christ is an everyday activity. It is also an everyday decision. This proves true for each 24-hour period as well as each week, each year, each decade, each lifetime.

Anyone who desires to live for Christ commits to living with His words and the example He set, as He lived on this earth, before him or her at all times.

We do well to consider our days - to consider them as time periods which are to be dedicated to Christ. Christ is glorified each time one makes the decision to live for Him. Whether it is time to “spring forward’ or “fall back”. Whether it is a day full of sunshine or a night filled with shadows.

No matter what our clocks say, our Lord says that we are to take every moment and use it to His glory.

#ordinarylives