What Time Is It?

Did you see the U.S. Women’s Team win the 400m relay race and set a new world record? They shattered one of the oldest world records in the games—by .55 seconds.

Yes, I said .55 seconds. Only a little more than half of a second made all the difference.

Time is important. Granted, we’re not all running relay races in the Olympics against the fastest people in the world, but we are all running a race.

Your race is why you’re here. Acts 17:26 says, “ From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their land.”

God determined when you would be born and where. He has a specific destiny for you—a specific race for you to run; an assignment; a purpose—and He’s very serious about it. He’s counting on you to run your race and to win.

But to run your race, you have to know the rules of the race; you have to know the track and the boundaries; you have to know where you’re called to run. And you have to know when it’s time to run.

Do you remember the story of the widow and the oil in the Bible?

“The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”

Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”

Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” – II Kings 4:1-7

What’s the most valuable thing in this story? It wasn’t the oil.

It was the time she had taken to gather the pots. If you could talk to her now and ask her what she would change if she could go back, I guarantee she would say she would have taken more time to gather more pots. If she truly understood the opportunity, she would have said, “I’ll tell you what. I’ll be back in 30 days.” And she would have had semi-trucks of pots coming in. She would have been recorded in the Bible as being the wealthiest woman on the face of the earth!

Time is valuable. It can never be recovered.

My grandpa died when he was in his 90’s. Before he died, I remember having a conversation with him where he asked, “Where did my life go?” I thought it was strange then, but now I understand. What my grandpa was saying was, “Pass me another pot!” But there were no jars left.

Have you ever noticed how the Bible says, “In the time of (person)?” Well, now the books are being written and they say, “In the time of (your name here!)” This is your time. This is your life. This is your race!

So ask God to show you what you’re to do. Your pastor can’t tell you how to find God’s plan for your life, only God can. He will reveal it to you as you seek Him. Ask Him to show you your purpose and your goal. Until you know your purpose, you’ll have no clarity. Until you know your goal, you’ll have no sense of urgency.

Once you find out about your race, weigh all of your decisions against it. Determine what you’ll do by where you’re heading. Don’t get lured into distraction. Understand there is a price to pay for being all God has called you to be.

Paul said in I Corinthians 9:24-27:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

You’re going to have to clarify things and clean the clutter from your life. You might have to make some uncomfortable decisions. The race won’t always be comfortable.