Permissiveness in stewardship of time

Happy Monday!

Or, are we like Garfield, and open one eye to look about and pull the blanket back over our heads? Mutter about how we dislike Mondays?

Personally, I LOVE Mondays!

I am a list person. I love to have lists of tasks and I love the process of doing those tasks and then lining through them as they are completed. I love a new day to work on my lists. 

That's just the kind of silly squirrel that I am. (Grin)

I do think, though, that we all can look at a fresh, new week stretching out before us and take heart! Creep out from under that blanket! We have another opportunity to do some of the things we have been wanting to do. Make some positive changes. Keep some promises.

Sounds good, right?

We can do it. It just takes some good time management.

Make a plan.

The people in the city of Jerusalem and the surrounding regions had made a plan. And it had to do with using their time correctly.

Remember in chapter ten?

“When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts." (Nehemiah 10:31)

Even though the people had agreed in their covenant with God that they would keep the Sabbath holy, they quickly slid down the slippery slope and began doing business on that day. They had really meant what they said. They'd been sincere. But it happened:

In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day. 16 People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah. (Nehemiah 13:15-16)

It may be that the immigrants from Tyre that are mentioned in verse sixteen were the catalyst for this slide . . . the city of Tyre had a vast seaport, and the entire Phoenician economy was developed on the procurement and exchange of goods that was made possible by that port. The Phoenicians were known as seafaring merchants and traders -- they bartered or sold just about anything they could get their hands on. They traded huge quantities of wood, weapons, precious stones, cloth, and dye. Remember the purple dye that we talked about when we studied Lydia in the New Testament?  Remember that costly purple powder made from the snails? The Phoenicians manufactured the dye and were even known as the "Purple People" or "People of Purple." The merchants mentioned in verse sixteen were importing fish and all types of merchandise. They obviously would have no scruples about the Sabbath, so they were doing a brisk business!

I can hear the excuses now . . . "Everyone else is doing business with them." "All those imported fish will go to waste if we don't buy them and eat them." 

That would have morphed into . . . "If I don't open on Sunday like the merchants from Tyre, I will go out of business! So I must load my donkey with grain and figs, and take them into the city." And, "If I don't tread my grapes, they will rot! Wasteful!" 

Those probably sounded like really good reasons to push aside one's conscience, whispering about the covenant that one was breaking. Ignore that little voice that's telling us to keep our shop closed on the Sabbath. To leave that donkey alone; don't load it with foods and go to the city, making it "just another day."

After all, those Sabbath rules are so restrictive. There are so many things we can't do. I just looked at the list again yesterday -- there are thirty-nine things I can't do! No sowing, plowing, reaping, threshing, grinding, sifting, or baking. No spinning or weaving, tying or untying, or even kindling a fire! 

I know, I know, I remember way back when we made the covenant. I remember the rabbi's words, I really do! He said that we could go to the temple, visit family and friends, sing, read, study and discuss the Torah . . . anything that enhanced the joy, rest, and holiness of the day.

Yes, I know that the word means "sit" or "period of rest" or "ceasing" (activities). 

But surely God will understand that I CAN'T rest today; I must put my business first. 

Really.

I must.

I suppose I could have worked harder on the other days of the week.  I did take a break or two to talk to the other shop keepers and probably missed some sales because of that. And I did sleep late yesterday, so I missed several hours of shop time. 

And that is one way that compromise can creep in. We justify the things we want to do. We put our fingers in our ears, so to speak, and don't listen to our conscience.

And don't we act like this, sometimes? No, we are not under the strict Sabbath laws of Israel. But just like these Jewish people, it's easy to make excuses about permissiveness in using our time. It's easy to make up excuses, and to put business or pleasure ahead of worship. 

"I really want to spend time with God every day, but I work such long hours. When I get home, I'm exhausted. I just can't focus on reading my Bible."

"I do want to focus more on prayer time, but there are so many things to do in a twenty-four hour day. I just can't find the time."

"I guess we can enjoy the outdoors and that can be our worship time. It takes so much time to get dressed and get to church, and then get home after service. We'll be thanking God for His blessings as we boat on the lake."

On the other hand, if instead of being spiritually permissive, we are good stewards, then we will plan thoughtfully so that we give priority to time with the Lord. We will set aside time for prayer and Bible study. We'll get some things done or delegate them if possible, so that we can get alone with God and pray. We'll turn off the television and read our Bible. 

We need to be good stewards of the time that God blesses us with. Spiritual permissiveness will affect how we spend our time. Let's be determined that we will not compromise; let's make good use of our time, and set our priorities on things of God.