LIVING ON BORROWED TIME

I heard a line in an old movie that stayed with me. Someone said a man was “pretty deep into borrowed time.”

The words meant that the man had already lived longer than anyone expected. Whatever time he had left seemed like extra time.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that every one of us is living on borrowed time.

We speak of “my time” as though it belongs to us. We say, “I do not have time,” “I need more time,” or “I will do it when I have time.”

But time does not belong to us. It belongs to God.

Every day we wake up is a day God has allowed us to have. Every breath is a gift, and one day we will answer for what we did with the time placed into our hands.

Moses prayed:

“So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

He did not ask God to help him number his years. He asked God to teach him to number his days.

Years seem long. Days remind us that life is passing quickly.

When we are young, we often think we have plenty of time. We will serve God later. We will read the Bible later. We will forgive someone later. We will speak to our family about Christ later.

Then later becomes next week, next month, or next year.

Scripture warns us:

“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14)

A vapor appears for a moment and then is gone. That is how God describes our lives.

We may live another twenty years, or we may not see tomorrow. Either way, the time we have left is shorter than the time we have already used.

Paul wrote:

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15–16)

Paul did not tell us merely to pass the time. He told us to make the most of it.

We cannot stop the clock, but we can decide how we will live while it is running.

We waste more time than we like to admit.

We waste time worrying about things we cannot control. We waste time holding grudges. We waste time arguing over things that will not matter a year from now. We may spend hours being entertained while giving God only a few hurried minutes.

There is nothing wrong with resting or enjoying life. God has given us many good things to enjoy. But rest and enjoyment become a problem when they take the place of obedience.

A person can be very busy and still waste his life. He may work, travel, build, buy, and fill every day with activity, yet accomplish nothing that matters to God.

Jesus said:

“We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:4)

Jesus knew His time on earth was limited. He did not allow distractions, opposition, or the demands of people to keep Him from doing the Father’s will.

The same is true for us. A day will come when our work on earth is finished. We will not be able to return and repair the years we wasted. We will not be able to say the words we should have said, help the person we ignored, or obey the calling we kept putting off.

The time to serve God is now.

Every day brings opportunities. We may have an opportunity to encourage someone, help a person in need, pray for someone, or speak about Christ.

The opportunity may not look important. It may be a conversation, a phone call, a note, a prayer, or a simple act of kindness.

We often look for some great thing to do for God while ignoring the small acts of obedience He has already placed in front of us.

Not everyone will preach a sermon, write a book, or lead a large ministry. But every believer can pray. Every believer can speak the truth. Every believer can show mercy and help carry another person’s burden.

What matters is not whether people notice what we do. What matters is whether we are faithful with the time God has given us.

Peter wrote that believers should live:

“The rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human lusts, but for the will of God.” (1 Peter 4:2)

“The rest of the time” is an important phrase.

We cannot change how we lived before coming to Christ. We cannot recover the years we spent chasing sin, pride, money, or our own desires.

But we can decide how we will live the rest of the time.

Perhaps you have wasted years. Most of us have.

Do not waste more time grieving over the time already gone. Confess what needs to be confessed, learn from it, and give the days that remain to God.

Paul wrote:

“Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11)

Every believer is closer to seeing Christ today than he was yesterday.

That should wake us up.

There is still work to do. There are still people who need Christ. There are believers who need encouragement. There are prayers to pray, wrongs to make right, and acts of love to perform.

One day we will stand before Christ.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)

We will not answer for how long we lived. We will answer for how faithfully we lived.

The question is not how much time you have left. The question is what you are doing with the time God has given you.

Do not wait for a better time to obey God. Do not wait until you feel stronger, younger, healthier, or less busy.

That better time may never come.

Use the strength you have. Serve the people God has placed in your life. Speak the truth while you still have a voice. Pray while you still have breath.

Paul said:

“Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Work done for Christ is never wasted.

You may be young, or you may be pretty deep into borrowed time. Either way, this day belongs to God.

Do not waste it.

“What I write is not for everyone, but what I write is meant for someone.” — Dean Butler

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© Dean Butler | The Other Side of Amen | All rights reserved.