Use Time for Three Things While You Can Still Say “Today”

Still fresh in our memory is the tragedy of the Lion Air plane crash in the waters of the Thousand Islands in October 2018. This incident left profound grief for the victims’ families. The Ministry of Finance also mourned the loss of a number of its employees.

Some of the victims were planning to visit family in Jakarta, then return to Pangkal Pinang on Monday morning for work. Before leaving, they may have said goodbye to their children, wives, husbands, or parents, promising to return the following week. Yet who would have thought that it would be their last meeting.

Truly, this event reminds us that we do not have much time …

Human Life Is Like Grass

Perhaps some people think, “I’ll repent later when I’m old. While I’m still young, I want to enjoy this life to the fullest.”

Sadly, there is no guarantee that someone will die only in old age. No one knows when the time will come, and no one can refuse when death comes.

For: "All who live are like grass, and all their glory is like the flower of grass; the grass dries up, and the flower falls." – 1 Peter 1:24

Grass represents something small and weak. It can easily be stepped on, pulled up, run over by vehicles, eaten by goats, dried out, and die at any time. Like grass, human beings should not be proud and arrogant about the future.

Some of us begin the day with the routine of busyness. Some are chasing a schedule of meetings at the office, meeting clients, going to campus, shopping at the market, taking children to school, and so on. In the middle of all that, who can guess whether the next second will be the end of life?

“… yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are like a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” – James 4:14

Time is very short: what should we do?

Because we do not know what will happen, it would be good for us to put our lives in order every day. Make sure we do the following things:

1. Do not delay repentance

Repentance is not a once-for-all process at the beginning of our following Jesus. Repentance needs to be practiced every day, throughout life. Why? Because whether we realize it or not, we will certainly make mistakes, whether against God, against others, or even against ourselves. Mistakes are human, but the decision to correct ourselves immediately must become our priority.

Reflect on this, in what areas have we not yet repented? Perhaps we still often think negatively, gossip, speak harshly, act dishonestly, and so on. When that happens, or even before it happens, there is usually an inner voice warning us. Let us not ignore it.

“But whenever it is said: "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” Hebrews 3:15

2. Live at peace with everyone

Do you have unfinished business with someone else and are waiting for the right time to resolve it?

Use the opportunity wisely, because it may be that we will have no more time. Perhaps someone argues with their spouse, then leaves for work with an upset heart, but the vehicle they are riding in ends up like the event above. How sad the final impression would be for the spouse left behind.

Settle every obstacle in your relationships immediately. Speak a warm greeting to your spouse, children, or anyone with you before you part ways. It may sound trivial, but by doing so, surely we will not regret the life we have lived.

3. Show care to your loved ones

Busyness often distracts us so that we forget even to ask how the people we love are doing. When was the last time we communicated with our parents, children, or friends? When was the last time we visited them?

Perhaps we live in the same city or village, or in different areas but still within reach. Yet even if the distance is near, without care, it may happen that we do not meet for years.

So, show your care as much and as often as you can. Do not let your last meeting be when you are paying your final respects.

Let us make the best use of our time to repent, live in peace, and love others, while we can still say “today.” The Lord Jesus bless you.

Related article: Be Wise with Time: Make Every Moment Count

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