There are those who claim that time is a friend to no one, but rather a fierce, unconquerable foe all men succumb to. This thought usually stems from someone who looks to his past with woes and regret. Sorrows flowing from goals that were never achieved or projects that were begun, but left incomplete. This sentiment divulges the void swelling inside that person’s mind because he realizes that he did not have as much time as he had previously assumed. Verily, in circumstances such as these, Scripture’s wisdom is undeniable as it states, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that’” (James 4:13-15, emphasis added). The wisdom that exudes from these inspired words is the spotlight that illuminates the core of this wail. Incredibly, this pessimistic view of time strengthens the Preacher’s caution, “Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For you do not inquire wisely concerning this” (Ecclesiastes 7:10, emphasis added). His sage words reveal yet again that he who bemoans the passing of time is he who did not wisely utilize it. Although it is true that man will always have pending tasks that remain unfinished after his departure from this earth, this should not necessarily become a cause for anguish. If man were to always focus on the reality that one day our biological chronometer will expire, then humanity would remain stagnate and accomplish nothing. Thus the query becomes, how can man survive the sands of time? The inspired Luke responds, “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen” (Acts 1:1-2, emphasis added). It is intriguing to realize that even the Lord Himself had to abide by the rules of time. Verily, this validates yet again that Jesus lived as a man and respected the natural laws that He (being God) created in eternity. Therefore, to learn that in spite of being the eternal Deity He did not use His divine power to cushion His experience as a man, also provides mankind with the example of how to survive the sands of time. The apostle Paul begins to unveil this profound lesson as he scribes, “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoptions as sons” (Galatians 4:1-4, emphasis added). Observe the apostle’s masterful use of analogy in his spiritual revelation of what the true purpose of the Law was. Remember, that his purpose in this letter is to prove that “the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed” (Galatians 3:22-23, emphasis added). For this very reason, the apostle chooses the analogy of a human’s natural growth, to enlighten the valuable asset time can be, if used appropriately. Thus, he begins by demonstrating God’s sage decision of when to send forth His Son. Notice that the Holy Ghost specifies that Jesus Christ’s arrival was “when the fullness of time had come.” For God time is a friend; not an enemy. Time was the instrument that God chose to measure the exact moment that His Son needed to be sent to earth. It is wise to understand this precious lesson taught to us by His inspired Word. The Father used time as it is meant to be used. He did not send His Son before time because His creation was still too infant in thought to understand. He did not send His Son after time because then the world would be too set in their ways to be able to change. Thus, our Holy Father sent His Son to the world at the precise moment when mankind was both able to reason maturely and strong enough to work out their own salvation. The Savior emulated His Father in His use of time during His tenure on earth. Christ understood that because time’s needle did not cease to move for anyone, He then needed to use it wisely. His cognizance of how time worked provided the Master with the ability to prepare flawlessly the execution of His plans. For example, Holy Writ reveals that after Peter had confessed his conviction that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, “from that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Matthew 16:21, emphasis added). Biblical scholars surmise that the Lord had perhaps been with His twelve disciples for approximately two years, or little more than, when He began to do this. It is imperative not to ignore the inspired Matthew’s attention to detail in this pericope, since he was one of the twelve who was with the Master. His inclusion of this important fact proves Jesus’ precise comprehension and use of time. Like the Father, He knew very well that before He could reveal to His chosen disciples His path to the cross, He first needed to prepare them fully to be able to endure such a revelation. Without a doubt, having done so would have stymied their faith in Him as the prophetic Messiah. However, the Lord also did not keep it hidden from them nor did He wait until the night of His arrest to notify them. Had this been the case, the shock and sentiment of betrayal would have had the same effect. Thus, Christ wisely used His time to prepare His disciples adequately so that they could continue what He had come to earth to begin. Our great Redeemer passed on His spiritual torch to His twelve disciples, making them His twelve apostles. Time was neither for or against Him, because He understood how to use it correctly. The Lord was able to “survive” beyond His time, because He prepared holy men whom He tasked to “be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8b). This is the pattern He laid for His church to follow and the one used by the apostles for Paul instructs Timothy, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2nd Timothy 2:1-2, emphasis added). It cannot be denied that this is how to survive the sands of time. Especially if we consider that Paul’s instructions are still effective today, several centuries after his death.
