Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. Eccl. 12:1.

I learned recently of a film strip, the first picture of which showed a small boy playing with a sailboat and a train. The caption read, "Too small to think about God." Next picture: the boy is larger now, and engaged in sports. Caption: "Too occupied to think about God." Next picture: He is still a young man making his way in the world. Caption: "Too self-sufficient to think about God." Next picture: with his arm about his girl friend he is "too happy to think about God." Later, with the responsibilities of home and family, he is "too busy to think about God." We catch a glimpse of him in bed, "Too tired to think about God." Then as an executive with many responsibilities, he is "too worried to think about God." Worn out with age and work he has become "too old to think about God." Written on his grave marker, standing among the weeds that almost hide it: "Too late to think about God."

All time belongs to God. We have time only as a stewardship. God may require an accounting of us at any moment. People say they can do what they want with their own time. They forget that the sequel to life is God's.

We keep the seventh-day Sabbath according to the commandment. It is the Lord's day. God is the Lord of time as He is the Lord of the Sabbath. The same is true with the wealth we have. Neither exists outside of God. We give up both when we die. We have time enough to spend it with God. We have money enough to spend it for God. God has given us so much time and so much money.

Each Sabbath we meet to worship God. Thereby we say, "Thank You, Lord, for time to worship You." We are resolved to have Christ as the Lord of all the time we have. We want no time apart from Him. To keep the Sabbath means that we have no desire to do with our time anything we want. Eternity with God is just ahead. Only then will time maintain its eternal youth and freshness.

Time without God makes a difference. It offers no future of an eternal Sabbath with God. To deny that time belongs to God is to reject His purpose for our lives. We are to redeem the time, to live responsibly to God.