February, 1940
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
48
“Where is the harm,” some one asks, “in the private card party?” “Where is the harm in the theater?” “Where is the harm in the private dance ?” If that is the best you can say in favor of these highly esteemed occupations, that “there is no harm in them,” that of itself is condemnation, enough, to any one who realizes that “the time is short.” Let me ask you a question, Where is there any possible good in them ? An innocent use of time is not enough; it must be a positively good and useful use of time. And a good use of time is not enough; it must be the best use of. time, just the very best use possible, all things con sidered, of every moment of our time. “The time is short.” There is not a sin gle minute to waste on innocent or use less things, nor on good things; every moment must be sacredly kept for the highest and best things. • Then again we waste time lamenting the wasted opportunities of the past. Men spend hours and '’ ays and years in brooding over and lamenting the wasted past. And this time you squan der in lamenting a wasted past might be improved by carving out a better future. If the past has been in a meas ure as altogether wasted, do not waste any more time in brooding over it. Turn your back resolutely upon it now and make the' future different. Learn wis dom from the Apostle Paul who had a sadly wasted past but who cried, “One thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13, 14, R.V.). Do not let the precious safety vaults of memory be pre-empted with vain regrets over the things that you might have done but that you did not do. But let your will be stirred to its utmost capacity with resolution to make the future that is still yours what it ought to be. In the fifth place, if we are to make the most of the brief time that is at our disposal, we must be intensely and constantly active. Begin at once and keep everlastingly at it. The type of men and women who are the- surest never to get anywhere are those who are al ways about to do something. They are just about to accept Christ, just about to become men of prayer, just about to begin the earnest daily study of the Bible, just about to lay up'treasures in heaven, just about to build up a Christ- like character, just about to begin to ’lead others to Christ, but who never actually do it. Listen, man, the time is short! Up and at it! Do not be an “about-to-doer,” but be a “doer” at once. Be at it at once and be everlastingly at it. If you have not already taken Jesus Christ, take Him just now. If you have not already begun the prayer life, begin the life of prayer at once. If you have not already begun [ Continued on Page 54]
Is Short!
The Time By R. A . S INCE we know from the Word of God that “the time is short” (1 Cor. 7:29), how shall we make the most of the brief time at our dis posal? We see that there are, many things of infinite importance tq be accom plished and that there is but a brief space in which tq accomplish them. “The time is short.” In the first place, in order to make the most of the brief time that is at our disposal, we must accept Jesus Christ at once. There is nothing else that we can do that is really worth while, there is nothing else that we can do that will count for eternity, until we first of all have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, and have sur rendered to Him as our Lord and Mas ter, and have confessed Him as such before the world. That is the point at which all real accomplishment for God and eternity begins. Until we have done that, no matter how strenuously we may exert ourselves, we cannot do any thing that really counts for time or for eternity. That is in every case the first step. So I put to each one of you the question, Have you really accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, have you really surrendered unreservedly to Him as your Lord and King, have you confessed Him before the world as your Lord, and are you confessing Him each day as you have opportunity? If not, do it now. “The time is short,” and you cannot do one thing that will really count for time or for eternity until you have done that. In the second place, If we are to make the most of the brief time that is at our disposal, we must get right with God in every respect. No matter how active you may be, no matter how full you may fill every moment of the brief time allotted you with labor, you will waste your precious time if you are not right with God. Only the man who is right with God can accomplish anything of real worth for God, for himself, or for anybody else. Only the man who has gone alone with God for God to deal with him, who has asked God to search him and know his heart and try him and know his thoughts (Psa. 139:23, 24), only the man who has asked God to bring to light everything in his heart and life that is displeasing in His sight, and who has put out of his life all that God has shown him to be displeasing to Him, and who has put himself in unre served and unconditional surrender into
TO R R EY
• This message is especially ap propriate for the alumni edition of THE KING’ S BUSINESS, because of the great influence exerted up on Biola students by the late Dr. Torrey. From 1912 to 1924 he served as Dean of the Bible Insti tute of Los Angeles. Another dis cussion of this same general theme appeared in last month’s maga zine under the title of “The Most Dangerous Shortage of the Pres ent Day.” the hands of God for Him to do as He will with him, only that man can make the most of the short time that we have at our disposal. Every day you hold back from getting right with God is time wasted and gone forever. In the third place, if we are to make the most of the brief time that is at our disposal, we must seek and obtain all the fullness of power for service . that God has for us. The time is too short to tolerate weak working and weak praying, when we might do mighty working and mighty praying. There is a fullness of power for every child of God. The time is too short for you to drudge along for a single day in the “poor, weak way” that is natural to you. You can have fullness of power; and you cannot afford t : go a single day without it. If the time is short, and we know it is, I must have the utmost power possible for that short time and have it at once. Oh, when I think of how brief my ministry will be at the longest, how I grudge those years that I wrought without knowing the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s power! In the fourth place, if. we are to make the most of the brief time that is at our disposal, we must waste no time. *We have not one single minute to waste. And yet how much we do waste! How much we waste in reading the useless and contradictory tittle-tattle of the daily paper! How much we waste in reading about divorce suits and sui cides and murder trials that do not con cern us at all and to know of which Cannot by any possibility help us in any way! How much time we waste in read ing novels tv at may be innocent enough and skillfully written, but that are use less! How much tim- î waste in amusements that add nothing whatever to our intellectual or physical power, to say nothing of our spiritual power to work for man!
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