DARE TO SPARE ON TIME

“Walk in wisdom toward those on the outside, redeeming the time”, Col 4:5 

From a human point of view, to spare on time is to make haste and to leave some other things undone in some way. In Godly terms, to spare in time is to have them properly done in due time, for whatever is done in perfection needs not be done again and again. It is “he who is slack in his work who is brother to a great destroyer”, Prov.18:9.

But, today I happened to think about just how Christians who have put their hand into the plough need to realize just how quick they need to build a house of abstinence and holiness for the sake of the doubting and the lost. I pray to God that I can put into paper what I need to say. To spare in time is to become holy aand wise and not to become hasty.

A Christian may build a house if he has nothing in his heart which still hopes upon bricks and stones still, if he does that in the Lord, for to build or not to build amounts to the same to him. But, any worldly man is foolish enough to set his own heart easily upon something which will eventually stay behind and builds nothing up in heaven for him, unless he uses it to lodge the holy and the pure instead of using it for himself. Any Christian building a house for himself will hinder a worldly man from seeing things in the right perspective, however, in terms of what is at stake eternally. This is never a walk in wisdom which will spare in the time of the ungodly to become holy and pure. This course of things will encourage any worldly man to draw nigh to God, yes, but for the selfish it might be an hindrance at some point. It would be great if he could rather think and believe God is to stay away from him because of the kind of heart he still has, urging such without words to have and breed a change of heart rather quickly. Any holy man who is not wise in his walk towards the world, is surely a hindrance to the salvation of men and spares not in their time of salvation and as long as salvation is seen as it is: salvation from self and from sin.

This is not hypocrisy to build a house away from the eyes of the world, for a man close to God is not to hide that he builds a house, but rather show that he has no hope upon any kind of house down here, whether it be marriage or whatever worldly thing may consume any human's time or heart. Man is to show what is in the heart just as well as what is not there. To build a house for self in front of the eyes of the world is not telling people the truth about what is in the heart for real, for the perception the world has towards such things will trick them into thinking something different about God due to their selfish aspirations and hopes. Unless one is clear and honest enough in motive, one should be wise enough to either dedicate to God whatever we build while the world sees and believes the dedication is truthful and honest, or not to build at all if we are not able to be clear enough about it.

The world is greedy towards worldly things. A Christian may be well changed never to think even slightly that his hopes are set upon whatever he builds on earth still. Here is something hard to solve: a Christian may wish to build for the glory of God while the world will easily believe God is God towards his own greed if he sees a Christian building. A Christian may not stop building for his motives are rightly divided and soul is surely separated from spirit in him. The worldly man will still amuse more thoughts about living for God for the sake of self, towards a house if he sees any Christian building for God and, instead of plundering in time of false hopes, such may rather regain a new hope towards greed and towards that course of things, which will surely not redeem on time of salvation from sin, but will rather postpone it or even do away with that possibility for good. Such a man may want to come to God so he may establish his greed. It will not redeem on his time of false hopes that way.

But, the most dangerous thing which may easily grab any Christian heart is fear not to build for whatever reason, since the world is watching. Many a Christian may fear not to get married if he chases not after marriage, may not build a family if he chases not after a stable job and house, and enters into a state of heart which hinders his own growth easily. Just as much as thorns may hinder a good seed to make its fruit available eventually, so will many such a care drown a sober mind and heart into a uselessness which will not profit anyone, much less an own living. The secret towards a proper redeeming on time, is always to deal for real against any worldly hope we may still have and be able to breed in secret. If those things are really out of the heart, there is no chance they will hinder any of us to grow openly, while the world is sitting in all kinds of sin and watching on us all, as we build on for the sake and for the glory of God.

José Mateus