"Make Good Use of Your Time"

Scripture: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.”
–Ecclesiastes 9:10, NIV

Over the past several years, I have learned to incorporate a vital aspect into my life. This aspect is something that we all deal with in one form or another. This aspect I am making reference to is time management. As a married man, a family man, a minister of the Gospel, and just a man in general, I have had to learn to juggle quality time with Mrs. Lindsay, juggle giving God His proper time, juggle a 80-hour set of work weeks, juggle time to check on family members, and other things. I bless God that He has allowed me to do that, thus making good use of my time. As men and women who live in this world, you endure these same battles of managing your time with children, work, church, and other things. God wants to encourage you on today to make good use of your time! One of the oldest clichés I have heard within life is that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop” and if truth were told, many of the things/feelings we build up is because we are not doing anything practical. With the help of Ecclesiastes and its potent author, Solomon, God wants to again show you the importance of making good use of your time.

As fore stated in the previous paragraph, Ecclesiastes will serve as focal book. Its author is that in the person of King Solomon. Solomon was able to deliver such potent words within this book, Proverbs, and Songs of Solomon because of his life’s experiences and most importantly, the great gift of wisdom he obtained from God in 1 Kings 3. Within these twelve chapters of Ecclesiastes, we find that some of the subjects Solomon talked about included wisdom, the value of a promise to God, oppression, and how everything he obtained in the material world was vanity. In Chapter 9, today’s main chapter, Solomon deals with how wisdom is better than folly) (verses 13 – 18) and the common destiny for everyone, death (verses 1 – 12). Within the discussion of the common destiny for everyone is where we are launched into our main scripture and thought.

Solomon gives us this word of advice: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might”. Today, you, my brothers and sisters, possess gift(s) from the Almighty God. Some of you possess the gift of administration. Some of you possess the gift of teaching. Some of you possess the gift of counseling. Some of you possess the gift of intercession. Some of you possess the gift of pastorship. Some of you possess the gift of leadership. Some of you possess the gift of designing things on the computer. Some of you possess the gift of being an elite writer. Today, God charges you to either continuously work in your gift(s) or begin to use them! Oftentimes, we twiddle our thumbs in boredom, when God has already spoke what you can do and what you should be doing! He drives us through Solomon to exercise our gifts with all our might! If you are a gifted writer, exercise it with all of your might! If you are a gifted teacher, exercise it with all of your might! If you are a gifted financial advisor, exercise your gift with all of your might!

There’s a reason why God wants us to make good use of your time. Solomon completes the text by saying, “for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom”. In other words, when God turns out the lights on your life, you cannot exercise the gifts and work with what He gave you! One of the big things that gets to my nerves (and I believe some of you all would agree as well) is that people say “I should’ve done this”, “I should’ve done that”, “I could’ve done this” or “I could’ve done that”. Well, God wants you to know that you can do this, you can do that! It’s within your power, it’s within your hands to make things happen! It’s within your hands to get things done on another level! It’s on you to give you and your family the best life possible without regret. It’s on you to make the best of your time while you’re here on Earth! Don’t be the “could’ve” crowd or the “should’ve” crowd, be a part of the “do it” crowd while you have time to do so! You have a God that told you that He would never leave you nor forsake you (Matthew 28:20) and that you have no reason to be afraid because He’s there with you (Psalms 27:1, Psalms 118:6). Isn’t that a blessing to know that you have a God that’s like that? Isn’t it a blessing to know that all God wants you to do is to exercise your gifts and make good use of the time He has given you?

In closing, though I have become solid in time management, there’s definitely room for improvement! There are gifts that God has placed in my hands that I need to improve upon and use while He has given me the time. Just like me, others of you have the same testimony. Let’s work towards making good use of our time and being proud of our life’s accomplishments before we die! Make the best of your days and work your gifts with all of your might and God will reward you handsomely!

"Umma Do Me"

Scripture: “I said, I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence." –Psalms 39:1, NIV

In this world we live in in the year 2010, many phrases have been captured within various songs. One of those phrases is today’s title “Umma Do Me”. This song was done by an artist named Rocko (famously known to be Monica’s ex-fiancé) back in December of 2007. The single topped out at #7 on the Billboard U.S. Rap Charts and #12 on Billboard’s U.S. R&B Charts. The emphasis of this song is that you handle your business and I’ll handle mine. As I looked at today’s text, I felt David’s sentiment of “Umma Do Me” here. Oftentimes, as believers, we are geared towards helping others and getting them through their crises. Today, the intent is for you and do you that will lead you to be a greater help to someone else! Let’s examine the text.

Psalms 39 is the focal chapter of today. This psalm was written by King David. As I fore stated in the introduction, the introductory verse of Psalms 39 provides the train of thought that David was going to do him. How can I make such a statement? Well, the text begins this way, “I said, I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin”. Didn’t he just say a mouthful there? In other words, David is saying that he is going to watch HIS ways and keep HIS tongue from sinning! In other words, David is doing David! Oftentimes, we get in people’s business when it isn’t warranted and because of that, sin flies out of mouth and sin comes from us. It’s important to check yourself on a daily basis. It’s important to really look in the mirror and say, “What do I like about me?” “What do I dislike about me?” “Am I a good husband?” “Am I a good wife?” “Am I a good friend?” “Did I speak to my friend in a good tone?” “Did I handle that situation in a manner pleasing unto God?” These are real questions we should ask ourselves regularly as we strive to do ourselves! If we are truthful to ourselves and most importantly to God, then He will free you (John 8:32) from your sins and forgive you (1 John 1:9)!

David completes his “Umma Do Me” thought process within the text by saying this lastly, “I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence”. As I read this portion of scripture, I am reminded of the old cliché that if you give someone an inch, they will take a mile. Oftentimes, the wicked look for the “inch” in our lives in order for them to take a mile. The enemy looks to kill, still, and destroy and he can start that trend when you give him a morsel to eat off of when it comes to you. David, being the smart man that he was, stated that in his doing him, that he would muzzle his mouth as long as the wicked was in his presence. Ladies and gentlemen, there will be times and seasons where it won’t be necessary for you to run your mouth in a situation! There will come times and seasons where all you have to do is be still and know that He is God (Psalms 46:10)! There will be times where God wants you to shut up and allow Him to do the work! In your “Doing You” mentality, learn to keep your mouth close appropriately when enemies are around because the enemy is always looking for something to hang God’s people on.

In closing, I often tell my wife and Mama that if they focus their energy on God and stay out of people’s business, then they’ll be fine and God would be pleased. Today’s main scripture in Psalms provides further clarity of this thought. It’s on you, my brother, and you, my sister to do you! Do you in the sense of watching your ways, keeping your tongue from sin, and muzzling your mouth when enemies are around. When you work on you, then you can be a better and more effective part of the body of Christ!