The most valuable things to use wisely.
There are many valuable things available to modern people. Most of them have the potential to be very useful. Consider the automobile and the cell phone. The possible benefits of both are clear. They give individual freedom of travel and communication. There could easily be a list of not 10 but 100s of such things we might consider. However, let us turn from the concrete to the abstract things of life for they ultimately prove to be the more valuable when applied wisely.
Time
Number one on the list of such things is Time. Time is the great equalizer. We each have the same amount every day. Time is also fragile. It can be cut short. All things being equal the Bible tells us to expect three score and ten and perhaps a little more. Some lives are cut short. Jesus was just over thirty when he left the earth. Some live well over a hundred; although none are coming close to Methuselah’s 900. Perhaps we should abbreviate. Not time so much as now. Paul says, “Now is the time. Now is the day of salvation.” Jesus says there is enough to concern us today. Let tomorrow worry about itself. A current popular saying agrees saying: The past is gone. Tomorrow never comes. All we have is today. It’s a gift. That’s why we call it the Present. Time is very valuable. Use it wisely.
Opportunity
Closely related to Time is Opportunity. They say it knocks. Some of us wish it would knock louder. What is it that allows Peter, James and John to seize the opportunity, leave their boats, and follow Jesus? What makes the rich young ruler miss his opportunity? Think of the Ethiopian Eunuch listening to Philip. “Wait, there is some water. What is to keep me from being baptized?” He seized the opportunity. The truth is, all time is pregnant with possibility. Opportunity may not be knocking. It is standing there waiting for us to open the door. Sometimes it takes a wise shift in perspective to find the opportunity. Jesus was always turning adversity into opportunity for teaching about the kingdom. They challenged him over paying taxes to the Romans. It was a trick question. If he says pay,the crowd is angry. If he says don’t pay, he might be arrested. Instead he asks the questioner to show him a coin. The man draws it out. It is a Romans coin with an engraving of Caesar upon it. Jesus seizes the opportunity and says, ”Give to Caesar what belongs to him and give to God what belongs to God.”
Education
Another thing we ought to use wisely is the opportunity for education. The Bible extols the virtues of wisdom with proverbs and stories of the wise. Education is not identical to wisdom. It is not a matter of facts. It is more about reasoning. However, a good education with the right information is a powerful asset to a life wisely lived. The Bible tells us of the boy Jesus speaking with the wise men at the temple in Jerusalem. He took advantage of the opportunity to spend time with them. Cultivating a good education can be done in school with teachers and books. It can be done by seeking out opportunities to learn something new everyday. Each piece of knowledge has the potential to add to our wisdom.
There are some things we need to learn, some areas of education necessary to make it in the world. However, each of us has one or more talents. We ought to take the time to find the opportunities to get the education and training necessary to fully develop our God given talents. Paul stresses this point in his letters. Jesus told parables that encourage it. The old phrase, use it or lose it, could be a summary of the parable of the talents. Granted in the parable a talent is a quantity of money. However, the principle is the same. Practice makes perfect and lack of it leads to deterioration of skill. We are born with various abilities. Yet, no amount of musical talent can let us play or sing to our potential without training and practice. The movie, Chariots of Fire, tells the true story of an Olympic runner, Eric Lidell. When asked why he likes to run, Eric, a devout Christian, replies, “When I run it gives Him (God) pleasure.”
Body
Next on our list of ten is our body. We might have put it first, for we use it for all the rest. No amount of time, wonderful opportunity, education or talent can be put to wise use if we have not been wise in the care of our body. St. Paul calls it the temple of the Holy Spirit. We need to give it proper exercise and proper rest. We need to eat right and have good hygiene. Let us remember how the devil tempted Jesus to jump off the temple, and recall his reply. “It is written you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” After the death of a NASCAR driver the local sports commentator questioned on air why God would choose to bring tragedy to this family once again. No matter how much driving talent you have, don’t continually drive at high speed among a pack of race cars and expect to always come away without an injury. Let us be wise about putting our bodies in danger.
Failure
This may seem strange, but next on the list is failure. The great war time prime minister of England, Winston Churchill said, “Success is running from failure to failure with undiminished enthusiasm.” Failure is a frequent part of living. We fail at jobs. We make mistakes in relationships. Our plans and our goals fall flat before us. How we handle failure is among the most important ten things we need to do wisely. Are we going to learn from our mistakes or wallow in them? Stories of people like Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison also inspire us to use failure wisely. When asked about the meaning of all his failed attempts to make a light bulb work, Edison replied he was learning how not to make a light bulb. It’s not only inventors who know how to use failure. Every good salesperson knows that each rejection is one closer to the next sale. The Bible is full of people who persisted through failure: Joseph, Sampson, and Peter to name a few.
Success
It is equally important to use success wisely. Proverbs tell us pride goes before a fall. How frequently we see successful people squander their success. It happens in sports, politics, and in the church as well. It has become proverbial to speak of the problems and failures of multi-million dollar lottery winners. We need to follow Paul’s advice in Philippians and cultivate humility.
Words
The Bible tells us God spoke and creation came into being. Jesus is the living Word of life. In all of life, failure or success, opportunity or education, all the time our use wise of words is extremely important. The pen is mightier than the sword. Our words written and spoken have great power and need to be used wisely. A kind word can make someone’s day. A careless word can destroy a friendship. A well crafted speech can inspire a nation. A thoughtless remark can ruin a career. A sincere apology can restore a relationship.
Emotions
Perhaps an even greater challenge and just as important is how we use our emotions. Feelings it is said are neither right nor wrong. It is what we do with them that makes the difference. We can not turn them on and off. When we try it is just like turning off a water faucet. The pressure builds. A wise expression of our feelings is critical for us and for those with whom we live. When disappointment comes we have to be very careful. When Cain is disappointed because his sacrifice was not as acceptable as the one of his brother Abel, he goes inside and sulks. The Lord comes to him with a warning. “Sin is crouching at your door.” If we nurture our feelings of disappointment we just might end up murdering our brother. There are ways to express our emotions. Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus. Paul tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. We also must remember that no one else makes us feel. Our feelings are our own. We are responsible for how we express them.
Rest
As we near the end of our list it is time for rest. Rest is so important God made it one of the Ten Commandments. God Himself rested on the seventh day. Time off is important, that’s why we call it re-creation. Some people who work hard and fast tend to play in the same way. It might be wise to heed the Biblical admonishment to “Be still and know that I am God.” There are four basic kinds of activity we do everyday. They can be summarized as: Words, Ideas, Hands, and Body. If your everyday work is all about talking and thinking you might find physical activity a good recreational outlook. If you spend your work hours walking and lifting it would be good to sit and read a book. Of course taking time to spend with God in prayer and worship is also a wise use of our time.
Love
All the time and opportunity in the world; all the education possible; all our talent; all our successes and failures; all we do with our bodies and emotions; and all rest and recreation we secure; are worth nothing without love. It seems odd to speak of a wise love. Yet it takes a certain amount of wisdom to follow Jesus’ teaching. As Paul urges in Corinthians, we need to find wisdom in the foolishness of God’s love. We need to embrace not just our friends but our enemies. If we will love wisely all the rest may fall into place; or perhaps if we do the rest wisely love will flow out from us.
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