Treasure, Invest, Multiply, Enjoy

Wednesday, 16th May 2007

Earlier this year, I had lunch with Pastor KL, during which he advised me not to limit myself to listening to just one preacher.

Through a colleague, I have started to listen to sermons by Pastor Benny Ho, and his sermons are very refreshing.

And just today, I started listening to a sermon by Dr Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope Christian Fellowship, a church based in Hawaii, USA. I want to thank brother Andy of 3L2 for introducing him, because this pastor is also an anointed preacher!

The sermon I listened to was entitled "Increasing Your Time" and Dr Cordeiro used the acrostic T-I-M-E, which stands for:

Treasure
Invest
Multiply
Enjoy

He tells us that because time is precious, we should ask the Lord to reveal to us what are the things that we ought to be treasuring so that we will make time for them. This will include personal time with Him, time with our family and loved ones, etc.

Having identified what should be treasured, we should then invest in those treasures. The difference between an investment and an expense is that investment has a long-term perspective.

When we invest in these treasures, God will then multiply the time that we have. This goes against our logical mind but it is that way God's economy works -- similar to the principle of tithing. When we set apart our money or our time for the Lord, He honours us back in return and He makes the rest of it go a long way.

Finally, we should enjoy those treasured times. Our daily quiet time should be one where we enjoy communing with Him one to one. Our time with our family should also be savoured.

As I reflected upon this last point, I thank the Lord for allowing me to bring my daughter to watch Spider-man 3 last Sunday (having been inspired to watch it after Pastor B quoted from it in his sermon that morning). I really treasured that time of father-daughter bonding because very soon, she will be preferring the company of her friends.

Similarly, I savour the times that I can bowl or play soccer with my son because very soon, he will also begin to prefer the company of his friends to his dad's.

Last but certainly not the least, my colleagues do not ask me out to lunch on Tuesdays because that day is set apart for to enjoy a meal with my Prov 31 woman.

T-I-M-E. Treasure, Invest, Multiply, Enjoy