3 Time
Screwtape continues:
“Let him have the feeling that he starts each day as the lawful possessor of twenty-four hours. Let him feel as a grievous tax that portion of his property which he has to make over to his employers and as a generous donation that further portion which he allows to religious duties. But what he must never be permitted to doubt is that the total from which these deductions have been made was, in some mysterious sense, his own personal birthright.” [The Screwtape Letters, p 107]
Here, Screwtape talks about time, but he could just as easily be talking about money or possessions. We so often go through life thinking that our lives are our own; that our time is “ours” that our money is “ours” that our possessions are “ours”.
Of course, we know that giving to the Lord’s work is important. Many Christians give away 10% of their income, but there can be the unspoken, tacit assumption that the remaining 90% is ours to do what we want with.
The devil is reasonably happy for us to donate time and money to the Lord’s work, providing we don’t get carried away. As far as he is concerned, the important thing is for us to feel that we are in control, that it is our time, our money and we can do with it whatever we want.
God has other ideas. The picture in Scripture is that we have been rescued by Jesus: that we have been bought back (redeemed) like a slave in the market place, and that nothing we have is ours. We are stewards of time, money and possessions.
Paul writes to the Romans:
Therefore, I urge you, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. [Romans 12: 1, NIV]
Every part of our lives should be offered to God. We should hold nothing back because he, himself, gave up everything by coming to earth, suffering and dying in our place.
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise. Amen.
David Long
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