Time Is the Currency of Earth: Solomon's Seed of Time

Sermon outline

Solomon sowed the seed of time towards his dream, and because time is the currency of earth, how you invest your time, generationally and with discipline, decides what you will possess.

1. Solomon sowed the seed of time towards his dream

   Time consciousness is the greatest difference between the poor and the prosperous. You have traded time for everything you have, from school to a degree, and whatever you don't yet possess you have been unwilling to sow time towards. Everyone great, from painters to parents, invested time; some parents throw money at their children when what they need is time. It took Solomon seven years to build the temple.

   Illustration: Asked in an interview why he needed a private jet, Jackie Chan answered: because of time; he has money but can't buy time, so he works while he flies.

   “Time is the currency of earth.”

   • 1 Kings 6:38

2. Think generationally: succession, not survival

   The wealthy think generationally; he says American businesses plan in five-year periods and Japanese companies in hundred-year periods, like Toyota. David was not allowed to build the temple, but he passed the vision to Solomon. Whatever time you invest in work, business or God's house, invest it for your children and grandchildren.

   “We must not think about survival, we must think about succession.”

   • 1 Chronicles 22:8

3. 1 and 2. Invest time for excellence, and put quality into every conversation

   Invest whatever time is needed to produce the highest excellence in your work, and you will reap the benefit. When you speak, power goes out of your life, the power of death or life, so speak positively and as though you are building something, because you are first building in the invisible world.

   “When you are communicating with somebody, speak as though you are building something.”

   • Proverbs 18:21

4. 3 and 4. Guard the access you permit others, and treat your time as golden coins

   Many people waste your time, stuck in the past and singing the same old song, and then envy those who use time wisely. Intimacy should be earned, so not everyone belongs in your inner world. Time cannot be bought off a shelf; you would never throw golden coins down the pavement, so value your time like them and enjoy life instead of merely tolerating it.

   Illustration: The phone rings all the time and people drive in and out of your house, the days fly past and nothing is produced.

   “Intimacy should be earned.”

5. 5 and 6. Invest time with mentors, and build a reputation for integrity

   Your mentor has something you cannot receive from anyone else, but you must linger long enough for impartation. Solomon, the wealthiest man on earth, said a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and building that name takes time.

   Illustration: The previous day's leaders' and workers' function cost people time, some missed their shopping, but something was imparted.

   “Your mentor has something you cannot receive from someone else on the earth.”

   • Proverbs 22:1

6. 7 and 8. Control the climate and time of every appointment, and train others to respect your time

   A service has a start and an end out of respect for people's other commitments, just as no one would take a job without knowing when the day finishes. When you let your time be treated lightly, time with you becomes less meaningful. Few people around you pursue serious plans daily, so train them to respect yours.

   Illustration: Some people call and are still talking 45 minutes later, using up their time and yours.

   “When you allow your time to be treated lightly, time with you becomes less meaningful.”

7. 9. Your dream will require more time than you realise

   We live in a culture that expects everything immediately, but young people must learn to wait, because if they have everything at 25 there is nothing left to dream about. A degree does not mean everything is thrown at your feet; you prove yourself and grow. Your dream needs time for preparation and for negotiation.

   Illustration: A child is not born 15 years old with a moustache and a beard, and no one jumps from grade 1 to grade 12; each grade takes a year.

   “Your dream will require much more time than you realize.”

8. 10. An uncommon dream requires uncommon meditation

   Take time to hide away, dream, meditate and plan; Christians shy away from the word meditate, but the Bible speaks of it. Switch off your phone so you can invest in your family. There is a time to break down and a time to build up: in 2018 we should be past apartheid, so stop sowing discord and racial hatred and sow forgiveness, reconciliation and love into the next generation, as leaders like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King did.

   Illustration: He wishes there were panel-beating shops where you could drive in and change your skin colour to be acceptable to everybody, but there aren't, so we must get rid of racial judgment.

   “An uncommon dream will require uncommon meditation.”

   • Ecclesiastes 3:1-3
   • Romans 5:5
   • Galatians 6:9

9. 11. Invest in a time management plan

   Explore day planners and discipline your life: start with 30 days and it will extend to six months and a year. Fasting and prayer teach a disciplined life. Write a clear plan for each day and develop a conscious awareness of time, because there are only 24 hours in a day.

   Illustration: Someone refused to hire anybody who doesn't wear a watch; someone else joked he never wears one because there is always someone to ask the time.

   “Solomon used the seed of time to grow the greatest achievement of his lifetime.”