Title: The preciousness of time
the preciousness of time
Text: Psalm 90:12
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”
One death row inmate was given the last five minutes. It was the first time in my 28 years of life that five minutes felt so precious. How do you spend 5 minutes? I decided to spend two minutes to say goodbye to the death row inmate next to me, two minutes to summarize my life up to today, and the other minute to spend the rest of the time exploring the earth... and nature. But, swallowing the tears in my eyes, I say goodbye and think of my family for a moment... Two minutes have already passed. However, when I looked back on myself and thought, 'My life will be over in three minutes,' my eyes darkened.
I regret not being able to save the last 28 years.
He was miraculously released the moment he thought, "If I could live again, I would save every moment. He could never forget the precious time he felt while on the death row. Based on that lesson, he was Dostoevsky, a literary man of the century comparable to Tolstoy, who published many works such as The Brothers Karamazov and The Eternal Encounter.
How have we managed our time? If I really only have the last five minutes, how will I use my last hours? Life is the last five minutes in a row.
“Save the time, for the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).
It happened when Napoleon, who conquered continental Europe in the 18th century, attended the military academy. The instructor asked the cadets:
"Gentlemen, the same troops. If two armies with the same weapons fight under the same terrain conditions, which side is likely to win?"
At this time Napoleon got up and answered: "The army that endures to the last five minutes will win." Winning or losing is a story that ultimately depends on who endures and how long. Our lives are like battles. Every day we are fighting the problems that come into our lives. What is the situation in the battle of my life right now? Are you in such a difficult situation that you want to give up right now? Just like the soldiers who survive to the end and endure five minutes, now is the time for the wisdom of persevering to live a victorious life. The last five minutes, the time allotted for your victory.
“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest” (Galatians 6:9).
Someone said this.
"Success or failure depends on the last five minutes." I think that's correct. Although my discharge is short, I will not act recklessly and live with the determination to become a private again. In fact, when you say two and a half months in the military, even if you die, you die dozens of times, and if you live, you live dozens of times. Whatever it is, the finish is important. If the final finish goes wrong, no matter how well you did before, you lose the light. If you always act like a private rookie, you can get through the last 5 minutes well.
To understand the value of a year, ask a woman diagnosed with cancer today and will die exactly one year later.
To understand the value of a month, ask a parent who gave birth to a premature baby a month earlier.
To understand the value of one day, think about the feelings of a son who is one day before his mother's death, or ask a young laborer who supports his family on a daily basis.
To understand the value of one minute, ask lovers who are anxiously waiting for a meeting after an hour.
To understand the value of a minute, think of a time when a salesman with an important contract missed a flight to the United States by one minute.
And to understand the preciousness of a second, think of a time when you missed the last subway ride home without a penny in your hand, or a person who crossed Sampoong Department Store or Seongsu Bridge in less than a second.
To know the value of 0.1 seconds, ask the person who escaped a traffic accident by 0.1 seconds.
To understand the value of 0.01 seconds, think of the athlete who finished second in the Olympics by 0.01 seconds or the gold medalist by 0.01 seconds.
Money is precious, but time is more precious than money. Even if you lose money, you can get it back if you work hard, but once lost, you cannot get back the time. Life is short and time is precious.
If we were to buy and use time with money, perhaps we would treat it more preciously than we do now. Time is the most valuable asset, but few think so. We tend to value things that are too precious and things that are not so important. God has given time to everyone equally and free of charge. After graduating from university, a person who officially found a job and worked until the age of 50 is equivalent to working about 56,000 hours. Whether you're teaching at school, working as a nurse, or running a publishing business, that's a lot of time. How many moments in that time did you please God? Now consider the words of King Solomon.
'For this reason I have limited my life, for all that is done under the sun is a torment to me, and all is vain, a chasing after the wind' (Ecclesiastes 2:17).
In the text, when the psalmist says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom,” it means that the greatest wisdom is to cherish the rest of one's time. All time has an end. A day has an end, a year has a New Year's Eve, and a life has a time when it comes to an end. Speaking of Francisco Xaviel, he was a pioneer in evangelism to the East, who missions to India, Seylon, the Male Empire, and even Japan under the commission of King John III of Portugal as a Spanish citizen. He died on December 3, 1553, and as a will, he left these words to the king of Portugal:
"Do not forget that your Majesty one day you will have time to face God. For the calculation of the end of the day, become a more conscientious king, and be humble before people and God, and prepare for a time of total settlement without shame.
That's a really wise point. Today, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will know the preciousness of time and live beautifully while thinking about the end of life.
/Lion of Light