

The Mystery of Time


– Ecclesiastes 3:11

There’s something mysterious about the passage of time. As eternal beings in a linear world, it seems we live with a constant awareness that moments are moving by us, and we feel a need to understand where they are leading. Let’s face it — we all want to know the future, because we hope it will help us make sense of the uncertainties we face every day. Even as Christians, though the Bible tells us how it all pans out, we want to know more. This is probably why, for thousands of years, there have been prophecies, theories, and speculations about the end of the world. In fact, long before the year AD 1000, someone had written that time would come to an end when the first millennium was complete and that Jesus would return to Jerusalem. In those days, a great Roman emperor would lay down his crown, which the Lord would take up, and then that emperor would die. This prediction threw all of Europe into an uproar, and the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III moved the capital of his kingdom from Germany to Rome so he could rebuild the city before the end of time. Of course, this never happened, and Otto III died from a fever in the year 1002. Then, 1,000 years later, there was Y2K. Who can forget the prophecies and speculations surrounding the dawn of the second millennium? Hearsay had a lot of people (including me) freaked out, but just as it always has, the truth prevailed that no one knows the day or the hour of Christ’s return. The Bible says that Jesus will come like a thief in the night, and while not understanding when can be frustrating, living by faith is an incredible gift.

My friend, if you knew when the end was coming, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy today. Time is the greatest treasure you have, and you steward it well by resolving to make the most of each moment. Rather than worrying about what will happen in the future, do your best to live like Jesus in the minutes and hours at hand. Be intentional in how you invest each day, focus on forming good habits, and keep your eyes fixed on your Savior, the One who has set eternity within your restless heart!


Jesus, thank you for the gift of time. Help me to make the most of what’s at hand rather than worrying about the future.


How can you embrace the present instead of concerning yourself with what’s to come?


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