Time is money - or is it?

You hear it all the time. “Time is money.” But is it right?

Certainly in our rationalist economic society it is the way to maximise your profit, but does it reflect the life of Jesus?

We have come to a point in our society that we take for granted the our living standards have to keep on increasing. This, despite the fact that that the bulk of the world struggles just to live at some degree of dignity. Money and economics govern our lives on a way that I could not have imagined as I was growing up in the 50s and 60s. Our TV news broadcasts often have more coverage than crucial news items. People seem obsessed with the state of the stock market.

“Time is money”. There are so many people now who are so time poor that families are under threat. Children are asleep when one or other parent leaves for work, and again asleep when they get home. I can still remember the effect on my family life of my long days when I was in business before going to theological college. It has continued to get worse for many people today. I was fortunate in being able to have a very fruitful family life with time to spend with my wife and children once I left the business community.

Where are we headed? I can see no other answer but a return to the reality of the life of the Kingdom of God. This sounds like a utopian comment but I firmly believe it is not only possible but eminently achievable. What is needed is for followers of the Lord Jesus to live the live they claim to possess. Thos who have embarked on this path will testify that it is a completely different path from the rest of the community, but it works!

Jesus is always faithful. We know that, but struggle to put His life into practice. It does not mean becoming a hermit or a Luddite. It just means to truly believe and act on that belief. It doesn’t mean that you cannot do well in business. I does mean that your business practices and lifestyle will be in alignment with the ways of the kingdom.

Time is not money for the the citizen of the Kingdom. Time is in the Lord’s hands and He makes it clear how we are to allocate it. Money is a means of exchange, and not a commodity in its own right, despite what we see in the market. Money is the reward for our labour, but it does not mean that we have to sell our souls to maximise our bank balance.

These issues become very clear when we re totally committed to the Lord. Life in the Kingdom of God is for now, not just for the future. We may not see the fullness yet, but we still live in the conscious presence of the Lord Jesus since the Holy Spirit now lives in us.