Time may be turned to good account,
or it may be wasted or misspent. By Ashton Oxenden. From the Touchstone
of Opportunity. 1884. Be very careful, then,
how you live. Not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming
the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5. 15 and 16. To use our time well and wisely
is a matter of the greatest importance. For, oh, how quickly is it passing
away! We should seize our opportunities
while they exist, and gather up the fragments which remain,
that nothing be lost. The value of time, its exceeding
preciousness, is beyond measure. Our days and hours hasten by,
never to return. They are like water, which, when
once spilt, cannot be gathered up again. They are like the rays
of the sun, which at the moment may warm and invigorate us, but
cannot be laid up for future use. Our lives are very short
at best, and on the manner in which they are spent will depend
our condition for ever. Who can say how important is
every moment which is given to us? Time may be turned to good
account, or it may be wasted or misspent. No wonder, then,
that we are charged. Be very careful, then, how you
live, not as unwise, but as wise, like travellers on a dangerous
road, looking round them on every side, and prepared for any difficulty
which may suddenly arise. We should live cautiously and
carefully, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. What shall we say of those who
let days and months and years pass without thinking of anything
beyond their own ease and enjoyment? Time is to them as a tale that
is told, which is soon forgotten. It is like a vapour which rises
before them, but is speedily swept away, and is gone for ever. One day is like another, all
equally unprofitable. All gone to waste, nothing done
for God or for eternity. A number of precious opportunities,
but not one of them improved. We have, many of us, done but
little in the way of redeeming the time. We have allowed it
to pass by, unimproved. Bear in mind, then, that we all
have our opportunities, opportunities of doing good, opportunities
of benefiting our fellow creatures, opportunities of doing some work
for God, and for every one of these opportunities, we must
give an account. Again, our time is very, very
short, and all depends upon the right employment of it. Remember
that our time is becoming shorter every day. So teach us to number
our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90 verse 12.