The Magnificent Gift of Time

Time … it’s one of the greatest mysteries of life this side of eternity.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” – Ecclesiastes 3:11

The Father … when He created mankind thousands of years ago … put eternity in our hearts.

Imagine that! You and I are made of the stuff of which eternity is made!

It’s that slice of eternity in our hearts that causes us to be uncomfortable in the measuring cup of time.

“Humans are amphibians – half spirit and half animal. As spirits they belong to the eternal world, but as animals they inhabit time.” – C. S. Lewis

We wrestle with time … try to hold on to time … treasure time … but to no avail.

We … as the creations of the God of eternity … will never be able to make sense of this cheap yet priceless commodity known as “time”.

You see … we weren’t made for time … we were made for eternity.

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” – C. S. Lewis

Eternity will forever call us … woo us … remind us … invite us to live a life of unmatched meaning.

“God has set eternity in our heart, and man’s infinite capacity cannot be filled or satisfied with the things of time or sense.” – F. B. Meyer

So … if we were made for eternity and not for time … what do we do with the time that we have been given?

Should we wait impatiently for eternity?

Should we spend our allotted amount of time on earthly pleasures and temporary pursuits knowing that we are just passing through the hourglass that holds the sands of time?

Oh! How important it is to make every minute count for eternity!

Every choice we make should be made with eternity in mind.

Every word we speak should call others to the love of the eternal Father.

Every pursuit should draw us into His wonderful presence.

No longer are we fascinated by the lies of this temporary planet … but we are captivated by the eternal … and by the glorious business of heaven.

“Time is given to us to use in view of eternity.” – Harry Ironside

Time is a gift that is meant to be invested in eternity.

We are only given this day … this unmatched and miraculous day … to be lived one time.

This day will never come again.

It is up to me to fill this 24-hour period of time with the grace of eternity.

I can splash in the delight of eternity … while wading through the stuff of time.

We have only been given a limited amount of time … and each day is a rare and splendid gift.

Each moment that we are allowed to breathe … to encourage … to offer forgiveness … to pursue goodness … to exhibit kindness … is a unique and glorious endowment.

And we … because we have been made in the image of the eternal … have been given the opportunity to kiss each piece of time with the heart of eternity.

It is up to us … up to you and to me …during our tenure on earth … to change our fleeting moments into pieces of golden eternity.

How do we do that?

We do that every time we forgive someone who has wronged us.

We accomplish it when we love a difficult person.

We are clothed in eternity when we reach out to those in distress with the kindness of the Father.

“God hath given to man a short time here upon earth and yet upon this short time eternity depends.” – Jeremy Taylor

We can turn minutes into days when we choose to worship rather than complain.

We transform days into months when we spend time on our knees.

We make an eternal footprint in the sands of time when we clothe ourselves in the inexpressible joy of His presence.

So … how will you spend 2023?

Spending money? Losing weight? Eating too much?

Complaining about politics and the weather?

Being entertained endlessly by the twaddle of the day?

Or will you transform this magnificent gift of time into the stuff of which eternity is made?

What will you do?

“Lord, You make all things new

You bring hope alive in our hearts

And cause our spirits to be born again.

Thank You for this new year

For all the potential it holds.

Come and kindle in us

A mighty flame

So that in our time, many will see the wonders of God

And live forever to praise Your glorious Name.”

– Author Unknown

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Carol McLeod Ministries

Featured Image by Dorothe from Pixabay

About the Author

Carol McLeod is a best-selling author and popular speaker at women’s conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. Carol is a prolific author and loves digging for truth in the Word of God. Carol writes a weekly blog, “Joy For the Journey,” that has been named in the Top 50 Faith Blogs for Women. Carol also writes a weekly column for “Ministry Today.” Carol has been married to her college sweetheart, Craig, for 41 years and is the mother of five children in heaven and five children on earth. Graduates of Oral Roberts University, Craig and Carol have spent the past 38 years pastoring churches across America.

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