These two words pulse out into a phrase we all know too well: AREN’T YOU TIRED? Ask anybody these days how he’s doing, and you’re almost sure to get a common response; I’M TIRED. Many of us have something in our lives that has gone on too long. We’re ready for some relief, but we’re not sure things can change.
Into this scenario “WISDOM”(Proverbs 1:20-22) comes walking down the street and addresses the simple: “Aren’t you tired of learning everything the hard way?” Then she addresses the mocker: “Aren’t you tired of yet another failed relationship with someone you care for?” Then the fool: “Aren’t you tired of another year looking just like the year before with the same problems, same hang-ups, same dashed hopes?” Again, this feels almost hopeless. ALMOST. Listen as Wisdom declares what must be done: Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings. (Proverbs 1:23) That’s where the hope lies, in the turning. But as you see, its an active hope; there’s an action necessary
for it to be realized. But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, WITHOUT FEAR OF HARM (Proverbs 1:33)
“Come on,” Wisdom says, “I’m giving you one more chance. I’m calling, calling, calling ............
Listen to me! And whoever hears me will find the good way of security and peace and protection. There’s still hope.” You’ve got to ask for it. Wisdom is available. It’s there for us.
But here’s reality. And it breaks my heart when I see it or hear it, happens all too often. Sometimes people stay away from wisdom for so long that when they finally decide they want to fix their lives, they can’t. Some things are too broken to be repaired in this life, and I emphasise in this life. BUT, God will restore all things, make all things new in his time, but you may never have the relationship with your wife you wanted. You may never see that dream come to pass. You may not get what you want, not in this life.
You reap what you sow. I reap what I sow. But wisdom is just as crucial for facing the consequences of your past life as it is for taking the next step or steps into the future. Our same question still applies though: What’s the wise thing for me to do? The answer in this case will be hopeful, but it will be a hope coloured by scars and tears, a hope that’s weathered. But that doesn’t make it any less a hope. And there’s no better TIME to move toward hope, toward wisdom, THAN NOW!!! If there is one
commodity we must learn to handle wisely, it is our time. Think about it. You can make more money, make new friends, take more trips, maybe even have another child. But your allotment of time is inflexible. You only get so much of it.
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)
I love that verse. Simply recognizing that our days are numbered, we can take a giant step toward becoming men and women of wisdom. Fransie and I were married for almost 3 years before we had our first child. When we think back to those days of child-free living, we often wonder. What in the world did we do with all that extra time? Where did all the time go? The answer: AWAY. It went away. And there is no way to recover a minute of it. There is no leftover time. It can’t be saved up for later. You can’t store it. It just goes away.
So, we will look back and wonder where the time went. It seems like yesterday I was eighteen. Where did my twenties go? Why don’t I have more to show for my thirties, forties? When we ask, “Where did the time go?” we are really asking another, more bewildering, question: “Where did my life go?”
You see, what we do with our time is more important than simply knowing what it is, how old we are, or even how much time we have left. The fact that time is life and can’t be recovered is why we must place this priceless commodity under scrutiny of our much bigger question: In light of my past experience, my current responsibilities, and my future hopes, dreams and values, what is the wisest way to invest my time in GOD’s KINGDOM? Be very careful, then how you live – not as unwise but as wise, MAKING MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16)
The phrase “making the most of every opportunity” is often translated “making the most of your time”; it’s literally “redeeming the time.” The Greek term used here is an accounting term. Paul was saying, “Get the full value out of your time – squeeze all the good you can out of every moment of your life.” Misappropriated time is misappropriated life. BE WISE. MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME. You can’t go back and reinvest it.
Written By: Japie Lubbe
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