Time

J. Michael Shannon

Recently, the Cincinnati Enquirer told a story about a man named David Booth who wanted to make an apology. Years earlier in 1969, Booth tried to hijack a
Delta flight. During the attempt, he threatened an 18-year-old girl with a knife.

Eventually Booth surrendered; but for 40 years, his behavior haunted him. After a massive heart attack and several strokes, Booth wanted to apologize to the woman he had threatened. The problem was, the woman had died 13 years earlier of cancer. When told of this, Booth broke down in tears. It was compassionate treatment by a judge that turned Booth around; he managed to get his life together, have a family and live a successful life.

The offended girl’s sister is certain her sister would have forgiven Booth, but Booth will not be able to experience the freedom and joy of offering an apology and receiving the grace of forgiveness. He learned a valuable lesson. The time to make amends or do anything noble and good is now.

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Time

In A.W. Tozer’s book Man: The Dwelling Place of God, there is a reference to an Associated Press story about a British nobleman who died at 89 years of age. He had inherited great wealth and therefore was free to do whatever he pleased. According to the article, he “devoted his life to trying to breed the perfect spotted mouse.” Think of it! Rather than using his privileged position in life, with its potential for serving the Lord and for ministering to human need, both material and spiritual, he devoted himself to perfecting spotted mice. No mention was made of this being a scientific experiment to benefit mankind. It seemed to be no more than a novel pursuit to satisfy his narrow interest.

Now, let’s make this personal. When our life’s work is ended, will we have to say, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands have done and …indeed all was vanity”? Or will we be able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness”? (2 Tim. 4:7, 8). We can if we put God first in all we do.

-Sermons Illustrated July/August 1990

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Time

Is there a “family-time famine” in your home? The Family Research Council, Focus on the Family’s branch office in Washington, D.C., recently released a survey showing that the average parent spent 30 hours a week with a child in 1965. Today the average parent only spends 17 hours. This year propose to make more time for family meals, family outings, family walks or family vacations!

-Sermons Illustrated July/August 1990

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Time

In Bill Keane’s comic strip The Family Circus the little girl is explaining time to her little brother. She says, “Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” Certainly we would all be wiser if we saw every day of our lives as a gift. Someone once said, “Never clutch the past so tightly that it leaves your arms unable to embrace the present.”

-Robert Shannon, Preaching July/August 1999

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Time

Robert C. Shannon

In 1752 England went from the old Julian calendar to the new Gregorian
calendar. In order to make it fit, eleven days had to be removed from the
calendar. People went to bed on September 2nd, and when they awoke the next
morning it was September 14th. There were riots in the streets. People said the
government had stolen those days. Of course, all the ways we measure time are
of human invention, but it does seem that some things steal time from us. Time
is one of the greatest gifts we receive. It is one of the most important
investments we make. We ought to use it very wisely.

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Time

Robert C. Shannon

In Bill Keane’s comic strip The Family Circus the little girl is explaining
time to her little brother. She says, “Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s
the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”
Certainly we would all we wiser if we saw every day of our lives as a gift.
Someone once said, “Never clutch the past so tightly that it leaves your
arms unable to embrace the present.”

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Time

Robert C. Shannon

Time for Life is the title of a new book by James Robinson and Geoffrey Godbey.
In the book they say that while Americans feel more rushed they actually have
more leisure time than ever before — nearly 40 hours a week. The findings are
disputed by some. In fact numerous publishers rejected the manuscript because,
they said, “We all know we have less leisure time.”

The research was done very scientifically, however. If we only think for a
moment of time saving devices in all our homes and work places, it must be
true. The problem is that we don’t know how to use our leisure time. The title
of the book can help us: it is Time for Life. Most of us do find time to do the
things we really want to do. And most of us can find time for God, as well.
Have you ever noticed that nobody is too busy to tell you how busy he is?

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Time

Robert C. Shannon

It is not correct to say that there are 365 days in a year. A year is about one
fourth of a day longer than that. There are 365.24219878 days in a year. By the
year 46 B.C. that little bit of time had accumulated, and it became a problem.
Julius Caesar added on the balance and had a year of 445 days. It went down in
history as “The Year of Confusion” (Some of us would have to say that
many years in our lives could be called that!) The Mayans and Aztecs simply
declared that those extra days didn’t exist.

Augustus, who succeeded Julius Caesar, took some days from February and added
them to the month named for him, August. But by the year 1582 some more days
had accumulated. Pope Gregory decreed that the days between October 5 and 15 of
that year should disappear. Imagine losing ten days! But then some have lost a
lot more time than that.

Eventually leap year was devised to solve the problem. Of course, the problem
is not with time itself, but only with the ways we measure time. However we
measure time, we know it is temporary. Certainly we must be concerned with
time, but we must be more concerned with eternity.

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Time

Robert C. Shannon

The Mayfly lives only six hours! It gets its name from the fact that it hatches
in the month of May. Yet the eggs of the Mayfly do not hatch for three years! A
six-hour lifetime seems mighty brief, but then fourscore years and ten seem
short to the human who has reached them. If we could compare our longest life-span
with eternity, we’d have a real sense of perspective. We’d know what is
important and what is insignificant. And we’d know how best to use our years.

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