New Covenant Presbyterian Church
Sermon Colossians 3:17 “Offering My Time”
February 24, 2019
Listen to this sermon.
We are continuing with our look at spiritual practices. These are things that we do which when built upon faith help us to become more like Jesus. So we worship, pray and study the Bible. We have a single-minded focus on Jesus, we surrender to God’s will, we are a part of a biblical community and we use our spiritual gifts for God’s purposes. All of these are important and if you do them the Holy Spirit will transform you into what God created you to be.
Today we turn to another spiritual practice. This is “offering my time.” We will get to this, but first, let's pray.
“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy Heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)
Our scripture for today comes from the third chapter of Colossians, verse 17.
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
God has given us 24 hours every day. About a third of these are used for sleep. About 16 hours every day we are awake. And scripture is teaching us that every waking hour should be dedicated to fulfilling God’s purposes in the world. So how do we do this? How do we put God first in everything we do?
First, our focus must be on Jesus. When I wake in the morning I go in the bathroom and talk to God about the day ahead. Before breakfast, I give thanks to God for so many blessings. As I drive to the church I listen to podcasts.
There are not strictly speaking Christian podcasts although to do listen to some of those. I like to listen to Christian thinkers talking about world events. When I arrive at church I pray in the sanctuary and then work in the office preparing Bible studies, sermons, liturgies and phone messages. The rest of the day is visiting people or answering email or doctor’s appointments or do something with Grace. But everything I do I try to think about Jesus. Scripture teaches us that we should always focus on Jesus.
Colossians 3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
So the first step is offering our time is to focus always on Jesus every hour of the day. If we are always focusing on Jesus then we begin to realize how our own behavior is far short of what God wants. This is called sin. And so the second thing we must do is to stop sinning and start leading a lifestyle that is pleasing to God. Scripture puts it this way.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
So as we live our lives, we first focus on Jesus and second repent of our sin. The third thing that we do is that we accept everyone regardless of race or class.
11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
So focusing on Jesus, repenting sins, and accepting everyone are the first three steps in living a life pleasing to God. The next step is to put on virtue.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
So every waking hour we should be kind to everyone we meet. We should be humble, gentle and patient. And we should be forgiving just as God forgave us.
So we focus on Jesus, repent of our sins, we accept everyone regardless of race, and we act a virtuous people living our lives in a way that is pleasing to God.
If we do these things we receive two benefits. The first benefit is a peaceful heart.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.
So if we want to live peaceful lives we focus on Jesus, repent of our sin, accept everyone, and live virtuously. Then our hearts will be filled with the peace of Jesus. And we will have a second benefit.
15 … And be thankful.
Not only are our hearts overflowing with peace but also gratitude for all God has for us.
So what are some of the things that we can do to make sure that we are following Jesus every hour of the day?
One useful practice is to keep a journal. I urge you to keep a journal and write down everything you do for a couple of days. For each hour of the day ask the question, “Did I please or displease God?” Write down all the times you fell short. Write down all the times you were virtuous. Then read your journal. This will give you a pretty good idea about how well you are offering your time to God.
Another useful practice is to use the time in the car for God’s purposes. Many of us are in a car a lot. And if you are like me we listen to the radio or podcasts or music or audiobook. But what if we used driving time as a time to connect to others. Grace is really good at this. When we are in the car together I drive and she is on the phone. She is connecting with friends, people in the church, people we have known in other places and family. This is something we could all do. We have a new portrait directory. If you are a passenger in a car use this time to connect with people in the church. See what they are doing and the problems they face. Pray for them. Setup visits. Build community.
So we are keeping journals and searching for opportunities to talk with people by phone. And a third thing you can do is to set aside a period of time every day to serve others. Maybe you have lunch with someone who just lost a loved one.
Maybe you visit someone who has a hard time getting around in the winter. Maybe you join the choir or bell and offer you musical talent. Every day, think about how you can do something to help someone else.
So we keep a journal, call people and try to help someone every day.
There is an old story about offering time. A man has been working for a long time at a very stressful job. He works long hours. And he comes home late, exhausted.
One evening as he sat, exhausted, on the couch his 5-year-old son said, “Daddy can I ask you a question?”
To which his tired father said, “I guess, what is it?
His little boy then asked, “How much money do you make an hour?
The father became irritable and said, “Why would you ask such a thing?”
The child said, “I just need to know. How much do you make an hour?”
The father replied, “I make $20 per hour.”
The little boy looked at his father and said, “May I borrow $10?”
The father was now furious. “If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can buy a toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. I work long, hard hours every day, and I don’t have time for this right now.” The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.
After a bit, the dad calmed down and began to think he may have been too hard on his son. Maybe he really did need the ten dollars for some good reason. He went to the door of his little boy’s room. The dad asked, “Are you asleep, son?”
“No, Daddy, I’m awake,” replied the boy.
“I’ve been thinking maybe I was too hard on you earlier,” said the man. “It’s been a long day, and I took out my frustrations on you. Here’s ten dollars. What do you need it for?”
The little boy sat straight up. “Oh, thank you daddy!” Reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some crumpled bills he had saved from his allowance.
“Why did you want more money if you already had some?” the father asked, about to get irritated again.
The son slowly counted out his money and then, looking up at his dad, said, “Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do. Daddy, I have twenty dollars now. Can I buy an hour of your time? I miss you.”
While this story certainly tugs at our heartstrings and causes us to evaluate our own priorities of time, we cannot help but think of and be grateful for our heavenly Father, who gives us his constant, undivided, and unending attention to the details of our lives.
We need to offer our time to God. We focus on Jesus. We repent our sins. We welcome everyone regardless of race. And we live virtuous lives. We do this by keeping a journal to chronical how we spend our time. We find time to connect with others. And we serve someone in need every day. Let’s pray.
Father in heaven, help us to devote every hour you give us to your purposes. Help us to focus on Christ. Help us to find time to connect with each other. Help us to serve others every day. Help us to live with peaceful hearts, filled with gratitude. This we pray in the name of your son whom we serve. Amen.
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