The ancient Romans worshipped a deity called Janus. On Roman coins, archways and doorways, he was depicted as having two faces, looking backward and forward. He was considered to be the god of beginnings, entrances and exits, after whom the month of January was named.
Having entered the month of January, we are conscious of the beginning of a new year and the passing of time. Our government’s chief conservator of time is the U.S. Naval Observatory. According to the agency’s website, it is responsible for maintaining the Department of Defense’s precise time and time intervals, the Master Clock, timing for Global Positioning Systems, two-way satellite time transfers, and telephone time. All of this gives the impression that time is a resource which can be managed.
We often speak of time as being our own, a personal birthright. It is better to think of time as a gift. We did not create it, We cannot hold onto it or control it. Yet it is good to try to understand the value of time and how to use it wisely. The Bible helps us to think wisely about time.
Looking back
Some people seem paralyzed by past regrets, bad choices, wasted time, or hurts inflicted by others or upon others. “If only I had it to do over.” “If only I had started sooner.” “If only I could forgive myself.” The “if only” game is not a creative strategy for dealing with the past. It is frustrating and self-defeating.
There is a better way for dealing with those yesterdays of regret. Paul the apostle put it like this: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Paul was putting his regrets behind him. He had plenty of regrets. He said in his writings that he was unworthy to be called an apostle because in his past life he had been a persecutor of the church, a murderer, a blasphemer, and the chief of sinners. But he had confessed his sins and repented. He had accepted God’s forgiveness through Christ.
Look at the past as a driver of an automobile might use a rear-view mirror. Glance back occasionally, but don’t constantly look back. The past is a reference, like a rear-view mirror. We cannot move confidently into the future if we are constantly looking back. If we try to drive a car forward while looking back through the rear-view mirror we’ll surely run into trouble.
Looking forward
Anxiety about the future is common today. I have read that depression ranks among the most common diagnoses made by primary care doctors. This is especially true among high school students, who are being unduly influenced by social media. According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide is the third-largest cause of death among American youths aged 14-18.
Jesus’ words in Matthew chapter 6 are an antidote to anxiety. He tells us how to face the future. “Do not worry,” Jesus said, about the accumulation of material things, about the length of your life, or about keeping up appearances (Matthew 6:25-29). You are, he says, more than a display rack for the latest designer fashions. You are a soul with an eternal destiny.
Your life, he says, has a vastly more important significance than the money you make, or the clothes you wear, or the food you eat. Don’t let these things be substitutes for God. Rather, cultivate faith in your heavenly Father. He knows you, he loves you and he will provide for you (Matthew 6:30-33). Ruth Graham said, “Worry and worship cannot live in the same heart. They are mutually exclusive.”
With a heart of worship for the God who gives life, live it one day at a time. Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:34).
Sometime today, try this experiment. Look at a clock with a second hand. Watch the second hand when it reaches twelve, then follow it as it sweeps down toward the number six. The six is still future as the second hand approaches. What happens when the second hand reaches and passes the six? It is in the past. It is over. Gone forever.
That part of your life is gone in an instant. You have just experienced time as it passes us by. We cannot stop it. We cannot control it. But we can choose to make the most of the time God has given us today to prepare to live with him in eternity, beyond time.
Pastor Randy Faulkner