The Value of Time

Last evening my wife and I watched the movie In Time. I don't watch many movies, but this one intrigued me. I'm not a Justine Timberlake fan, but the movie should make one more aware of what is valuable in life.

Without going into detail which you can find on Wikipedia, the premise is that everyone when born is perfect and age until they are 25. At that age they cease to grow old and have a one-year internal clock which starts. At the end of the year they time out and die. However, since the currency is "time" they can "time-share" or"time-steal". Their currency is "time". In essence purchasing power is "time-money". As each one approaches "zero" on their clock, which is displayed on their forearm, they began to panic. For loved ones they can share, they pawn their possessions and even borrow time at the "time bank" where extravagant interest is charged. The richest get more time and seek to live forever. The poor lose their time as prices are inflated at the whim of the rich.

You see, life becomes all about "time" because it's the clicking of the clock of which all are always aware! Time has become the most valuable asset and even wealth is focused on time! We don't think of it often, as we should, but each of our lives are time-centered. How so? From infancy humans think of themselves as invulnerable with a never-ending clock. That's not the case! It seems that our clock has been set at 120 years. Some believe that God limited mankind's days to 120 years according to the passage:

Genesis 6:3 "And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."

In context that was the number of years until humankind, save Noah and his family, had to live before the flood. However, scripture is full of parallels. This may be one, for eventually all our days became numbered.

I became a "time-watcher" very young when I learned about death from watching Dralley Hart die. He had kidney disease. My family visited him on his deathbed on occasion because he was my uncle's brother.  I learned that we are all doomed to die!

Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment..."

When I came to realize what life was all about, I became accountable for my own destiny. This is called "the age of accountability". For those in the movie, it was 25 years of age. Jews believe it to be twelve. For me it was about five. My clock started right then. Whenever things were quiet it was my destiny of which I thought, and I have never stopped thinking of my biological clock.

My own belief is that I am the "god besides God". My sole purpose in my life is to keep my flesh from dying. It's not that I care about God, it's me that I care about. You are no different so face the truth: "You" become before God. He realizes that because he is your Creator. You weren't born that way, but Adam when he came to the time of accountability, his clock started ticking!

Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned..."

Their clock started right then! Before they sinned Adam and Eve were born immortal. Like the movie they had perfect health, but unlike the movie, they were immortal.. Those in the movie sought 1,000,000 years. Adam and Eve had infinite time; neverending life! Then because they failed to love God, as they should, disobedience changed things. They died that  day. Their clock started ticking until their time to die! However, because if grace their clock could be reset to infinity:

1 Corinthians 15:55 "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

The medium of exchange was not time stolen from another, nor borrowed, but gifted. It's currency is blood!

Romans 3:25 "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God..."

Unlike the movie In Time we can't borrow blood from another, buy it nor steal it. The blood must be from Jesus and it's free of charge and for one "loading"! What must we do?

Mark 16:16 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

Of course it's not the immersion which saves; it's still his blood! The baptism is the testimony to others that you have everlasting life! Those who failed to get the gift of time are damned! They still live for ever, but it's in torment. It's the second death and it starts the minute the clock runs out on the first death.

When a person with limited time witnesses a baptism, they are looking at infinite minutes added to the believer's life. They should want to add time to their life clock as well! Few do! They merely continue to deny reality, and think only of tomorrow and instant gratification, just as the wealthy in the movie, who for practical purposes shall have longevity and think little of their final destiny!

"Believing" is trusting. No longer should the believer watch the ticking of the clock, but by faith they know that death is merely the extension of their time clock. Rather than dreading our clock running out, it's something that we ought to look forward to, but because there always remains some doubt, we dread the final unwind of our clock. If we just believe we shall never die, that ticking clock of which we all are aware, will no longer tick out loud. Sure, it silently passes the time, but those whose eyes are on Jesus neglect their other god and look toward him! When the time finally comes for the clock to stop, Jesus rewinds it forever. That's what those in the movie sought and that's what the believer will get!

John 11:26 "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

If a person works to buy a new car, assuming that person earns $20/hour and the car costs $30,000, the person trades 2.1 months of his limited time for the car. It doesn't seem a vast expense, but consider this: What if that time was off THE END of your life? Would you value that car more than time? We must realize that material things take away time from our limited mortal clock. Is it worth it?  In the movie every purchase had to be evaluated in that manner. Sometimes people had to walk rather than ride because their time clock was running low. How low do you want your time clock to be? Is that new car worth it?

I'm not much on movies, but that one crossed my path. While watching it, my mind was on eternity and how much I appreciate an eternal clock timing life without end. That's hope! None of those in the movie really had eternal hope because when 1,000,000 years ends, eternity is just beginning! In Time was a movie about despair. Everybody in that movie must die. The lifespan was inequitable, but all had to face that reality. For me, I can look to eternal life in heaven. Where's your hope?