Seventh-day Adventist Church

2003 NAD Offering Call

“Becoming Faithful Stewards”

TAKING CARE OF THE TIME

A man went to see his physician to find out the results of his recent medical tests. The doctor said, “I have some bad news and some good news. Which would you like to hear first? “I would like to hear the good news first” the patient replied. “The good news, exclaimed the doctor, is that according to the results of your tests you have only 24 hours to live.” The man was nearly left speechless as he thought about his demise the next day. But he blurted out, “Only one day! I couldn’t possibly get my affairs in order in 24 hours! I just can’t believe it! By the way, what could be worse than what you told me?” The embarrassed physician responded, “The bad news is that I was supposed to call you yesterday, but I forgot.”

We might smile at the humor of this situation, but underneath we all feel like the patient, that we are running out of time. Unfortunately, time is a fixed commodity. Each individual has the same amount of time , 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, and 24 hours in a day. The biggest difference is how you and I use our time. In the book Christ Object Lessons it states, “Our time belongs to God, every moment is His and we are under the most solemn obligation to improve it to His glory. Of no talent He has given will He require a more strict account than of our time.” (p.342)

Here’s a way to improve your time management: The average reader with only fifteen minutes per day could read ten 400 page books this year, hence, as Christians we could easily read the New Testament in eight different versions or complete Ellen White’s five

volume “Conflict of the Ages” series in the next twelve months.

Appeal text: “Be very careful, then how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making every opportunity, because the days are evil.” [Ephesians

5:15-16 NIV]