THE MESSAGE NOW
Vol. 2, No. 23 – Monday, 5th June, 2017
(Hebrews 9:27, Psalm 90:12, Ecclesiastes 3:1-11)
IS YOUR TIME THE RIGHT TIME? (Part 2)
Many reasons account for the problem of man with time. To start with, most men are yet to come to the realisation that time has value. Of course, this non-realisation has further implication; the implication of “carefreeness” about accountability. I contend that accountability is the hallmark of any success taking on board many other indices that do fuel the same reality. The man with a penchant for un-accountability is either indifferent or absolutely mindless of this.
Such a man’s innate reclination thrives in imprioritising. Imprioritising is the sole soul of the ambitionless. There is no doubt that the ambitionless has no thought nor attention for time and time management. In the final equation, no attention for time and time management reclines man in the banking hall where no life transaction ever takes place but simply unaccountable waste and mismanagement of precious time.
What then do such men end up achieving in their transactionless life’s banking hall is nothing but non-achievement. There is always a get-away-clause in the minds of bad users of time. It is the excuse of shifting the blame to others. I contend further that excuse-making is the business of men who abhor correction, who are busy doing nothing and men who fancy pleasure before pain. The big question is why don’t men realise and subsequently recognise the invaluable basic character of time and, in turn respect it?
It is not and has never been the case of non-recognition. Rather, it is a deliberate failure of appreciation and consequent respect. James Mechener explicitly put this failure in this nostalgic words.
Mechener lamented: ‘an age is called ‘dark’ not because the light fails to shine, but people refuse to see it’. Time is a natural gift of God ever deserving appreciation and which must be handled with utmost respect. Those who fail to appreciate and respect the gift called time have not the most powerless and the weakest demon striding after their success but themselves. Realise then that time will make you what you make of time.
It is a life equation which is always at its fairest balance. Are you thirty years of age? And, have you married and gained certificate from the polytechnic or university? Excellent! But is that the only account of all your impact on life so far at thirty? If this is your life CV so far, then it is trite and settled that you have failed yourself so far, failed life as a gift to you and badly misused the time allotted to you between age twelve and your current age.
More concerning, if what this treatise draws out of you is reaction and not response, then your change in the upward direction of success is doubtful. Another question is why all these conclusion especially in relation to marriage and certificate? The reasons are not far fetched. For one, marriage is not a success or feat of achievement; it is common to all men. The ordinariness of the spiritual union called marriage in contemporary times will rather inform the intelligent that even fools now succeed.
And, if fools do succeed where the intelligent also thrive and bask in the euphoria of such so-called thriving success, then what a useless success that is. I conclude therefore that if there is any success about marriage, it is in the quality of the life between the couples after the wedding day.
In my view, that is the marked difference between the common success of the fool and the speciality of the intelligent man’s success. The same argument and conclusion applies to the obtaining of certificate no matter the myriads of certificates sought and obtained. So then, time is better maximized not by marrying and being married but through service to God and imprinting life-changing impacts on humanity. The other problem of time mis-managers is self-satisfaction.
By the grace of God, I pastor a congregation of God-appointed, career-fulfilling and heaven-bound brothers and sisters and a resident Pastor (Pastor Israel Adenrele Ebo). Pastor Adenrele Ebo among other things is saddled with the responsibility of total administration and direct control of the entire congregation and answerable only to the Pastor. At 66 and now retired as former National Business manager for a much reputable international pharmaceutical company, an intelligent mind should want to query why the use of time still holds any meaning to this resident pastor?
The answer is certainly not in the wind but readily available within practical reach. Understanding of the value of time, the large appetite to succeed the more short of self-satisfaction and accountability have been his driving force overtime.
The fact remains that what a man beliefs in and which forms part of his daily manners makes him through time and in the end. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines accountability as: ‘the quality or state of being accountable; especially: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s action’.
What is then the “applicative” import of this definition? Accountability draws attention to two key factors: responsibility and absence of impunity.
Isaac Newton propounded three theories about the laws of motion. The third of these laws is to the effect that: ‘for every action (force) in nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction’. If only men realise and appreciate the fact that they are responsible for their treatment of time and its usage, then they should understand that responsibility is a qualifying criterion for accountability.
Of course, Accountability triggers penalties; the reality of penalties for time wasting or wasted means that there is no impunity of immunity to man on the use of time. Time therefore is a gift received by man for only one purpose: to be actioned through and over.
When man fails to act within time and on time, there is a natural unpleasant reaction with time. The question is: what would you be doing with your time after reading this. Continue to live the same way?
DID YOU SAY SOMEONE WASTED YOUR TIME? NO! YOU WASTED YOUR OWN TIME BECAUSE HE WHO WASTES YOUR TIME DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY GOT YOUR CONSENT TO DO SO.
OTHERWISE, YOU WOULD HAVE HAD A PLAN B WAITING IN THE WINGS PRIOR TO THAT WASTE. UNDENIABLE IS THE FACT THAT TIME PAYS THOSE WHO PROMPTLY ATTEND AND ANSWER TO ITS ATTENDANT YEARNINGS. ITS REWARD TO WISE USERS IS IMMEASURABLY UNQUANTIFIABLE. THE EPITAPH OF MEN WHO USE TIME MAXIMALLY IS ALWAYS WRITTEN IN BRIGHT GOLD.
Altar call:
Backslidden – living in sin – needing fresh recommitment (say):
Christ Jesus, You are the Anointed One of the Most High. I come to you today as I am. In your mercy, help me out of my situation. Heal my soul, my spirit, my body, my life and my destiny. I acknowledge you as the only true lover of my soul. Please, deliver me on every side and save me through and through. I promise from the depth of my soul to be yours from henceforth, in Jesus name. Help me now O God. Be my Lord, my Saviour and my all in all from this day. Thank you Lord (read Psalm 54 in closing and pray more).
Hymn: Pass Me Not O Gentle Saviour
Pray now:
Pastor Mike
