Make my Work Count, Make my Rest Count, Make my Faith Count, Make my Prayers Count. Make my time Count. ( first Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-11) Time is an interesting concept. Before God created the heavens and the earth there was no time. God is eternal, and therefore he is outside of time. And yet God entered time when Jesus Christ took on human flesh and was born into our world as a baby. We like to think that we are masters of time. All of us are slaves to time. We wear wristwatches with quarter-hour beepers to keep us on schedule. We have digital clocks in our car and alarm clocks on our nightstands. Many of us have Blackberries or Palm Pilots or some other high-tech computerized personal assistant. But we don’t really understand time. There are times when time seems to go rushing by, and other times when the clock seems to stand still. There are times when we are very much aware of time, such as when we are working on a project with a deadline, racing the clock, fighting against time. And then there are those wonderful times when we let go of our watches and clocks and enjoy a day of leisure and rest and hardly notice the time passing at all. Benjamin Franklin wrote: “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for time is the stuff life is made of. God's Word advises us to use our time wisely because we do not know what tomorrow holds. 2 Corinthians 6:2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Psalm 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. Please understand that time is our most precious resource. It is perishable and irreplaceable. God in his grace has given us all the same amount – 24 hours per day. The quality, joy, and impact of our lives are directly related to how wisely we use the time we have. This does not mean that we have to hurry or hustle through life. The Bible never says that Jesus rushed anywhere. He was usually busy, but found time to pray a lot. His total ministry was accomplished in three short years, but he found time to play with children, to investigate a fig tree, to take a nap during a boat ride, to rest at noon-time beside a well, and to attend a wedding reception. The Bible does not say, “If you hurry, you can catch up with God.” It does say, “Be still (or cease your striving) and know that I am God.” (Psalms 46:10) Jesus did not say, “Join up with me and I will work you eighteen hours per day.” Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Here are three biblical guidelines for managing time well. Each one starts with the letter “P” – purpose, priority, and plan. God doesn’t want you to do more for him. He wants you to be more for him. BROTHERS AND SISTER. None of us ever writes the last chapter of our lives. That is in the hands of God. You could use a baseball term and say that God is our great “closer.” God completes our earthly story with his holy benediction, and escorts us across the great divide into eternity. Paul expressed it this way: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:16). The band Alabama wrote the lyrics to this song. " I’m in a hurry to get things done " I rush and rush until life’s no fun. All I really gotta do is live and die But I’m in a hurry and don’t know why. I believe the cure for the “hurry” disease is to know your purpose, establish your priorities, and day by day, work your plan. And to God be the glory.