MAY 17

Matthew 6:19-34
Memorise Mark 6:24
"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

I recall a recent sharing from one of the Elders in our church. Though the church is so big in terms of membership, yet the Church Session is so disproportionately small - despite multiple calls and pleas for more to step up and serve God, few are willing to respond. Many give the reason that they are too busy to commit. To this, the Elder said, "Do you think those of us who are in the Session are so free, that we have nothing else better to do, and so we decide to serve?" Of course not!

Time is something that all of us have in equal portions - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Yet, why is it that some are able to serve the Lord so abundantly and fervently, while others claim that they have no time at all to spare? Ultimately, lack of time is merely an excuse. The real reason lies in today's passage. People do not serve not because they do not have enough time, but because they do not make enough time. Rather than choosing to set aside time to serve God, they choose instead to spend their time pursuing the things of the world. But the Bible makes it very clear to us that "Ye cannot serve God and mammon". "Mammon" here can refer to wealth and money, and by application, it refers also basically to any idol that takes the place of God. As a student, your "mammon" could refer to your grades, a prestigious scholarship, or a successful future career. Whilt it is certainly not wrong to want to study hard and to do well in school, it can become sinful when you start to place your studies above God. Your "mammon" could also be your leisure activities - obviously if you are spending 5 hours a day playing computer games or playing sports, surely there would be no time left to serve God!

Dear teen, if you currently think that you have no time to serve God, ask yourself: Why is this so? Is it because you truly do not have a single moment to spare? Or is it because you are spending all your time on something else? Is there any activity that you can spend less time on, so that you will have more time for God?

Thought: Is God my Master? Or mammon?
Prayer: Lord, help me to set my priorities right.