Anything worth having in life is worth investing time into. Time is the very fabric of life. We all have 24 hours in each day. How we choose to use them determines our destiny. How we use our time reveals what is truly important to us. That which occupies the greatest amount of our time is what is the most important to us. I have noticed that many people claim that their family, spouse, children, or grandchildren are the most important things in their lives. But when they carefully look at what occupies the greatest amount of their time, they are shocked to see how little these people really mean to them. If you have no time for your family and friends, then they aren’t important to you.

Our hearts are filled with whatever we give our time to. Many people are filled with sports, others are filled with business, others with the news on television, some are filled with their children and their grandchildren, many are filled with their hobbies, others with religion, and many other things. Have you noticed that people enjoy speaking about what interests them? That which interests them and that they fill their time with is also what they like to talk about. We prioritize according to the amount of time invested into someone or something. Take some time to be totally honest with yourself and see how you spend your time. Find out what is truly important to you.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

There is a time for everything in life, as Solomon so poetically described to us. However, what we spend the most time on is very telling as to what kind of people we are. What we love we will spend time doing and it is what we will talk the most about. People who hardly ever talk about God and about Jesus cannot possibly love him. There is no such thing as a secret love when it comes to God. However, this is one area that we need to exercise caution in. It is possible and even common for individuals to talk about God frequently, read their Bible, attend church, and altogether appear to be deeply devoted Christians. There is just one problem. They do not practise or obey the commands given by Jesus Christ.

James 1:22-24 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: for he beholds himself, and goes his way, and straightway forgets what what manner of man he was.”

Isaiah 29:13 “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.”

Matthew 7:26-27 “And everyone that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

So let us be honest in our worship of God and obey his commands. If we spend quality time building our lives upon the rock of God’s word by doing and practising what is written there, then it will go well for us. We will be following the path of wisdom which lead to eternal life. Forget not that the prize is given to the ones who win the race. Nowhere are people rewarded at the very beginning of a race or a contest without seeing it through to the end. We are to run our race with patience and finish our course with joy.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 “Know you not that they which run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain. And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beats the air: But I keep my body under, and bring it into subjection: unless that my any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

1 Peter 1:9 “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”

We are to run our race in life, not as if we had already won the prize of salvation, but we run our race to win the prize of salvation. Salvation is not the beginning of our faith, but the end of our faith. Repentance that produces holy living and loving obedience to the commands of Jesus Christ, this is true salvation. We are called to be fruitful trees full of the fruit of good works and obedience to the commands of God.

Titus 2:11-15 “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise you.”

Titus 3:8,14 “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that you affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.”

Notice that the Apostle Paul commanded his followers that good works are necessary for salvation. Not that anyone is saved by the works of the law, but by the good works produced by faith. True faith produces good works. Faith without works is dead being alone. As Jesus said, “A good tree produces good fruit and an evil tree produces evil fruit. You shall know them by their fruit.”

James 2:17-20 “Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”

So let us invest our time in believing God and in producing the good works of obedience to his commands. The law of Moses is contained in the first five books of the Bible. I do not say that you are to obey that law. I do say, that the commands that are given in the New Testament, and especially those given by Jesus Christ personally, are to be obeyed. Jesus clearly taught that your salvation depends on it.

You see, the law of Moses was given under the OLD COVENANT. The commands given by Jesus Christ are given under the NEW COVENANT. Both covenants have their commands which are to be faithfully obeyed in order to receive eternal salvation. We are free from the OLD COVENANT and it’s law. We are now bound to the NEW COVENANT and all of the commands contained therein.

The main commands are to “love one another as I have loved you, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” And “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. And the second part is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” These are NEW TESTAMENT commands given to Christians.

God bless you as you wisely invest your time in faithfully obeying the commands given in the New Testament.

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