We received the following message from a friend and thought it could be a wonderful “wake-up call” for us all. This is especially true for those of us who are married. In this message, we are challenged to imagine and invest the time we are given.
Please take the time to read it carefully. Ask the Lord to speak to your heart. We’ll add additional insights pertaining to marriage on this topic at the conclusion of this message:
IMAGINE:
Imagine there’s a bank that credits your account every morning with 86,400 dollars (or the equivalent currency of your country). It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? DRAW OUT ALL OF IT, of course!!!
Each of us has such a bank. It’s name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft.
Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against “tomorrow.” You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is running.
Make the most of today.
- To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
- To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
- And to realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
- To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
- To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
- And to realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.
Treasure every moment you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special … special enough to spend your time.
Remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the PRESENT!
A Wake Up Call
As we said before, this is a wake-up call for all of us. We need to make sure that we invest our time in that, which will make a positive difference. As we’re told in the Bible:
“Everything is permissible. But not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible. But not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.“ (1 Corinthians 10:23)
We all know couples where one spouse died prematurely —without warning. One minute they’re there and the next minute they’re gone. I (Steve) decided a number of years ago that if my wife Cindy were to die suddenly, I didn’t want to live with regrets —the “if only’s.”
Today, I feel I can honestly say there is nothing left unsaid and nothing left undone. Cindy KNOWS I love her. She knows I treasure her, and I make time for her.
Take a few minutes this week to assess your current time commitments. Is there something in your schedule that’s currently keeping you away from spending the time you should with your spouse and children? If you were to cut that “item” out of your schedule, would it cause more problems or blessings? If blessings, then what a great gift it would be to give that time to your family (and NOT live with regrets at a later date).
Cindy:
And I want to add to this message. Ask the Lord to show you if you are stealing time away from the family the Lord has given you. What we’ve learned from our own lives is: Just because you CAN do something, it doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it. Ask the Lord to give you His perspective on all of this.
CHOOSE to make the time to do some things that speak “love” to your spouse. Do them “as unto the Lord.” Make the most of the “present” God has given you. Keep in mind the events that happened several years ago on September 11th here in the United States. Not everyone who woke up that morning had the opportunity to express their love to their spouse “later.”
Our prayers are with you as together we work to make our marriage reflect the love of Christ. May our marriages be a living testimony to all who witness our lives together. May they see that God is able to do that, which is utterly amazing through those who are committed to Him and to each other.
Our prayer is:
“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.“ (Psalm 90:12)
Steve and Cindy Wright
Filed under: Marriage Messages
(South Africa) Once again I thank God for you. I must say the Lord has been using you in building me and my marriage in amazing ways. Since the beginning of this year I so much enjoy what you send us weekly. I am so happy for this article you have now sent (Imagine Making the Time). I have just read it and I fell in love with it and I cannot wait to share it with my wife when she comes from work tonight. This article has made re-examine the way I use my time with my family, my wife and ministry.
I confess that, reading this article, I had to right away REPENT for my carelessness in some areas. But thank God this article came when I still has time and space to change my ways if I choose to, and I do, because I love my wife and my two daughters. I want to serve them with time while I can. Yes, I want to use all the seconds given to me daily WISELY. Not only for my wife or children, but as it were, even for my profession, my job, my ministry…for everything that I do.
Your message today reminds me of what I read several years ago from Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life, regarding use of time and love. He says on page 128: “The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is NOW.”
In closure, every evening we have a devotion as a family. Tonight I am the one leading and I want to share this article as a devotional and teach my family about these good things. Pray with us. J and L
(Nigeria) I thank God for today’s message. It not only touched me, it opened me up to the need to value time as a currency and one I need to spend with the only man I am truly in love with. Today, I have decided to become more passionate, more giving, closer, and say the things I want to say to him. In essence, I mean I want to pour out myself to him, empty my all to him while I serve my Father in Spirit and in truth.
I have also decided to attach little or no grievance if we quarrel, cos if he died, I would be miserable all my life. So why not enjoy my moments with him? After all, it does not matter whose way wins as long as it’s for the good of the family. Hence, I’ll ensure arguments are constructive and end up showing more love and understanding. May God help me through these decisions. May God bless you for this word.
(UGANDA) This is surely a wake up call. I have been spending so much time at work and on work issues, that I had out my family on the back burner, as they say. Time well spent will be on my intention list.
God has been good to me and this is one of His ways of telling me to spend time with my spouse and children beyond just serving them but laughing with them, playing games and sharing the meal with my husband. God Bless you all
(South Africa) Once again I thank God for you. I must say the Lord has been using you in building me and my marriage in amazing ways. Since the beginning of this year I so much enjoy what you send us weekly. I am so happy for this article you have now sent. I have just read it and I fell in love with it and I cannot wait to share it with my wife when she comes from work tonight.
This article has made re-examine the way I use my time with my family, my wife and ministry. I confess that, reading this article, I had to right away REPENT for my carelessness in some areas. But thank God this article came when I still have time and space to change my ways if I choose to, and I do, because I love my wife and my daughters. I want to serve them with time while I can.
Yes, I want to use all the seconds given to me daily WISELY. Not only for my wife or children, but as it were, even for my profession, my job, my ministry …for everything that I do. Your message today reminds me of what I read several years ago from Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life, regarding use of time and love. He says on page 128: “The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is NOW”.
In closure, every evening we have a devotion as a family. Tonight I am the one leading and I want to share this article as a devotional and teach my family about these good things. Pray with us.