e they met covered his head with his hands and moaned out loud as though in great pain; the second, a little bit further along the way, was on some steps lying face down as if unconscious; the third, on the very steps of the destination, acted out an epileptic seizure. You know what the ethics professor discovered ? Not one of the first group stopped, two of the second group stopped, and all five of the third group stopped."

Which group would you most likely fit into ? If it is the first, then you may be abusing your gift of time. If it is the second then you may have good thoughts but you may not act on them because you think that you do not have time. If you fit into the third group, then you understand that life is not all about you, that your time is yours and you can also use it for good, for love of your fellow man, and you likely enjoy life.

If we do not have time to practice brotherly love, then we do not have time for self, and that is s

Time!

We are apt to go along daily assuming that we have plenty of time. We have tomorrow, next week, next month, and even next year, may be the thinking. Yet when we put off until tomorrow something that could be done today we are being presumptuous. The fact is that we may have tomorrow and we may not.

An unknown writer expressed it this way: "Yesterday is like a canceled check. Tomorrow is a promissory note. Today is like ready cash. Use it wisely, for today is the most precious possession you can have." Graphically, the writer shows us the value of today in terms of time.

Without time we have nothing on this earth. With time everything is possible.

Furthermore your time is your time. It is not my time unless you give some of your time to me.

You can spend your time as a homeless person, essentially doing nothing with your time. On the other end you can be busy from the time you rise until you go to bed at night, huffing and puffing to get all your obligations satisfied, to get your errands done, and then to fall in bed exhausted. The latter accomplishes more than the homeless person yet one must ask, "Is that living" or "Is that the way I want to expend my gift of time."

An examination of our schedules should cause us to realize that carelessness about our time is not wise.

Use of time does require thoughtful thinking about self and those about us, and therefore planning.

Another unknown writer had this to say "Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours. They are one of the few things in this world that you get free of charge. If you had all the money in the world, you couldn't buy an extra hour. What will you do with this priceless treasure ? Remember, you must use it, as it is given only once. Once wasted you cannot get it back."

You use your time. So how do you use it ?

I can give you a few ideas, but most use is up to you, and no one else. For example, 8-hours sleep each day or night is good, taking a couple of hours to eat healthy food, and spending 8-hours on a job to support yourself, are all good. Shopping can be kept to a minimum, even to less than 2-3 hours per week. Likewise recreation can be reduced to a tolerant or healthy amount in terms of exercise.

There is one that is also important. Each day or evening, turn off the phones, and the television, and even set aside that book you are reading, and give yourself, and your family 30-minutes of peace and quiet. If you are single, it may be a time to just meditate about your life. If married with a family it may be a time to have quiet, interaction, with family through good conversation. It can be a time to refresh self, to rejuvenate your self and family. Don't have the time you say ? Then you know that you have a problem with your time that needs corrective action. Take that corrective action for it will reward you !

There is another important factor in using your time. It is taking time to love. And the following story reveals much about you, but that of taking time to love, especially. "An ethics professor at Princeton Seminary asked for volunteers for an extra assignment. Fifteen students showed up. He divided the group into three groups of five each. He instructed the first of five to proceed immediately across the campus to a certain spot; if they did not get there in fifteen minutes their grade would be affected. A minute or two later he instructed the second group to also proceed across the campus to the same spot; but they were given forty-five minutes to get there. After they left he instructed the last group to go across the campus to that spot too; but they were given three hours for the trip. Now, unknown to any of these students, the teacher had arranged with three students from the Drama Department to meet them along the way, acting as people in great need: the first one they met covered his head with his hands and moaned out loud as though in great pain; the second, a little bit further along the way, was on some steps lying face down as if unconscious; the third, on the very steps of the destination, acted out an epileptic seizure. You know what the ethics professor discovered ? Not one of the first group stopped, two of the second group stopped, and all five of the third group stopped."

Which group would you most likely fit into ? If it is the first, then you may be abusing your gift of time. If it is the second then you may have good thoughts but you may not act on them because you think that you do not have time. If you fit into the third group, then you understand that life is not all about you, that your time is yours and you can also use it for good, for love of your fellow man, and you likely enjoy life.

If we do not have time to practice brotherly love, then we do not have time for self, and that is s

uffing to get all your obligations satisfied, to get your errands done, and then to fall in bed exhausted. The latter accomplishes more than the homeless person yet one must ask, "Is that living" or "Is that the way I want to expend my gift of time."

An examination of our schedules should cause us to realize that carelessness about our time is not wise.

Use of time does require thoughtful thinking about self and those about us, and therefore planning.

Another unknown writer had this to say "Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours. They are one of the few things in this world that you get free of charge. If you had all the money in the world, you couldn't buy an extra hour. What will you do with this priceless treasure ? Remember, you must use it, as it is given only once. Once wasted you cannot get it back."

You use your time. So how do you use it ?

I can give you a few ideas, but most use is up to you, and no one else. For example, 8-hours sleep each day or night is good, taking a couple of hours to eat healthy food, and spending 8-hours on a job to support yourself, are all good. Shopping can be kept to a minimum, even to less than 2-3 hours per week. Likewise recreation can be reduced to a tolerant or healthy amount in terms of exercise.

There is one that is also important. Each day or evening, turn off the phones, and the television, and even set aside that book you are reading, and give yourself, and your family 30-minutes of peace and quiet. If you are single, it may be a time to just meditate about your life. If married with a family it may be a time to have quiet, interaction, with family through good conversation. It can be a time to refresh self, to rejuvenate your self and family. Don't have the time you say ? Then you know that you have a problem with your time that needs corrective action. Take that corrective action for it will reward you !

There is another important factor in using your time. It is taking time to love. And the following story reveals much about you, but that of taking time to love, especially. "An ethics professor at Princeton Seminary asked for volunteers for an extra assignment. Fifteen students showed up. He divided the group into three groups of five each. He instructed the first of five to proceed immediately across the campus to a certain spot; if they did not get there in fifteen minutes their grade would be affected. A minute or two later he instructed the second group to also proceed across the campus to the same spot; but they were given forty-five minutes to get there. After they left he instructed the last group to go across the campus to that spot too; but they were given three hours for the trip. Now, unknown to any of these students, the teacher had arranged with three students from the Drama Department to meet them along the way, acting as people in great need: the first one they met covered his head with his hands and moaned out loud as though in great pain; the second, a little bit further along the way, was on some steps lying face down as if unconscious; the third, on the very steps of the destination, acted out an epileptic seizure. You know what the ethics professor discovered ? Not one of the first group stopped, two of the second group stopped, and all five of the third group stopped."

Which group would you most likely fit into ? If it is the first, then you may be abusing your gift of time. If it is the second then you may have good thoughts but you may not act on them because you think that you do not have time. If you fit into the third group, then you understand that life is not all about you, that your time is yours and you can also use it for good, for love of your fellow man, and you likely enjoy life.

If we do not have time to practice brotherly love, then we do not have time for self, and that is s

example, 8-hours sleep each day or night is good, taking a couple of hours to eat healthy food, and spending 8-hours on a job to support yourself, are all good. Shopping can be kept to a minimum, even to less than 2-3 hours per week. Likewise recreation can be reduced to a tolerant or healthy amount in terms of exercise.

There is one that is also important. Each day or evening, turn off the phones, and the television, and even set aside that book you are reading, and give yourself, and your family 30-minutes of peace and quiet. If you are single, it may be a time to just meditate about your life. If married with a family it may be a time to have quiet, interaction, with family through good conversation. It can be a time to refresh self, to rejuvenate your self and family. Don't have the time you say ? Then you know that you have a problem with your time that needs corrective action. Take that corrective action for it will reward you !

There is another important factor in using your time. It is taking time to love. And the following story reveals much about you, but that of taking time to love, especially. "An ethics professor at Princeton Seminary asked for volunteers for an extra assignment. Fifteen students showed up. He divided the group into three groups of five each. He instructed the first of five to proceed immediately across the campus to a certain spot; if they did not get there in fifteen minutes their grade would be affected. A minute or two later he instructed the second group to also proceed across the campus to the same spot; but they were given forty-five minutes to get there. After they left he instructed the last group to go across the campus to that spot too; but they were given three hours for the trip. Now, unknown to any of these students, the teacher had arranged with three students from the Drama Department to meet them along the way, acting as people in great need: the first one they met covered his head with his hands and moaned out loud as though in great pain; the second, a little bit further along the way, was on some steps lying face down as if unconscious; the third, on the very steps of the destination, acted out an epileptic seizure. You know what the ethics professor discovered ? Not one of the first group stopped, two of the second group stopped, and all five of the third group stopped."

Which group would you most likely fit into ? If it is the first, then you may be abusing your gift of time. If it is the second then you may have good thoughts but you may not act on them because you think that you do not have time. If you fit into the third group, then you understand that life is not all about you, that your time is yours and you can also use it for good, for love of your fellow man, and you likely enjoy life.

If we do not have time to practice brotherly love, then we do not have time for self, and that is s

ther important factor in using your time. It is taking time to love. And the following story reveals much about you, but that of taking time to love, especially. "An ethics professor at Princeton Seminary asked for volunteers for an extra assignment. Fifteen students showed up. He divided the group into three groups of five each. He instructed the first of five to proceed immediately across the campus to a certain spot; if they did not get there in fifteen minutes their grade would be affected. A minute or two later he instructed the second group to also proceed across the campus to the same spot; but they were given forty-five minutes to get there. After they left he instructed the last group to go across the campus to that spot too; but they were given three hours for the trip. Now, unknown to any of these students, the teacher had arranged with three students from the Drama Department to meet them along the way, acting as people in great need: the first one they met covered his head with his hands and moaned out loud as though in great pain; the second, a little bit further along the way, was on some steps lying face down as if unconscious; the third, on the very steps of the destination, acted out an epileptic seizure. You know what the ethics professor discovered ? Not one of the first group stopped, two of the second group stopped, and all five of the third group stopped."

Which group would you most likely fit into ? If it is the first, then you may be abusing your gift of time. If it is the second then you may have good thoughts but you may not act on them because you think that you do not have time. If you fit into the third group, then you understand that life is not all about you, that your time is yours and you can also use it for good, for love of your fellow man, and you likely enjoy life.

If we do not have time to practice brotherly love, then we do not have time for self, and that is s

e they met covered his head with his hands and moaned out loud as though in great pain; the second, a little bit further along the way, was on some steps lying face down as if unconscious; the third, on the very steps of the destination, acted out an epileptic seizure. You know what the ethics professor discovered ? Not one of the first group stopped, two of the second group stopped, and all five of the third group stopped."

Which group would you most likely fit into ? If it is the first, then you may be abusing your gift of time. If it is the second then you may have good thoughts but you may not act on them because you think that you do not have time. If you fit into the third group, then you understand that life is not all about you, that your time is yours and you can also use it for good, for love of your fellow man, and you likely enjoy life.

If we do not have time to practice brotherly love, then we do not have time for self, and that is sad.

Our family, our neighborhood, our city, and our state will eventually fail, if we do not have time for self and each other.

Time is given once. Use it wisely in the best interests of self, and those about you.