"Time = value"
They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of the Lord their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God. (Nehemiah 9:3 NLT)
"I just don't have time" is the common refrain we give people for not participating in a particular event. This is similar to the phrase "We just don't have the money right now" or "We can't afford it." Both hold a measure of truth but fall short of reality.
The problem is not a shortage of time or a lack of funds. The problem is our hearts. This is what is revealed in Nehemiah 9:3.
Time & money are matters of value. We give our time to what we value & the same is true of our money. When we say we don't have time, what we are really saying is, "I don't value that."
This changes everything. We can no longer say we don't have the time but are forced to wrestle with what we truly value. My wife & I have done the same with money. We no longer say, "We can't afford it" but rather, "We've chosen not to spend our money this way." Do you see the difference?
The people here in Nehemiah give 3 hours to public Bible reading & 3 hours to repentance. Does it seem a little extreme? A 6 hour church service? For many of us we would simply have to say that we "don't have the time."
We need to think about our lives. What do we give our time to? That is what we value. Where have we misplaced our value? Where does God factor in? Do we truly value him? Does he get not just snippets of our time but our whole schedules? Does he get our leftovers or our lives? Do we really value him?
This reveals where we are with him. Where are we?
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