Day 319 "Not Wasting a Minute"

Passage: Acts 20:11-12

Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Devotion:

Paul had a very busy day, after preaching until midnight a young man had fallen asleep and tumbled out of a third story window to his death. However, Paul saved the day when he rushed down and threw himself upon the young man -- who miraculously regained life. So what did Paul do following this rather extraordinary event (remember he had been preaching all day and into the night)? Did he go to bed to catch up on some much needed rest? No, instead Paul "broke bread and ate", before he resumed "talking until daylight'. The Bible doesn't tell us why Paul thought this would be his last opportunity to speak in person to the believers of Troas -- just that it was -- and he did not want to waste a single minute.

Since my father's passing a few years ago, it has been my pleasure to serve my mother's needs. Many of you who have lost your parents know the experience can be both bitter-sweet. For me it can be difficult because I sense that time is short for my mother, especially as I see the ravages of age take more and more of a toll on her health; yet it is also beautiful since I am able to give back a small measure of what she has given to me and by doing so make her life a little easier. When my life seems a little too hectic to "fit in" my mother, I pause for a minute and try to remind myself that her time on this earth is short. I wished I had spent more time with my dad in his later years -- somehow I couldn't find the time, and I don't want to have that same regret with my mom. The whole experience has given me a new appreciation for the brevity of life -- and as a result I have developed an awareness to make certain I have made time for the people I care about -- and the Lord has called me to care for -- before it is too late.

Questions to Ponder:

Paul was motivated to speak all night because he sensed his time with the believers in Troas was short and he would not return to see them again. If you knew this evening, when you waved to your neighbor it was the last time you would ever see him, would you have invested more time than just wave? Sometimes we take far too much of a long view in our relationships -- without consideration to how quickly life can pass. Children grow up, parents age, neighbors move, and opportunities to share our faith pass us by. We shouldn't wait until tomorrow because tomorrow may never come. Who do you need to see differently? Have you been putting off spending time with someone in your life, thinking you have lots of time? Is there someone in your life who needs to hear the gospel, and you are probably the only person in their life who knows Jesus? Perhaps the right time is right now, before it is too late.?