The Lord of Time

THE LORD OF TIME

I will not ensnare myself in trying to define what time is because all men, scholars and laymen alike, have their own opinions concerning this matter. Some say it is just but a means of measure and others say it is money. Whatever the case, I am sure that what makes it count is how we use it.

According to Ken Ham in his book The Answers Book1, modern scientists have proven that time is closely akin to matter and space and have thus concluded that time had a definite beginning and will therefore come to definite end. In my perspective, the clock ticks ‘counting up’ to something or ‘counting down’ to it. Whatever the case, I am convinced that time is ultimately pointing to phenomenon that will be revealed at its end – Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 28:20, Jesus promises us, His disciples, His perpetual company which will last to the very end of the age. This age (to me) signifies the end of time, as we know it; marked by Christ’s return coupled with our perfection in Him.
Far be it from us that we should then look forward to this glorious perfection in great anticipation and in the process overlook the time that has to pass before that great day. We have a responsibility pertaining to that time and that is why Jesus saw it necessary to charge us with a task to fulfill (Mt. 28:18-19) before that expected end (v. 20).

We are stewards of time, charged with its management so that we may fulfill God’s will here on earth. Two things strike me as compulsions to proper stewardship of time.

Reflecting and replicating God’s perfection and efficacy in time management.


God stands on the banks of the flowing river of time, seeing all things that man does; then, now and in the future. From this unique vantage point, He chooses where, or rather when, to step in.
We can be confident that since His nature is pure and incorruptible, His interventions are then perfect and timely. However, we are lost in the futility of our thinking because of the limitations of time and a finite mind and hence fail to understand the choices and responses of a limitless and infinite God. Our needs and wants evoke emotions and opinions that blind us from seeing the bigger picture as God sees it. Consequently, we end up blaming God for delayed intervention. The question here is who determines whether intervention is late? What is the standard for that judgment – God or time? I am convinced that the standard must be God because He is infinite and perfect and it is He who created time. Time began, is now passing and will end, but as the writer of the book Hebrews said; He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The Lord Himself took Malachi as a scribe to write to all creation and tell them that He does not change (Mal 3:6). He is the Lord unlimited.
It however becomes vexing and paradoxical that I should liken our time management to that of God. I think that it is still possible to reflect His perfection displayed through His timely nature. In this very way, the moon – a dull mass of rock – reflects the glory of the sun, which is a bright and flaming star. The commonality in this comparison is not in the element of time but in that of perfection.
Christians must exemplify this perfection even though we dealing with two invariables in this equation, our imperfect nature and time. We must deal with this matter effectively and responsibly.

Being Men of Our Word.

Jesus while on earth set us a classical example of being faithful to our word. Whatever He said, He did. He was well aware and confident of this fact to the point that He questioned the Jews as to whether they had seen Him sin (John 8). This commitment and faithfulness has not passed away; it is eternal. It is still living and active to this very day and will continue in the days that are yet with us. The Lord promises us in Psalm 138 that He has upheld His name and His word above all. He stays true to that irrespective of the prevailing circumstance. He brings to pass all His promises in due time. The preacher in Ecclesiastes 3:11 says He makes all things beautiful in His time. The preacher goes on to highlight that we lack the satisfaction of fully understanding what He does. Maybe a disturbing thought and that is why what I propose what may seem like an equally disturbing solution – childlike faith. Many times faith is mistaken for foolishness.
Men will forever grapple with this matter because of the finite nature of our minds and we are subject to change – of state, emotion and mind. The Lord is immutable and infallible and so is His own standard (Num 23:19). He will always honour His word.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we too are required to honour our promises and commitments. This is a call to faithfulness – a part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22). We must hold ourselves accountable to God and honour our word in the time frame concerned.
I admire Jephthah, the Judge of Israel, who despite making a rather thoughtless commitment to God was faithful enough to honour it even though it cost him much. We must emulate such faithfulness.

If you plan to be somewhere at a certain time or to do something specific, do it at the time allocated for it. Failing to do so is tantamount to sin.

It is futile for us to think of this matter and not move towards pleasing God with the stewardship of our time. We must be responsible with time. At times, we find ourselves in situations that see us late due to unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances. Even so, we are responsible for handling such situations because we know they inevitably occur occasionally. This is the substance of good stewardship. If you have a commitment slotted for a particular time, ensure that you attend to it slightly before necessary. This avoids last minute rushes (which humans cannot seem to get away from) and it reduces the margin of lateness if perhaps something hinders you from being on time.
It is wrong for us to inconvenience others through our irresponsibility. We must honour our word.
I pray that the Lord may move us from undesirable attitudes towards time management and may convict us to abolish horrendous stewardship of time so that we may worship him through punctuality and proper time management. We must see bad stewardship of time as something that grieves and disappoints God.

May we now go forth in the knowledge of these things and bring honour to Jesus, the Lord of Time.


Written by Allan Muchiri
October 28th 2008