Daily Devotional for Friday, November 21

The Duty of Man

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil,” Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14.

“I wish I would have learned sooner,” or “I have wasted so much time.” These are two statements you have either said or have heard someone else say. There will be moments throughout your lifetime when you will feel this way. One reason might be because you think you have learned a lesson too late, or you received Christ at an older age.

            While it is your duty to fear God, He does not want you to waste more time feeling guilty for time wasted or a lesson that took too long to learn. Solomon, at the end of his life, seemed to be saying this. When he looked back on his life, it seemed he had many regrets. That may be true, but at the same time, he learned many valuable lessons. When you look back on your life, try not to see it as time wasted but as an opportunity for you to see how God protected you or how He provided for you. See the many times He had mercy, compassion and forgiveness for you.

            So many times, it is the goodness of God that will motivate you to keep serving. No, God does not want you to waste time;many Scriptures admonish you not to waste time. “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). He will give you the chance to redeem or recover your time from being wasted to being profitable for Him. The time is now to fulfill your duty. 

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

When you realize time as been wasted, do not wallow in it; accept God’s forgiveness and know you can buy back some of those lost moments.

Karry Irizarry