I bought a watch the other day. Found one on sale at a local jewelry store. My old one had gotten to the place where having it on my wrist was an aggravation. The band had become so loose and stretched that it no longer stayed in place. It wobbled around on my wrist and drove me batty. The new one fits very well. Has a nice little double clasp which gives the band a very finished look instead of having one of those big clasps showing. The big thing is I now know what time it is.
What time is it? Just knowing the time isn't really the issue, is it? It's all about knowing not just what time it is, but what is it time for. The alarm went off this morning. You woke up and saw what the time was. It was time to get up. Then time to go to work. Time for the meeting with the boss. Time to pick up the kids. Time to meet Aunt Ethel for lunch. Time to watch "Wheel of Fortune." Just had to throw that in. But you get the picture. It is not just the time that is important; it is the events that happen at certain times.
My wife and I were married August 21, 1971 at 2:30 in the afternoon. Our oldest son, John, was born December 13, 1973 at 5:59 in the evening. Important things happen at certain times. Some are preset times such as our wedding day, others are, as Andy Griffith might say, times that lurk. In other words they will happen at the correct time it's just that no one knows that precise time. That's the way babies are born.
Ah, so it's not simply knowing when something is going to happen but being able to be ready at the proper time!?! Yeah. Like when it's time for the roast to come out of the oven, or when to leave in order to get somewhere else on time. Knowing the right time can help things happen at the right time. Actually, knowing the right time may also mean that we have the opportunity to miss something really big and important. There is one time that we all understand. That time is now.
"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." Acts 17:30, 31 Get the picture? Now. This very moment in time. Now is the time to repent. Tomorrow may be the time God decides to judge the world. But right now is the time He wants us to repent. Funny, isn't it? All this time talking about time. The most important time is this very instant. The most important time is now.