Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
December 4, 2005 - W0549

Did you know statistics show that America spends an average of about $816 or $75 billion on Christmas gifts in the month of December? Today though, I want to talk to you about an unusual gift. In fact, it’s a gift we’ve already received – the gift of time called margins. Our challenge is to carve out our gift from the block of time that God gave us. And if we invest it correctly as God instructs us, time is one of those gifts that we must give away and in turn receive an even greater return.

Let me illustrate how the Holy Spirit helps guide us like a mentor on how to steward that gift. Years ago, I was living paycheck to pay check with no savings. I can’t remember exactly if it was a sermon or an advice from someone, but the message was for me to start saving now. Immediately I had my accountant deposit 30% of my pay into a savings account automatically and re-juggled my budget. Several years later an opportunity arose to invest in some condominiums at bargain prices and because I’d started saving years before, I had enough for the down payment! Today my investments are worth many times more than what I paid for them. My point is that if I hadn’t saved when the Holy Spirit instructed me to do so, I would not have had the resources to convert that opportunity.

Now the message is not about investing money in real estate, but we can utilize the same principle with regard to investing our “time currency” so that when opportunities become available we’ll be ready to purchase them. For many of us, we rarely have a reserve of time to invest and therefore often miss those possibilities when they arrive.

The Bible says: “Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16 Amplified). So often people have little or no time needed to invest when God presents opportunities that essentially convert to life. For the Lord says, I have come that you might have life and that you have it more abundantly. The fact is that God gave everyone is given 24 hours a day in order to fulfill our assignment. In essence, when we say we don’t have time, it’s because something is robbing us of that gift.

God wants us to have time to invest in things like making friends, deepening relationships, or correcting wrongs. Otherwise, we’ll miss the stuff life is made of. It’s not just about having a bank account of time because our spiritual growth will also be affected.

“Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness” (1 Tim. 4:7 NLT).  In other words, if we don’t have time then even our spiritual welfare is in jeopardy because we won’t grow. So what are the steps we can take to be sure we don’t bankrupt our account of time and…

HOW DO WE BUILD THIS GIFT?

·        PRUNE DEAD WOOD.

It’s like pruning the dead branches of a tree in order for it to bear richer, greater, and abundant fruit. He came that we would have life and have it more abundantly so we must learn to prune or eliminate the things that steal life from us. “… go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death …” (Heb. 6:1 NIV). The word repentance in the Bible means to turn away from dead works. So just like pruning dead branches for a tree to be more fruitful, we too must prune away the things that do not lead to life.

How do we do this? Evaluate your days and eliminate things such as excessive television or computer and video games that steal time for important things which we often say is lacking. Farmers eat or sell the smaller seeds and safeguard the bigger and best ones to invest or plant for the future because they know if they eat the seed they saved for planting, they’d have no crop to harvest the following year.

In the same way, God gives us the gift of time to redeem and invest in three fields where God instructs us to plant in. And He promises minimally  30 fold or a 3000% return. Keep in mind that our seed of time is exactly what the devil wants to steal to keep us away from God and from having a future. So here are three fields God gives us to…

USE THE GIFT OF MARGINS TO INVEST IN:

1.     JESUS.

The first field is our relationship with Jesus. The Bible says, you must “… train your self to be godly” (1 Tim. 4:7 NIV). We need time to sit before the Lord and hear from Him. Whether it is in church, fellowship, or devotions invest that time with Jesus and don’t let the devil keep you from become closer to Jesus.

I usually spend time in devotions in the morning, but one morning I got sidetracked. I intended to just spend a few minutes answering emails. Before I knew it, two hours went by and I had no time for devotions. Time can be stolen that easily. What should have been invested in a field that would bring back a return now equals zero return and I can never reclaim it. So invest time sitting at the feet of Christ.

Another example I remember is when I was a youth pastor. I was becoming so tired and even sleep didn’t refresh me. I was so weary that I didn’t even want to go to church. Reluctantly I went and while at service I heard one idea out of the whole sermon that mentioned the spirit of weariness. I was actually experiencing a spiritual attack and not a physical tiredness. And it wasn’t something sleep could get rid of. God said the only way to get rid of that weariness was by someone laying hands on me and praying for me and He would give the authority for me to be released from it. However, if I didn’t invest that time to attend the service, I would have missed the Holy Spirit’s promptings and the opportunity for wholeness and healing.

And it’s not just about attending church. One of the things we can do to avoid problems in the future is by spending time with the Lord daily in devotions. The Bible says: “… he must copy these laws on a scroll … and read it daily as long as he lives … This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud …” (Deut. 17:18-20 NLT). Sometimes in our daily devotions the answers to our most pressing questions are revealed. God will often speak to us on the very thing we are struggling with. So making time to attend church actually taps into God’s power.  

Sometimes we try everything to resolve an issue only to be discouraged because we just can’t seem to figure it out. Well try asking the Father. That’s where daily devotions come in. God gives insight and wisdom when we spend time before Him. So really devotions save us time. Still there are some who will say they can’t get up in the morning to do devotions, but really our days…

·        START THE NIGHT BEFORE. 

“And there was evening.  And there was morning – the first day” (Gen. 1:5b NIV). You see, in the Hebrew calendar and the way God created our days, it actually starts the evening before. In other words, He’s saying that He wants our activity to be birthed out of rest. If we are tired, we allow something to steal a part of our rest and we lose the day.

The best ways to prepare for the Lord’s work is to get enough rest the night before. So the first field we need to invest our seeds of time is in a vertical field or our relationship with Jesus because that time really converts to life. The second field is…

2.     OTHERS.  

Always remember “… you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.  The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these” (Mk. 12:30-31 NLT). Invest in healthy relationships. Invest in having friendships in your marriage and don’t settle for less. Make time for family relationships and even career relationships. It can be helpful to fast forward the tape of our life to see what would be important near the end of our life. Then rewind back to the present and prioritize things for today.

Often we say we’ll have time to forgive a person or tell someone “I love you.” But why wait until we’re ready to die. Instead do it now and have a much more abundant life. Think of it like wearing a nice suit that doesn’t fit properly. Though we know it needs tailoring to fit well, we keep putting it off. Eventually there will be no time left to enjoy wearing a well-fitted suit.

And so it is with relationships. We must invest our time in the horizontal field of others today because we’ll miss out on enjoying the very relationships we say are important to us. Who then should we start with? Start with…

·        THOSE YOU ARE GRATEFUL FOR.

“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18) (Ps. 107:2).

Tell people in your life how grateful you are for them. Give voice to your gratitude.  Don’t just think it! That’s why the Bible says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so…” (Ps. 107:2) Take the time to tell people you appreciate them. Next, invest in…

·        THOSE WHO MAY BE HURTING OR NEGLECTED. 

Just take time and invest in this field. We don’t have to be counselors or have a long-winded speech. Sometimes just a word of encouragement is enough to lift another’s spirit because “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad” (Prov. 12:25). Notice when others are hurting and take the time to invest in lift their spirit.

Let’s recap: the first field of relationship God says to invest our time in is a vertical field with Jesus. It will actually save us time because God will help us. The next field is horizontal relationship with others. Let others know you are grateful for them and be compassionate when people are hurting by offering a kind word. It’s that simple! Finally, the last field is called a pivotal relationship or…

3.     YOU. 

“… those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary”(Is. 40:31) (Ps. 139:23).

Take time for yourself. Remember our health determines the kinds of decisions we make. It’s pivotal. We must let our hearts settle so we won’t be weary or tired. Otherwise, God’s grace cannot flow through us and we won’t be able to tap into His strength. So invest in these three fields making sure that you prune out the unnecessary demands on your time. Don’t let anything bankrupt your time currency because opportunities will come and you want to be ready to buy them up. Invest your time in Jesus and becoming more Christ-like. Spend time loving others letting them know you appreciate them and lift them up with an encouraging word at every opportunity. And finally, make time for yourself taking time to refresh your soul.

Here’s a quick way to remember these fields: Jesus (vertical relationship), Others (horizontal relationship), and in You (pivotal relationship) or JOY. Jesus, others, and you! Then watch how that investment will result in a return 30, 60, 100 fold

Study Questions

1. List things you need to prune from your life.
2. How do you invest your time in your to relationship with Jesus?
3. How has the Lord used a sermon, devotions, etc. to instruct you in something you were wrestling with? What was the result?
4. What do you think will be most important to you at the end of life? What are you or can you do to invest in those things today?
5. Who in your life do you need to express gratefulness for? Is there anyone you know who could use a word of encouragement?
6. What are some ways you invest in YOU so you won’t become weary?
7. What has impacted you most in what you’ve learned today and how will you apply that truth to your life this week?

Once again, thanks to volunteer writer, Leighton Loo who invests his time serving the Kingdom for His glory! Mahalo!