A Four Letter Word

We are all exposed to four letter words. We hear them on the television, radio or maybe even the internet. Kids hear them at school. Rap artist have been using them and are now finally being condemned for it. Others may use these words; even some who attend the services here may use these little words.

Not all four-letter words are bad: love is a four-letter word, so is work (some may not like this word but it is not at all a bad word); sing also is a four letter word that can do much good; pray is also a good four letter word that can accomplish much good. There is one four letter word that we really cannot do without and that is food. There are many who like that word as our waistlines will testify too.

Some four-letter words may be offensive but they are not bad words. Four letter words like diet may be offensive to some while others may like that word. Some people like children that have to do this job do not like one four letter word and that is dust. Some people may not like it because of what it does to them. There are other four letter words that fall into the same category. Words like wash may be offensive to some. Think of the children that have to come in from playing and are told to wash. Think also of the person who does the laundry at your house, wash maybe really offensive to that person. Iron may be another one of those words that is offensive to some; others may see that word and think of money, either from ironing the clothes or by selling it.

There is one four letter word that is a precious commodity. We all have the same amount of it. Yet some may have less while others may have more of it than others. Some may think that they can kill it.

We can purchase a lot of things from Wal-Mart but no one can purchase this from any Wal-Mart store or any other store for that matter. Some may think that they can borrow it but in actually waste it, kill it, pass it and in the military they mark it. This four-letter word is time.

We most likely have asked with in the pass week have asked the question, “What time is it?” People seem the most concerned with it when the preacher is preaching. One fellow went into a building where preaching was being done, and a fellow asked one of the ushers how long had the man been preaching. He said about fifty years. The fellow entering the building said that he would stay and hear him then because after that long of preaching he ought to be about through.

We might ask these questions about time: “Is it time to go to bed?” “Is it time to get up?” “Is it time to go to work?” “Is it time to go home?” Is it time to eat?” (Then it is time for the preacher to shut up!).

There are times when time seems to pass so slowly. A child might think that Christmas time is so long in coming. If a person is in the hospital waiting for a test to be done, time seems to stand still. When waiting on the doctor to make his/her rounds it might seem as though the seconds are years. If a person is in litigation with a jury then time will pass so slowly. Most likely for some the time passes the slowest while the preacher is preaching although to him the minutes seem more like seconds. The soldiers in Iraq most likely think that time is passing very slowly only to be thought of by the family waiting on them back at home to have time passing even slower.

Time for some passes so quickly. When the I.R.S. comes for an audit time to get records together passes too quickly. Vacation time pass quickly and time with the grandchildren passes even quicker.

Time will pass on. If we forget to turn the calendar, it may remain on the same month for years at a time, but still time has marched on. We may even stop the pendulum on the clock but still time keeps on ticking away. We can never recapture this time.

The Bible uses “time” many times. In one place in the Bible it is used twenty nine times in eight verses. If you want to know just ask. James 4:14 says that life is like a vapor. Even Methuselah if asked would have thought that this was so. Paul told Timothy to preach the word (2 Timothy 4:1-4) and during that passage he says, “For the time will come…” He tells Timothy to preach the Word in season and out of seasons, that means during all seasons just keep preaching the Word. A lot of the problems in the church, family and the world can be solved if the Word was preached. Some people according to the passage will want their ear scratched and there are preachers who would do the job.

There was a preacher that was asked to preach a funeral for a member of the church. While preparing for the funeral he wrote his message about “time.” The next morning while getting dressed for the funeral he had a massive heart attack and died. We never know when our “time” will be over. Paul wrote, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11). We never know when the breath that we take will be our last. No matter how young or old one never knows how much time he has left on this earth. So let us “redeem the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:11). We can do this in two ways: 1) is by using up each day. Enjoy the time with family and friends. Enjoy the creation and the Creator. Spend time with God and His people. 2) We can mined fractures between loved one. We can heal broken friendships. We can lay aside our selves and think of others. This all needs to be done because our time on earth is so very short.

Love, Keith