A toggle switch—On or Off? That’s the vivid picture that flashed through my mind two weeks ago while meditating on scripture and I’ve mulled over it ever since. The switch was labeled, ‘Life’—life On or life Off. Most of us take life for granted until we reach what society calls middle age. Reaching the threshold age of 40 years or for some 50 years causes us to realize, even with life expectancy higher, that we have crossed the halfway point of living. It dawned on me when I turned 50 that I had less time to live than I had already lived. People often say, “Live today as if it were your last day.” A good philosophy, but how often do people actually put this into practice?
Psalms records a prayer of Moses, As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years . . . For soon it is gone and we fly away. So teach us to number our days . . . (Psa 90:10, 12). Two other versions translate this, Teach us to realize the brevity of life (NLT); So teach us to consider our mortality (NET). As long as the toggle switch remains On, God gives us a gift each day. All people receive the gift of 86,400 seconds over which He makes us stewards. An illustration I read paralleled this to an anonymous donor who daily deposited 86,400 pennies or $864 in our bank account. The one stipulation was we must spend the entire amount that day because nothing carried over to the next day. So it is with time; we cannot save it, undo it, expand it, leap forward in it, borrow it, or loan it. Time is a non-renewable resource. At mid-night, we have zero in the account but with an immediate deposit of 86,400 more seconds. We have the choice to squander it for our fleshly satisfaction or manage our allotted time and use it for God’s purpose and glory.
One of the great time wasters we all face is procrastination, the tendency to keep putting off what we need to do. Every parent of a teenager has heard these words: just a minute, tomorrow, I’m too tired, or it’s not due until the end of the week—although it is Wednesday. How often does God hear these same excuses from us? Consider several Biblical examples of those who waited and missed their opportunity. So Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you (Joshua 18: 3 NIV)? Jesus said to a potential disciple, “Follow Me”. He replied to Jesus, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home” (Luk 9:59, 61). Paul speaking before Felix, But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, “Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you” (Act 24:25). Israel never conquered all of the land God gave them. No record exists saying that Felix ever found the time or that the invited man followed Jesus.
God created time and placed us within its confines. He also ordained a purpose for every life and granted enough time to accomplish it, if we chose to walk in His way. However, we can easily become overwhelmed when we add activities, events, relationships, worry, and even ministry that aren’t a part of His design. We must be wise stewards of our daily-allotted 86,400 seconds. Solomon declared there is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven (Ecc. 3:1). Thirty-seven times scriptures record the term ‘appointed time’ in reference to God’s plan. Some of the appointments can be rescheduled. However, others cannot such as the end of time, Christ’s return, and death.
At some point in our life on earth, God will reach over and flip the switch from On to Off. Paul tells us, Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time (Col 4:5 ESV). Most of us would have to live a 1000 years to accomplish what we wanted to achieve when we were 20 years old. The older we get the shorter that list becomes because we begin prioritizing when we realize not enough time remains.
I’ve experienced a few brushes with death through my life. The first time happened when I was 18 years old and not yet a committed Christian. Only by God’s miraculous power did my switch remain On. God used each of these close calls as a stark reminder that He put me here for a purpose, yet to be fulfilled. The Holy Spirit reminded me again through my mental flash of a toggle switch that life can end at any moment. Am I worried? No, because when it flips to Off, I will begin living in God’s greatest gift of time, eternal life. Only He knows the appointed moment, whether tomorrow or twenty years from now. Someone said, “Procrastination is my sin. It only brings me sorrow. I know I ought to change my life. And I will – tomorrow”.
Sustaining Word for the Week: Consider your mortality and make the best use of your time. What have you been putting off until tomorrow?