Time Keeps on Ticking Away

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
—Psalm 90:12

Let's say that your phone rings right after reading this article and it’s the manager from your bank. He greets you then proceeds to tell you he had received a phone call today and some anonymous, wealthy donor wants to deposit 86,400 cents into your account every single day for the rest of your life.

Perplexed, you say, “What? I don’t understand. Explain that to me again.” The banker explains, "Every single day, this person will deposit 86,400 cents into your account.” Is that much money? You wonder at first, and then you get out your calculator and figure out that it amounts to $864 every day. That is pretty good money for nothing you think. Then the banker explains there is a catch to this small fortune.

The banker says, "But there is one condition. You have to spend it every single day. You can't save it up. You can't add it to the next day's balance. Every day, you must spend that money. What is not spent will be taken away. This person will do this each and every day, but the condition is that you must spend the money."

So you go back to your calculator and figure out that $864 times 7 equals $6,048 per week. Come to find out, multiplied by 52, that comes to $314,496 per year. That is a pretty good deal. Only one problem – it’s only a fantasy.

So let's deal with reality. Someone who loves you very much deposits into your bank of time 86,400 seconds every single day. That someone is God. And the condition is that you must spend it. You can't save up time today and apply it toward tomorrow—there is no such thing as a 27-hour day. Each and every day, you have the opportunity to invest your precious commodity of time. What will you do with it? Everyone spends their time on what they see as valuable. Tragically though, most people waste it on selfish ambitions and fruitless deeds.

I’ve seen some people live an amazing life in a short amount of time and others live an ordinary life and in a long period of time. Quantity means nothing without quality.

The Bible says in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Simply put, a wise person sees their time on this earth as a valuable commodity to be invested into the lives of others and God’s will.

What will you do with your fortune? Will you give it away or hoard it? Will you invest it into the lives of others or selfishly watch it waste away? Will you make it count or just simply watch it count down?

Tick, tock.