The telemarketer said the survey would only take fifteen minutes of my time. Fifteen minutes! I politely wrapped up the call. After hanging up, I literally said out loud, “Who has fifteen minutes to waste on a survey dealing with what newscasts and radio stations I listen to?” Then, another thought captured my memory and attention.
There are many things that could happen in a 15-minute timeframe. One could drive on an interstate in good traffic for approximately fifteen miles. An entire quarter of clock time in most professional sports games would conclude in fifteen minutes (if the clock ran continuously). Famous television chefs tell us that entire gourmet meals can be assembled in 900 seconds or fifteen minutes. This time frame can be used in thousands of ways. Or, it can be wasted.
When do you share your faith in Jesus? I’ll admit that I’ve spent many fifteen-minute segments in airports, meetings, and one-on-one conversations without mentioning anything about Jesus before. Think about all of the minutes and seconds you’ve invested today. If it’s a weekday, you may have been idle in traffic or fixing lunches for fifteen minutes. You may have invested or wasted several 15-minute segments on a sitcom or a game. If it’s a Sunday, it might be that good things like a worship service, a walk, or a nap took up a few moments of the day. The snooze button could steal fifteen minutes from a day. A great conversation with a friend or family member will take significant time in order to build those relationships. I really don’t want to think about how much time is spent on a smart phone or on Facebook or on Twitter for reasons not readily associated with eternity.
What’s the point? We are investing the time of our lives in something. I would much rather give the time allotted to me to something much more significant than a media survey. I need to consider how often I share the best news that has ever been told – that Jesus saves! I need to survey my surroundings and listen to the Spirit’s prompting regarding who needs his love and care. It’s not a contest. No one needs to try to match someone else’s faith-sharing pace Yet, the clock is ticking and I am personally challenged by that I need to share Jesus with many more people many more times a day.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (Each and every fifteen minutes!) Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God, even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, that they may be saved. (1 Corinthians 10:31-33 NIV)
