Sept. 16 - The Time Crunch

KEY VERSE for this message series:

PSALM 90:12. So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

What does it mean to "number our days?" It is more than just adding up the number.

It can mean always remembering that our days are numbered.

Even more important, it means seeing the number of our days through the insights of God's Word, or as one translation puts it: "numbering our days aright."


TODAY'S focus is dealing with the "Time Crunch." Almost all of us know about this - thinking that we just don't have enough time to accomplish what we desire to accomplish.

Much about the Time Crunch can be understood by looking at The Book of Genesis.

In Genesis 3, we see that part of living in a sinful, fallen world is that life comes as a struggle. These are the words spoken to Adam by the Lord:

GENESIS 3:17b-19. The ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.

The creation story in the first part of Genesis explains the creation of the 24-hour day. God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day" and the darkness he called "night." The rhythm of 24 is not a manmade rhythm - it is part of the essence of creation.

The same is true of the 7-day week. It was not an invention of the Harvard Business School. The seven day week - with a day of rest - was part of God's ordering of creation. A rhythm of work and rest is part of God's design for creation and his design for your life!

Look also at Ephesians 5:15-17 - for it offers great insights into how to make the most of each day. Here we are told these things:

Be careful how you live. Don't be random. Don't just float through life. Live carefully.

Make the most of every opportunity. Because these are evil times, there will be much struggle in life. When an opportunity comes, do not waste it.

Don't act thoughtlessly. Here "thoughtless" does not refer to being rude. Rather it is a reminder not to act without thinking. Do not act without paying attention to God's guidance!


On Sunday we shared the story of the rocks. Read it by clicking here.


An article by Rick Warren - "Time: How Do I Balance It All?" - goes in to more detail on the passage from Ephesians 5.


DON'T MISS the message on Sunday, September 23 - "Time Bandits." You'll be surprised to learn what the number one Time Bandit is in our culture.