Many times people are not so much aware of the urgency of the time – especially if they are younger. The general sentiment is to say “Someday I’ll get to that”, “One of these days I’ll make the time” and so on. In many cases that time never arrives. Jesus taught several parables that provide some insight into how urgent time is – whether it has to do with those waiting for the coming of the Son of Man or for those generally going about their life’s affairs. One of the clear lessons is that regardless of the context, the best way to spend the time is to be about our Father’s business – just like Jesus was about his Father’s business when he was here. It is not to be entangled with the affairs of this life or to be overcome by anxious thought but to faithfully live according to God’s direction. In Ephesians, the direction is put simply as “Redeeming the time because the days are evil”. We live in a present evil age and are told by God to not think according to the fashion or schemes of the age but to think according to what God has given in His Word. The Word exhorts us to “buy up our opportunities” to live faithfully for God. It tells us use our time to apply our hearts to godly wisdom and understanding. It encourages us to live in the reverence of God and to quite simply keep His Word. God’s Word was written thousands of years ago so the exhortation to be cognizant of the urgency of time is not speaking about the length of time prior to the return of Christ but of the urgency to each believer’s day by day living. For us, the time is always urgent – regardless of how long it will be before the Lord returns.