Download Stewardship of Time

I’m Paul’s son-in-law, Elisa’s husband. I’ve known Paul for 15 years.
It has been said that girls will marry guys who are like their fathers. That is true in our case. Paul
and I both liked old cars and especially old tractors. Paul and I both liked to tinker with things and fix things
until they became a burden by constantly breaking down. They then just became frustrating to us.
But more importantly, we both share a love for God and His Word. Paul knew the importance of
reading the Bible, studying it, and gaining its wisdom. He would often write down some of his wisdom on
any piece of paper that was handy. Sometimes he would share what he wrote and sometimes he would
just file it away.
This past week we found what amounted to a short sermon written on the back of some Arcanum
High School Band Banquet placemats from 1993. Paul had filed it away without sharing it with anyone. It
was one of the best things I’ve ever read from Paul. Its content is quite appropriate for this occasion so we
thought we’d share it with you. It is titled:
Stewardship of Time and Communication
Paul J. Pease, 1993
When I was a child my parents and I had time to sit on the front porch. We had a “glider” on which
we could rock back and forth and watch the few cars that went by. I do remember sitting there more often
with my mother because Dad was out milking the cows.
It amazes me now that we once had time to sit and talk and rock. With more labor saving devices
now than we had then, we seem to have less free time. I’m not entirely certain why we seem to have so
little free time, especially to communicate.
The Bible says for all things there is a season; there is a time. I believe that we have to make time.
We have to prioritize with time much like we need to budget money. We have only a given amount of
time, 24 hours a day. For our health we have to sleep about 8 hours. Personal necessities including eating
probably take another 2 hours (more if you cook it) leaving 14 hours. Work and or school probably take
nearly 10 hours with the commute so we are down to 4 hours of free time.
Good stewardship of time must include a few minutes of Bible reading and devotion. I would think
that 15 minutes is a bare minimum. One just has to pray about our time pressure; when one adds up
homework, band, choir, SADD, occasional sporting events, etc, etc, we just seem not to have any “free”
time.
We must combine activities as much as possible. Meal time would seem to be a good time to talk
over problems, hopes, desires, and important events in our lives. However, the evening news can intrude
into that time. We probably should give priority to our news over the CBS News.
The news of course raises the specter of the hypnotic TV tube. Since much of the programming is
of a liberal slant and of questionable moral value (whatsoever is pure, just, etc Phil 4:8), TV time must be
carefully limited to not over an hour per day of what is that will be uplifting, enlightening, and/or enjoyable.
Rather little on TV is ever spiritually uplifting. Even the spirit, like the body, needs food. Bible
reading must be that food. Christian radio/TV is okay and background, but can’t be the main source of
spiritual sustenance.
Planning our time must be addressed from an early age and much thought must be brought to bear
on it since efficient and effective use of time determines what one’s life accomplishments will be. I’m
certain that we learn some of our time handling from our parents. As mentioned earlier, my mother
seemed to have more spare time. She kept what I would call a moderately clean house. Saturday was
cleanup day and my job was to sweep and dust the living room. This was a once a week job, not every day.
My dad cleaned out the barn once every year or two which must be where I get my annual or less garage
cleaning habit.
Our yard work was less in childhood because we had much less yard. Using an old reel push mower
dictated a small yard just because of the severe man power required. We had a few peonies which needed
no care. Mother would plant a few nasturtiums and zinnias and gladiolas besides our vegetable garden.
The only trimming was the spirea around the front porch. She also planted a few tulips here and there. No
wood chipping to do. All in all much less work, but it didn’t look nearly so nice.
Of course we only had about half of the house area and we heated just the kitchen and the living
room. The bedrooms were cold even with occasional snow on the window sill (on the inside!!) Now the
whole house is heated in winter and cooled in summer all for a price in dollars and in cleaning 10 rooms
instead of basically 2 rooms. Not to mention the decorating, etc.
Complexity certainly does complicate life. However it is difficult to go back to a simpler time. My
advice is for you kids is to follow the KISS principle. KISS means Keep it simple, stupid! I am sincere about
this and I don’t intend to demean anyone by this. It is just so terribly easy to complicate things and so
confoundedly difficult to simplify life.
We have to constantly strive to simplify to conserve our time and even our sanity. Think of the
magazines that we get. They cover trains, cars, finances, news, church, consumerism, sports, planes, home,
and on and on. They threaten to literally physically inundate us. We briefly thumb through them and put
them in a pile which grows and grows.
In my childhood, we took one newspaper, Life, Reader’s Digest and Better Homes and Gardens. I
believe they were all monthly at the time. My mother and dad were able to read most of those but in
retrospect, even that was too many. Somewhere in there we got US News and World Report also.
Simplify, simplify, simplify. All of the Bible is good for edification and study (2 Timothy 3:16) but all
magazines and newspapers are not necessarily good for edification. We must watch that the world does
not draw us away from what is eternally important.
How else can we make efficient use of time? Keep it simple and use the corollary principle of
moderation. A modest house, a modest yard, a moderate life, not too many commitments to clubs and
causes. We have not done well in these areas. Always pray about decisions and keep it simple.
Again the world through ads and the media drills into us that we must have everything and do
everything. We must remember that the inner spiritual life is what is eternal. All earthly things rust and
deteriorate so lay up treasures in heaven where they will remain forever.
Time even enters into choosing a vocation. Some vocations take a lot more time to prepare for and
some take a lot more time when you are involved in them. We all have different gifts (1 Corinthians 12:411, Romans 2:4-8). Here again, prayer, consultation with trusted Christian friends will be helpful. We must
pray for wisdom and heavenly guidance in such an important area. We consider our gifts and try to be led
by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the doer and shaker of our Triune God. We must constantly pray to be
filled with the Holy Spirit so that we can walk with God.
Our souls have a space that needs to be filled with the Holy Spirit. That space, void, or vacuum will
be filled with something and it is our responsibility to ask for the Holy Spirit. Otherwise evil spirits,
witchcraft, or Satan will fill the void. It is too bad that evil comes on board unasked for but that is really a
part of the doctrine of original sin. We are born sinners (no matter what the liberal world tells us) and we
must constantly ask for forgiveness and turn away from sin (constantly repent). It has to be a conscious act,
ask for forgiveness, turn away from sin and ask for Jesus in the form of the Holy Spirit to fill us so there is no
room for sin. We are in spiritual warfare as in Ephesians 6:10. We need the armor of God to see us
through.
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be given unto you (Matthew 6:33).
When we walk in the Spirit, all of our time problems, our family problems, our vocation problems, our mate
problems, our money problems will be worked out by the source of all wisdom, power and mercy. God
almighty avail yourself of this infinite source of power and might. Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it
shall be given unto you. Amen!
It is clear from this that Paul trusted the Lord. Paul understood that God was in control of his life and when
his last day would be. In Paul’s last days, he wasn’t waiting for something before he passed away because
we aren’t in control of when we will pass from this life. God is! It is God who decides the number of our
days and Paul fully understood that. Here are a few thoughts that Paul had written on the back of a patient
schedule from December 17th, 1986:
We are here by the grace of God. Each day may be our last. Lord wills when our last day will be.
Try to step back and look at our lives without emotions from time to time.
Family is a shelter that we can return to from the rigors of the world.
Most important is our relationship with God.
You have to live a while to fully realize what is important and what isn’t.