So much to do; so little time to do it. Competing interests vie for our time, making us feel like we’re in a pressure cooker. Even retired folks find their schedules too full!
Jesus, too, felt the pressure of time. “I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4). The Lord was keenly aware that less than six months after uttering these words, He would go to the cross to die for the sins of the world. Already His enemies had made several attempts on His life (e.g., Lk. 4:28,29; John 8:59). Though these attempts had failed, Jesus knew the dark night was rapidly approaching. Anything He would accomplish regarding His earthly ministry must be done right away.
Jesus knew what was important: “the works of him who sent me.” If you were to evaluate the way you’ve spent your life up to now, what would you say? Few, if any, of us would cry, “Oh, how I wish I had spent more time at my job!” We probably wouldn’t lament, “If only I had watched more TV!” More likely, we would bemoan the lack of time spent with our spouses and children; we would regret neglecting Bible study, prayer, and church attendance.
Jesus knew that the time to work for the Father is now. As my parents used to say, “Make hay while the sun shines!” No matter how young or old we are, the night is coming in each of our lives, too. Let us work while it is still day.
That brings us to another point: work lasts until the night comes. Jesus was busy for the Father right up to the end. Not until the very night before His crucifixion did the Lord say, “I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do” (John 17:4). Retirement from our employment is fine, but the work of God is a different matter, God’s retirement plan is truly “out of this world!”
Let us realize what is truly important. Let us serve and obey God now, and let us keep working until God says it’s time to quit!
