Using Wisely the Reduced Time Left
ARE you using wisely the reduced time left? “Reduced time left?” you ask. Yes, Bible prophecy shows that we are living in the days of Christ’s second presence and therefore “this generation will by no means pass away” until this system of things comes to its end. It follows that there is an urgency regarding the preaching of “this good news of the kingdom,” and regarding letting all men of good will know that they must “begin fleeing to the mountains” before it is too late. It is therefore imperative that we be found using wisely the reduced time left.—Matt. 24:34, 14-16; 1 Cor. 7:29; Eph. 5:15, 16, NW.a
Time spent in trying to accumulate wealth, fame or power or in trying to perpetuate this old system of things is wasted, and that is what more than 99.9 per cent of this earth’s population are doing. And time can also be wasted on careless habits. It is so easy to waste time when going over the daily paper or with popular magazines and comic books. The same is true of radio, television and movie habits. Worrying wastes time and so does arguing about speculative and hypothetical propositions.
And then there is also the matter of wasting the time of others. We should not expect others to do what we can do for ourselves, for that is not doing to them what we would want them to do to us.—Matt. 7:12.
And what does it mean to be using wisely the reduced time left? For one thing it means contenting ourselves with just the absolute essentials as regards the basic things of life. We make wise use of that time when we study God’s Word, together with the aids he has provided. Wise use, that is, if we study efficiently. That means not trying to do two things at one time, such as studying and watching television, but concentrating on what we are studying. It also means making the best use of all the various aids available, as well as being practical in order to do our studying under the most favorable conditions possible. Our new aid, Qualified to Be Ministers, gives many valuable suggestions along this line.
Attendance at congregational meetings and assemblies is a wise use of our time, provided we prepare in advance and take part to the extent of our opportunities. Unless we keep our minds on what is being presented we shall be wasting our time even though in an assembly of Jehovah’s people. And time spent in prayer is also used wisely. Let us not be too busy to start and close each day with prayer, nor to give thanks to Jehovah each time we sit down at a meal.
And the most important, the wisest use of the reduced time left is, of course, that spent in preaching the good news of the Kingdom. It brings honor to Jehovah’s name and means life for our hearers as well as for ourselves. So let us carefully budget our time, to be able to devote as much as possible to preaching, and then make the best possible use of it by being properly equipped, alert and tactful. It follows that our goal should be the full-time ministry.
By using wisely the reduced time left, instead of having time dragging on our hands we shall have the happiness of giving. Also there is the joy of seeing fruits of our wise use of time and the satisfaction of laying up treasures in heaven, assuring us everlasting life in God’s new world of righteousness.
[Footnotes]
a For details see The Watchtower, September 15, 1954.