Ministries:
Adult | Teens | Children

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Sermon Series:
Following Jesus
Earthly Cross
His Name Is
Apostles Creed
Dealing with Feelings
Jonah
Get Real
Promised Land Living

Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

Email:
Pastor Scott Carson

Secretary Patti Hall

PASTOR'S PENS 2006

Grace Church of Burlington April 2, 2006 “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.” Benjamin Franklin             If you’re feeling a little groggy today and for the next few days, then you can thank Benjamin Franklin. The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by Franklin during his tenure as an American delegate in Paris in 1784. He even did an entire essay on it, "An Economical Project."             While many complain about Daylight Saving Time because of the inconvenience of changing many clocks and adjusting to a new sleep schedule, it really does have some benefits. It saves energy. The use and the demand for electricity for lighting homes is directly related to the times when people go to bed at night and rise in the morning. In the average home, 25% of electricity is used for lighting and small appliances, such as TVs, VCRs, and stereos. A good percentage of energy consumed by lighting and appliances occurs in the evening when families are home. By moving the clock ahead one hour, the amount of electricity consumed each day decreases. And there is even a public health benefit to Daylight Saving Time, in that it decreases traffic accidents. Studies have found that the shift reduces traffic accidents and fatalities by close to 1%.             And for you trivia junkies – the official spelling is Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight SavingS Time.  But most people feel the word savings (with an 's') flows a little easier off the tongue. Daylight Savings Time is also in common usage, and can be found in dictionaries. Adding to the confusion is that the phrase Daylight Saving Time is inaccurate, since no daylight is actually saved. Daylight Shifting Time would probably be more accurate.             The main purpose of Daylight Saving Time is to make better use of daylight. As believers, we are commanded to use our time wisely – period.             Time is the measurement of life. It's the great equalizer. While many have varying degrees of talent and resources, while some have more or less money...all of us have the same 24 hours in a day. Success in life is not really enjoyed by those who are given the greatest resources or blessed with the most obvious talents, instead success is enjoyed by those who make the most of their time.             An incident from the American Revolution illustrates what tragedy can result from the poor use of  time and  procrastination.  It’s reported that Colonel Rahl, the commander of the British troops at Trenton, New Jersey, was playing cards when a courier brought an urgent message stating that General George Washington was crossing the Delaware River. The Colonel just put the letter in his pocket and didn't bother to read it until after the game finished. Then, realizing the seriousness of the situation, he hurriedly tried to rally his soldiers to meet the coming attack, but his procrastination was his undoing. He and many of his men were killed, and the rest of the regiment was captured. Nolbert Quayle observed that “Only a few minutes delay cost him his life, his honor, and the liberty of his soldiers. Earth's history is strewn with the wrecks of half-finished plans and unexecuted resolutions.”             As believers, if we are going to use our time wisely and make the most of it, we must begin by understanding the preciousness of every hour we are granted. Squandering time by wasting it or misusing it is something we can never undo. Time that is lost is time lost forever. You can never reclaim your day yesterday. The day you live tomorrow will never again be back. So we must understand how precious it is!             Then, we must know that time has been given to us by God to invest. While we cannot reclaim today in the future, we can convert it into spiritual treasure that will last forever. That is the only way to save time, by using it to honor and serve our Lord.  Jesus put it this way, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it” (Matthew 16:25).             All of us have 24 hours each day and 168 hours each week...how are you investing yours?