Welcome we are in. We are in # Christian Straight Talk wherever you are across the beautiful after we walk. Wherever you are, the Lord is with you. I hope you having a great day you're joining myself Reverend Ben Cooper, how did i ever get that title I aint got a clue. eBay. Oh, was it Amazon, how much did i pay? a fiver, a fiver for the collar?
Simon Pinchbeck:Well my you should have paid a tenner and become an archbishop.
Reverend Ben Cooper:You know now when a doctor 15 quid and you can have the full phrase, you can have the phone once you get up to full monty wherever I lay my hat. That's my home plate. We're doing it again. Good morning. Well, it's Simon. It's been this morning as we record # Christian Straight Talk wherever you are. This is the day that the Lord has made. You might be color less, but Jesus loves you, wherever you are. He loves us the same Simon is bringing, i say this every week. I've got to stop saying this, but I'm gonna say it the last time. Simons got a great word. So short word. It's a bit more happier than last week's word, which was hell?
Simon Pinchbeck:Oh, well, that was needed to be said Ben didn't
Reverend Ben Cooper:100% Without any shadow of a doubt. It was great to be back across the across the mics again. Ben, great to be back with you in in the powder room. And Ben, today's word is time. Time. And really it's there's a lot of said about it. And the Marvel didn't realize I didn't realize I don't think we we grasp the importance of time, do we? Because then all of us have the same amount of seconds a minute and hours in a day and across the world. Everyone has the same. It's exactly the same rich for taller wherever you're from fat skinny, round, long, short,
Simon Pinchbeck:same as 14 140 minutes in a day. Right? We've all got the same amount is 168 hours in a week.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Goodness gracious. I spent 150 hours on the site on social media. You'd think somebody? Yeah, time is so critical. Is it crazy?
Simon Pinchbeck:Is 86,400 seconds in a day. But everyone's got the same amount of time.
Reverend Ben Cooper:We can't buy it. We can't extend it. We can't decide when it's up. We don't know when we when our clock starts we don't know when it's going to stop. Well the thing has been from the moment you're born, you started to enter your life your lifespan. And we don't know because nobody knows the Lord knows the day the hour the month not the year the second a minute that you're gonna go up and time is critical problem is we you know we seem to think that you know, a lot of us think that tough times are gonna go on forever, then we we do and and men are the biggest procrastinators out there. A lot of people aren't men. I know that. Oh, yeah. Do that tomorrow. Oh, I'll do that tomorrow. Well, I think it's getting worse now though, isn't it because of the stress on life and the stress on humanity? It's not that I can't be bothered attitude is that quite weary and tired and my brains not focusing. But we're pushing stuff away and when there's not enough time in the day anyway, but I've got an account for every second who owes my accountability to is it my spiritual director, the aim of it I am got one actually. It's Jesus. What are the things has been everything you do? Everything you think said think look at drug tatton In the book in it, eat everything everything that we do every word every action every thought every heartbeat is accountable. So is the deal with this spend what time are we given to the Lord? What time are we given to God the scripture says Seek first the kingdom then yeah, and his righteousness everywhere else so find a place so what time are you watching given to Netflix or Prime Video or boxsets or social media? What are you just smash that Prison Break? It took me 40 hours. I've done it on the sofa. Praise the Lord. You only sat down for half an hour. Have a cup of tea. Sally Right, next thing you know, you
Simon Pinchbeck:got two days into
Reverend Ben Cooper:it, your eyes are spinning in your head. But it's an extreme thing, but it is the fact. The fact, isn't it? Because that's what happened through lockdown. Not that I had the privilege of being indoors for lockdown at all. But that's what's happened, isn't it society we, we seem to sit back, and our eyes seem to lock onto some device. And we scroll through TV, we scroll through the socials, we scroll, scroll through so much stuff. We are looking but we're not really paying attention. Because I believe that we are looking for. We're not that not use the word satisfied. We're looking for a fulfillment. I think a lot of people are looking for an escape at night. But yeah, escapism. So as you can escape into a film, you can escape into a video game. Yeah, you can escape into YouTube, you can escape into that, and you lost it. Yeah, you don't really have to take account of yourself or your own actions. And you take time for granted. Because time is our most valuable resource. It is yeah, time, as you said right to begin, you'll never get back. So this is not these minutes, the seconds of these minutes, you listen to this podcast, six minutes, wherever get back, gone. So don't waste your time. Because in doing in something that's not going to be of any benefit to you, because you'll never get that time back. So when you think that you might really push yourself into business, really, really, really put yourself into that. If one of them ones that has a purpose, but not at the level that we think that you should stay at. It's like education, isn't it? It's like everything in the world. And if you were to look in Ecclesiastes, chapter three, it tells us about all the different seasons and the time, time to bond time to die. Time to plant tight rope, blah, blah, blah, goes all the way through
Simon Pinchbeck:Ecclesiastes three, I
Reverend Ben Cooper:don't even use this word getting a balance getting being wise with your life.
Simon Pinchbeck:Well, you know, you've just given me an open door because Psalm 90 Verse 12 says this, so Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Oh, teach us.
Simon Pinchbeck:I mean time that was unscripted. And as all of this all is in it. We just got a Bible, a Bible. Hold on.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Where did you get that from? You won't get it in this church. It's all on the screen. It's all on the screen. We've taken our crush off and we put tallies in places where the and we put our faces up and we got two statues of us at the entrance of the church. Jesus wants you time is critical. So the Bible is telling us to be good managers of time. good stewards. Definitely. Definitely we got it because so what right the question is then seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. So I'm a bonus so when we're talking as believers we're born again we feel to the Spirit. So really, time is non existent to us to a degree because suddenly we understand what the word eternity means. But all the time I'm walking this earth I have to be accountable for the time and the seconds and milliseconds because I have to treat people treat your neighbor as you would expect to be treated yourself because I'm going to be a cat now when God calls me home am I going to have if I look at it two different tables time when I was good to people or time when I was bad to people what's gonna outweigh what what's the scows or justice gonna tip
Simon Pinchbeck:well the deal is if you've if you're if you've got a relationship with Jesus Christ you've probably confessed them bad things so you know that won't you won't be accountable for that will you general because that will be wiped
Reverend Ben Cooper:so right okay so sit that's gone. But what about my attitude your attitude your about my thoughts my unforgiveness my maybe pride of life? Yeah, the time the time I've wasted time you've wasted in being prideful. The time I've wasted on social media the time I've wasted being arrogant. The time I've wasted being angry. So when you put when you look at all if you waste it is a waste. It's a waste of life. It's a waste of time, it's a waste of life, have wasted more times, being frustrated than I have been. The joy of the Lord is my strength brother.
Simon Pinchbeck:Always think of a story I always think Have a story out of a guy that died and went up to heaven. And he's been given a, he's been given a run through by some pizza. And he walks down a corridor of doors with people's names on it. And he says, oh, there's my name on that door. Peter, can you come and go in and see what's in there? And Peter goes, No, he didn't want to do that. He said, No, I'm desperately so kind, and so opens the door. And he's these Rows of brightly colored boxes, all wrapped in ribbons, and whatever. And it gets some days, these are got my name on them. And Pete says, yeah, they would have blessings that you could have had, oh, if you'd have spent more time with the Lord. So, you know, there's just a little story, Ben, but you know, there's, there is a caveat that there is something in that, to be honest with you
Reverend Ben Cooper:time with the Lord is, is the most so the scripture that says, Seek ye first the kingdom of God. And so when I'm seeking Him, and I know I'm gonna get when we're born again, we blood washed, we know who we are in Christ to a degree. So when I live for Jesus, my time is accountable. And my time is correctly being used. Because when I seek Him first, don't even let us work priorities when I get an order of my life. So when you're walking, and you're resting in Christ, time, your time is used correctly.
Simon Pinchbeck:Yeah, because you're putting everything before the law.
Reverend Ben Cooper:So when you say to the will of the Father, it's quite a complicated subject to talk about in it because it's, well, he got worldly tired I think,
Simon Pinchbeck:I think if you seek the heart of the Father, so you see the Father's heart You see, and then you will automatically know one. Yeah. So you won't have to keep going back to the phone because you will automatically know what comes first. And where to where to prioritize your time where to where to put your time. And you know, one of the biggest things that I think people neglect is their family. But
Reverend Ben Cooper:yeah, definitely I'm giving you that one.
Simon Pinchbeck:I think we've all been guilty of that. Ministry putting family yeah, and we're center and we will be accountable for our family.
Reverend Ben Cooper:That's definitely that's the big thing that's scary. That's scary though.
Simon Pinchbeck:So when we go done things wrong dumpings right, but we will be accountable to the family that the Lord's a lot easier because he's only lounger that family to take care of correct?
Reverend Ben Cooper:Absolutely correct. And
Simon Pinchbeck:look at this scripture and look at this scripture. Hold on a minute. Romans, Romans 1311 says and do this knowing the time that now is high time to awake out of sleep for now our salvation is nearer than we first believed that night is fast spent the days at hand therefore let us cast off the works of darkness and that is put on the armor of light you know and a lot of translations say Time to wake out of your slumber which is I think is a great word slumped in it because that's sometimes we feel that we've been yeah yeah yeah,
Reverend Ben Cooper:definitely. And you know what coming back to the socials I think that's what happened were your slumbering slumbering when you're when you're on the social networks because getting from work and you're doing whatever Are you just think I'll ever flick through Thanks. Come up on the device, we'll have a look at that. And before you're not you're caught, you're trapped. You've wasted not a minute, three minutes, four minutes, five minutes. And then you're even when you think what is the purpose of this? What what is the purpose of this stuff?
Simon Pinchbeck:Then we have more things now. You know, we just think it wasn't it was only the beginning of the or a couple of 100 years ago when the fastest thing on the earth was a horse Yeah. And then the steam train came and then you know, planes and all that stuff. So but we got more things now. To suppose to be able
Reverend Ben Cooper:in others more time, and it doesn't it takes the time.
Simon Pinchbeck:It robs the time and that is the enemies deception then I think
Reverend Ben Cooper:another thing what it does, it controls us like humanity's never been controlled before. Because before, like you said before, technology come into the arena before cars before any of that happened, and you only had horseback. You wasn't trapped was you but now we are trapped. We are literally slaves to the world. You gotta be very careful. So we become I know we're a slave to righteousness and all the theologians are gonna send text and I know we're a slave to righteousness. But actually, to be fair, our physical, physical is a slave to the world. Because we've signed up to mortgages we've signed up to this we've signed up because we've been led. AV have it you can have anything you want and suddenly our time commuting time, work time, up at silly o'clock in the morning commute in all around the world, traveling. So work and career has to be at the top of the tree that is destroying humanity.
Simon Pinchbeck:I think you're right. I think you brought up a good point. And I think it goes further than that. Because we have now we have information overload, right? Yeah. So before, you really didn't know much what was happening in around your town, or maybe your country, but now what's worrying us is what's happening 1000s of miles away, because we're getting news from all all over all over the place. And they ramp the news app domain, they crack because they want to make it
Reverend Ben Cooper:more fearful for people to drive to drive.
Simon Pinchbeck:And that's robbing as of time of time, because we've been
Reverend Ben Cooper:at fear. Yeah, instead of peace. So how many hours am I living in fear against peace? I used to read Ecclesiastes chapter three. It says there is a time for everything. A season. So our lives our days, our moments of season, a season for every activity under the heavens, a time to born, a time to die a time to plan a time to uproot A Time To Kill a time to heal, a time to tear down a time to build a time to weep a time to laugh, a time to mourn a time to dance, scatter stones, and a time to gather. But then it goes on as well to embrace time to refine time to search time to give up. We don't like giving up doing well. And then it says a time to keep in a time to throw away. Quite interesting. The bottom half of these texts are time to tear and a time to mend. And then another one's coming in the minute it says a time to be silent, the time to speak and A time to love and a time to hate a time for war. On a time for peace
Simon Pinchbeck:was worth sending these is not in the Bible for now. It's it's wise words, six verses very interesting that one you stopped on, which says a time to give up because we we are under that impression that we only lose if you quit? Well, there's sometimes we have to give up certain things. Sometimes we have to give up if if it's not, if the doors not opening if it's not working for us, and then why and keep banging your head against it. Give it up. And the thing is, time we you. So all we it's like we've got to get rid of all that. You've got to filter that information that's coming in. Yeah, well, that international news or that local, all that stuff that's coming as we've got to filter it and realize and make sure what is important in our lives and our time with the Lord is so important. That is the most important thing in our lives is our relationship with Jesus Christ. And through that, you have a relationship with the Father, but from it and then amen on that. And then through that, yeah, the family comes in.
Reverend Ben Cooper:So it's Christ, first Christ centered, the cross, Jesus, conscious, Dan, I don't even like to use that word too much. But when you're, I'm aware, I'm aware of Jesus, when I'm aware of Jesus, if I can get my body in my mind and my heart and my thinking, as the body says. Be aware of him through your thinking through your attitude through your, through your prayer life, for your drive, and for your talking. be God conscious, be aware that God is always with you. That is the greatest management of time ever. We live in a society where you got all this stuff. And if you're working in a corporate world, time management, or the time management courses always lean towards the organization. Yeah, always leans towards the elite always goes to the culprit. Because they want your blood Yeah, you're gonna bleed for the establishment.
Simon Pinchbeck:You're working for a man and he wants he wants us to expand the flesh. But you know, the enemy, grabs all the time and imitates what the Lord has given us the Lord has given us this amount of time each day, and that you know, what had been the great thing is this. Do you know what a great thing is? We've gone the Lord, is that if you get to tomorrow, you've got a clean slate to start again. And yeah, exactly. Yeah. Because the Lord's mercy is grace is
Reverend Ben Cooper:elation endures forever
Simon Pinchbeck:loving Jewish roots. So if we get to the end of the day, and we look at the what we've done that day, and we think Maya wasn't quite as, as Christ centered tonight. It is His forgiveness for us. And we can start again tomorrow. If it gives us tomorrow, you know, we wake up All
Reverend Ben Cooper:right. So time management is not as the world teaches as time management in the culprit, the biggest and the greatest way that we'll understand time management is in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter three verses one through to eight. And at the end of verse nine, it says, What do workers gained from their toil? What the worker has gained from their toil, I've got materialism. I've got a house, I've got cars. But when we see her majesty go out the other week, she went out in a casket, we all come in the same, we all go out the same. What do I do with my time in as the scripture says, in the seasons, what the workers gained from their toil? First 10 of Ecclesiastes, it says, I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.
Simon Pinchbeck:You know, look for the kingdom, we're now there's no retirement, that's, you know, so no matter how old you are, no matter who you are, and what age you are, there's always work to be done in the kingdom and exciting work to do amazing work. Because, you know, we want to see more souls saved, we want to see more people come into the kingdom, but do you know in in the secular world over many men go, I can't wait to retire.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Golf? Sailing? Yeah, I'm gonna go traveling the land, get to that day and then suddenly
Simon Pinchbeck:said to I said to you earlier, you know, my stepfather retired at 60. By 64. He was dead.
Reverend Ben Cooper:He had gone, gone. Couldn't can't take nothing with you in
Simon Pinchbeck:or with you. And so who benefits? Yeah, benefits from
Reverend Ben Cooper:oil, oil soil, what the workers gain from their toil? What? So there is a very important part part in the area of business, isn't it? And career and as we know, the ivory tower, what is the purpose of building this business? Because one, it has robbed me from my family to it as it will also turn me into a character that I'm not really like. So business, I think, is a very dangerous area where and work can rob you of years and years and years of stress, hardship, fear, doubts, balancing finances this that you give your life you've given your life to what to toil, and what's the purpose? You know,
Simon Pinchbeck:yeah, you're right. What's the purpose? What's
Reverend Ben Cooper:the purpose? What is the end goal? What are you going to gain from it?
Simon Pinchbeck:I am many people that have sold you virtually sold yourself. So yourself than a man. Yeah. So. And I grew up the city, and all of a sudden, they're trapped. And they believe that lie that when you get to the top of that greasy pole, that's lovely. But there's nothing that the Poles always slip right. The Poles always remain. You'll slide back down. And you will say is that it
Reverend Ben Cooper:that it is? I've climbed this ladder? It's taken me all these years. I've missed the boat stays with the children. I have. Yeah. That's for Leslie I've commuted on the train at six, five o'clock in the morning. Got in early meetings, yawning stressed out don't do the homework when the kids get home. The kids are in bed.
Simon Pinchbeck:There's no way our dice and now you can play in these places. Because you know,
Reverend Ben Cooper:they'll bleed you they'll know wrench you there. What's going on at five o'clock. Well, you got a sports day for what are we doing? Now you can go and get overlooked times. Open up teams open up zoom, sit in your PJs and we'll have a meeting at 12 o'clock at night. You can't escape. You can't escape. There's no way to go. Technology has robbed us of time.
Simon Pinchbeck:Technology has robbed us aware of everything and it's in it and it means in bed that the you know this stuff that's supposed to save us time the enemy's used
Reverend Ben Cooper:as robbers is robbed us because you think at texting, we will text late at night you text in the morning. You answer a text you talk about a text. The simple thing of a text is you send it and you answer it when you can but I'll quickly answer this I've got this message. You've got this email. I've got this I've got that. I've got more emails on the phone. I've got messages I've got messenger WhatsApp text this that blah blah blah. So oh my goodness,
Simon Pinchbeck:I had a geezer ring me up at 930 on a Saturday evening, you know expecting me to answer his call.
Reverend Ben Cooper:I get I'm going to be honest. I'll get that a lot caught past 1120 past our past 11 phone rings and I think I have been out Grafton locker Dogs all day long. You've sat on the back door all day long. You probably growling through your socials and then suddenly your eyes are wide open. I think our ring pastor Ben
Simon Pinchbeck:probably had a little bit of RAM or something and fill in
Reverend Ben Cooper:all jolly the joy of the Lord is my strength. And and I know I experienced it. I know what you're saying, Saturday, Sunday night and you're not gonna go find a
Simon Pinchbeck:guy surgeon. If it's urgent, if you know it's all come on top. If you if you need something urgently, then that's fine. But if it's just a social call to tell, tell me about this. Certainly other. I won't be answering that or a 930 on it with my wife, you know, watching Netflix
Reverend Ben Cooper:and then I've had old I get older me all day I get
Simon Pinchbeck:older, and then he brings me and goes, you'd never answer my call.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Or if you'd pick it up, if you pick it up, you're gonna get a battery and for some reason or another,
Simon Pinchbeck:and if you don't get a battery in from you're gonna get better from the missus anyway, because you know what you're
Reverend Ben Cooper:gonna do? I'm gonna do phone the dangerous, didn't they? It's got our attention. It's because the device has our time.
Simon Pinchbeck:You're so true, Ben, you know if some
Reverend Ben Cooper:of the table now that we both have gotten, they're both they're pinging away you see people walking around, you know, speaking to no one is looks, you know, if you're in, if you told us 20 years ago that you'd see people walking around talking to themselves in the thing here now. You're looking at the phone and they're bumping into you. Yeah. And what about even driving?
Simon Pinchbeck:Sure. I'll tell you some event. Yeah, twice. I've been to motorway service stations to go to the toilet and fella looking at his phone going into the toilet at the same time. What is
Reverend Ben Cooper:my views on Snapchat? Sorry, forgive me. Let me find you when you look actually now look, look at that number. Funds ring
Simon Pinchbeck:the bank manager
Reverend Ben Cooper:the fat man was at the king it's like you can't escape the phone has our attention. The phone has everything well we've got our phone messages beyond the unbelief emails more email accounts that we can actually look at social networks the World Wide Web is everything YouTube
Simon Pinchbeck:just is Robin
Reverend Ben Cooper:ties home now go back or go back this
Simon Pinchbeck:is speaking to me but and this is really the sub J's speaking that may really
Reverend Ben Cooper:go back before we ever had a mobile phone. Go back ain't that far really? It's not it's not that far that
Simon Pinchbeck:far when you had to literally to phone someone
Reverend Ben Cooper:pick up the phone and dial the phone indoors it's not that long ago or little pager
Simon Pinchbeck:or something you know but no, it's not that long ago was I would say it's early 90s Probably yeah someone
Reverend Ben Cooper:that when you when you really think about that I never appreciated the time that I had before the phone come in my life because no no no no
Simon Pinchbeck:if you want to disappear you're gone on Yeah,
Reverend Ben Cooper:but you just when you go back and think when was the first time you picked up a mobile phone and you had that even then when they first come out they didn't have all the tech on it. So it was just a phone so it was okay just a phone call but then suddenly started increasing when you actually think about that that's the devil's weapon in
Simon Pinchbeck:it oh it's million percent when you really grasp the technology
Reverend Ben Cooper:the power that is in that the track even the tracking device that's in there but the government's are tracking the phone networks they know your bank now look it's bringing the EU is that everything in again that Ray is ringing time to now my attention has gone wander that is so your mind is always focused on that gadget or that gadget Yeah, always on that gadget. And you think to yourself, I didn't realize how much time I had before the phone coming to my life.
Simon Pinchbeck:I did something
Reverend Ben Cooper:either a lot of things
Simon Pinchbeck:crazy here. I did something where you left your phone, left the laptop and you just spent time with the Lord for a few days I
Reverend Ben Cooper:didn't get through to me didn't have Wi Fi rarely, but say you put the phone away every gadget and you literally gone How did it feel?
Simon Pinchbeck:Freedom
Reverend Ben Cooper:straight away or was you thinking?
Simon Pinchbeck:No, freedom was straight away user. You just spent time with the Lord out in the wilderness somewhere is on a ranch in Texas and just But we've done it in this in this country too. And I was speaking with I was out with a guy last night who, who did the same sort of thing and he said that time it was a fasting day so that time where the Lord was the most amazing time because you can hear from him and feel fine, because you haven't got all that nonsense in the way of you Yeah, you haven't got all
Reverend Ben Cooper:that it's bringing it as the third time that thought it just shows you that it interested in it time. Time so you put your gadget away you put your laptop away you put everything away everything away everything away. So you got no distractions you got no noise you got no beeping you got no Twitter, you got no Facebook, you got no Instagram, Snapchat, all the platforms that are out there. If you give a platform half an hour a day, just just half an hour per platform you would have you would have lost like five, six hours or your daisy
Simon Pinchbeck:Yeah, and that's where that or the video game in and the TV that you're watching.
Reverend Ben Cooper:So that there's another generation when you think about other generation that's lower. Low a few years, Lauren us hours,
Simon Pinchbeck:they worked it out been that of 70 years. So you have the life span of 70 years. Yeah, they worked it out that you probably only live only conscious and live in for about 30 hours cuz you're asleep and you're eaten. So half of that time is gone, anyone's gone anyway. And now if you're reducing that even further, on what you boxsets by all this stuff, all that stuff we're talking about. Because if we get back to Scripture,
Reverend Ben Cooper:angle time,
Simon Pinchbeck:James, James, the brother of Jesus when he so you know in that book of James, if it's some great stuff in there and he says in 440s has come now, you who say today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there we will buy and sell and make a profit whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow for what is your life. It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say if the Lord wills we shall live to do that or that but now you boast in your arrogance. And such boasting is evil. Therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it? To him it is sin. Wow. You know your life is just a vapor. Don't keep saying I heard of a fair
Reverend Ben Cooper:vapor. Think about that for a second. When you think if someone vapes takes a vote you know in how and then suddenly X out how quick does that just disappear? Because you watch it the fog side of it I'm referring to it's gone in it and
Simon Pinchbeck:I mentioned to you before that we used to saying that in the police force you know if you if you left then it's like putting your fist in a bucket of water taking it out in the ripples and then suddenly it's it's calm again, isn't it? People will forget very quickly that is what your lives like
Reverend Ben Cooper:those that are they don't remember them what way they live.
Simon Pinchbeck:Yeah, unless you you know so that's why you built the statue outside Yeah,
Reverend Ben Cooper:yeah. Yeah, melted all the Golden Swan lay all the goals people remember you melted all the shopping trolleys got some good silver out of that got some good scrap made some real nice statues.
Simon Pinchbeck:Joking aside I heard of a fellow friend that that said and this is a big lie of the enemy the enemy will say all that Jesus stuff. It's all true. But it's not for you right at this time. You got to go out and enjoy yourself a bit more so live the terrain the fellow who was in you know who was questioning and interested in about about the law but never made a commitment to you spend time he went away on a holiday and when he was on holiday he died. Oh, it's too late tonight too late Bible says What does the Bible say says today today the days of your salvation today leave it till tomorrow
Reverend Ben Cooper:live in the moment think about the each breath is we don't know we don't know if I'm gonna we're gonna make this afternoon which we don't know that's the fact we don't know no one can guarantee 1000 Now I can I'll definitely be here at Christmas I'll be here each day so why say why am I plants why make plans but I spreadsheet myself my life Lord I know so many people within the world of that you know spreadsheets. Graphs forecasting.
Simon Pinchbeck:Oh, lovely member of my Family will go. Yeah, we've, we're looking to Christmas 2024 Coming coming to you, or what do you, you know, we've got all of these booked in for a base
Reverend Ben Cooper:years and years ahead. It's mad. It's like this net zero. And by the time we get to this, we're gonna be completely flipping out. another phone call that I'm ruining the phone is the biggest killer of time, it takes your attention, so much time on the phone,
Simon Pinchbeck:turn it over or put it on a chair or something ping
Reverend Ben Cooper:pong. There's an addiction, there is an addiction. So with the with the gadgets becomes an addictive way. It takes our time It robs us, you know, my phone is flashing that I've got 10 things on social media. I've got four missed calls. I've got that person I've got even got me granddaughter there that sent me a little message that did not I mean, so
Simon Pinchbeck:I think you're right. I think that that phone is
Reverend Ben Cooper:if you look at my timeline now, since we've been sitting here, sitting here, it's just like, alive. So that's a classic example in it have the biggest area of life, what is it in your life or my life that robs me of precious times of, of just being a human being? What fascinated me this morning amongst loads of stuff? Is this. The God Is it the human race, we are a human race and time. We are not superhuman little gods, we are not, you know, like some ministry, our time is accounted for God has given us X amount of heartbeats, every breath is accounted for threescore years, or 10, whatever that may be. If the Lord Terri's, all that, all that sort of stuff. So time management, that's a very worldly terminology. But if you are looking to manage your life and time better, go to a queasy acids, chapter three verses one through to 10. And it will tell you, the major areas of life a time to live a time to die time. And when you know who you are in Christ, then you become good. A good steward, as soon as you type a good steward of your time, godly time, because every moment we got his God's time, we are His ambassadors. So we should be all this conversation at time just tightens up so
Simon Pinchbeck:much. Because, you know, our father, you know, has given
Reverend Ben Cooper:us a plan or purpose. So I'm coming in.
Simon Pinchbeck:Exactly, exactly. So God has appointed and allotted a certain amount of time to each of us. Yeah. And he's appointed a certain amount of work for each of us to do for in the kingdom. The
Reverend Ben Cooper:Scripture tells us that so clearly through the writers, you know, where they had to go here, there and everywhere do this, do that deliver that. But we are
Simon Pinchbeck:there may it says in Britain, it says in Mark 1342, he says, But of that day, an hour, no one knows not even the angels in heaven nor the sun, but only the Father Take heed, watch and pray for you do not know when the time is. So it's it's like, you know, we and there's plenty of stories that Jesus told and then Jesus told that one, there's plenty of stories about the foolish Virgin's. If you're if you know, if someone said to you
Reverend Ben Cooper:don't say that or not. Oh, yeah,
Simon Pinchbeck:if they're gonna say Archbishop Cooper, if
Reverend Ben Cooper:Dr. Dr. Archbishop took me a lot of time
Simon Pinchbeck:to cope. If two months time, you're dead, you're gone. There's no, there's no, what would I
Reverend Ben Cooper:do? What would you do? I actually don't know. I spend most of it panicking.
Simon Pinchbeck:So you said something. And this is quite serious. And this is heart rendering. Ben, you said something because you work in hospice. What is what is the biggest thing that people say to you in the hospice?
Reverend Ben Cooper:Are wish I hadn't? Or wish I would have done or I wish I had a wish I hadn't spent so much time up the ivory tower. Giving myself to the system. Oh dear, when you when you and you can't buy health, you can't buy a heartbeat. You can't buy a life you can't buy anything. You cannot. Ecclesiastes makes it so clear about time. And Jesus talked plenty about time as well that what you're talking about the signs of the time are several times so there's there's many clocks to look at. There's the signs of the times of His return. And there's the times for me to manage and I can't stand using that word because that that's talking about networking and all that and corporate stuff. Being a good steward of your earthly days, being a good steward of your earthly hours, what have I done? Because it comes to this? Am I doing the will of the Father? Am I doing the will of the devil? Am I living for Jesus? Or am I dancing with the devil?
Simon Pinchbeck:That's, and that's it. That's it. That's it. Where's
Reverend Ben Cooper:my time going?
Simon Pinchbeck:Where is it going on? What are you giving to the Lord? And seriously, if you think jumping on social media, talking about nonsense is time given to law, then you're really mistaken as a church, never talk about yourself, you. You go talk about yourself. This way, this phrase all the time, I'm gonna spend time raising my profile, but it's time wasted, my friend is time. It's time that looks at you. Oh, what I
Reverend Ben Cooper:want you to do is to raise my profile. You Smarter yo Jesus.
Simon Pinchbeck:Paul says it. The apostle Paul says
Reverend Ben Cooper:less and less of Facebook, Morrow Vue js don't
Simon Pinchbeck:boast in anything but Christ. Boasting yourself well, look what I've done. But what you know now because you've done nothing.
Reverend Ben Cooper:That's right. So you talked about socials, as a church with social networks and all that hours and hours is spent on and setting up and using social media. Yeah, you think of the hours of that just just as in the church movement, but then you've got certain ministers and people that we're all familiar with, to add more platforms than then then you can count they've got this platform for that they've got that platform. So how many hours are given over to social media, by ministers of the gospel are then employ
Simon Pinchbeck:a lot of people will employ someone just to do social media money?
Reverend Ben Cooper:And so what's it doing? It's building my profile, it's
Simon Pinchbeck:building all the profile, the ministry, which,
Reverend Ben Cooper:where's Jesus? Is Jesus across the networks? Or is it all self promote in me,
Simon Pinchbeck:Psalm 3115 says, My times, my times are in your hands, well, then, if I call that
Reverend Ben Cooper:that's the debtor. So that comes down to surrender. So when you when we talk about repentance and surrender, surrender is surrendering your life and your time. When you surrender your life and your time, then you say, what is your will and your purpose, when I'm in the will of the Father, I'm in his time, and my time, I have no time. Because all my time is, is for him. Say changes everything.
Simon Pinchbeck:When you're a citizen of the kingdom, then all your time should be for Christ
Reverend Ben Cooper:for Christ. And that's not talking about being in the prayer closet. It's talking about living for Jesus, living your whole life, my whole life, every second, every heartbeat. We have threescore years and 10, whatever that may be on this earth. However, God's grace is upon us. But we are going to be somewhere for eternity. Where time does not exist. Time only exists on this earth.
Simon Pinchbeck:Because the Bible tells because it's physically Styrofoam doesn't use a lot in it. But in
Reverend Ben Cooper:the kingdom, when when the breath has been taken out of my body where my last I was with someone yesterday that died yesterday. And you're watched it, watch, watch the person go watch a person go, their last breath on Earth, think about that last, you will never ever breathe again in that physical body. You will never ever your heart will never pump again. For all of eternity
Simon Pinchbeck:was sobering thought is you got to think about that to brainwash to jolt you back,
Reverend Ben Cooper:but he's lost breath for ever and ever and ever. He will never ever be physically alive again. His heart stopped like that.
Simon Pinchbeck:And he's finished and his last breath he didn't say to you I'm pleased and put that double glazing in Delhi. Now I'm pleased not at all. I'm pleased we we had that new kitchen put in Delhi
Reverend Ben Cooper:because what's interesting, a lot of your last breaths you're not even conscious about your last breaths. So you're off you've done it before Yeah. So you are you are not engaging in the world. So people are looking at you and watching you. So you're not even communicating with society in the world. You're not sitting there speaking when in suddenly gone Bosch unless you have an aneurysm or are different but the world in where I work. There is a preparation of where the conversation drops off. Yeah, and that person still might be alive for Two free weeks, a few that whatever that may be. So you are looking at a human being that their physical strength has gone, time is erased,
Simon Pinchbeck:it's gone, it's gone. Wherever, whatever they've done, they've done,
Reverend Ben Cooper:they've done it, you've never done so that that time is gone. So now you're watching their breath, their heart, their physical, just pumping, breaths, lungs, breath, shortening. The yesterday, yesterday, I watched 1000 times I've seen it. But sometimes you think to yourself, can't buy he can't buy a heartbeat. You can't buy the richest person in the world. Look at look at Queen Elizabeth. She was the most famous person on the earth at this time. Everything that she had accomplished. But you watch that loan stretch, where she was just in the casket. Whatever way you look at it, respectfully as we do. You can't buy it. No matter how rich you are. You can't buy a
Simon Pinchbeck:Harco by another heartbeat. You can't buy another second. And the scientists, the scientists can't give you
Reverend Ben Cooper:it. No one can give you life. So time is in his hands. Time doesn't belong to us. You know, we're wasting it.
Simon Pinchbeck:If you work, if you work in the corporate world, get a lot aid maybe two, three weeks holiday month if you're lucky a year. Yeah. And if you don't take all of it, sometimes you can take those days over you just not not that in, in the light in your life. You can't take anything over. You can't say, oh, I haven't used the seconds today. Lord, can I add them to tomorrow? No,
Reverend Ben Cooper:because it's not on the phone network. So it rolls over. But what we do in this life, you know, in that famous quote from the Gladiator, but you know, what we do in this life will echo for eternity. This is true, isn't it? So what we do in this live echoes for eternity. And eternity is you can't get your head around this. We spoke about it last week. You just can't get your head around if infinity internally doesn't exist, because the Bible clearly tells us you know, a day is like 1000 years to the Lord so it can't comprehend or comprehend the human being. And I love that we've read that text today because it talks about the human race and we have to remember, we are human beings. We are not what a lot of preachers say we are not super gods, little gods. They are the human race. Please
Simon Pinchbeck:listen to what Ben says because,
Reverend Ben Cooper:you know we there's a lot of preacher out there that yeah, we are little gods. And that's robbing you of time. It's robbing you of time because it's making you think that you're a little God. When the Bible says in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 10, I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. We are the human race, we're from the duck and we are going to return to the dust of the earth.
Simon Pinchbeck:And you know, the massive thing is that when Jesus came he was fully human. So he is exactly the same. Yes struggle struggles that we've gone through. He had exactly the same time as what we had. And he knew what his destiny is. And he said this in John nine four he said, I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day, the night is coming when no one can work as long as I am in the world. I am the light of the world. So he's even appreciated. That is time
Reverend Ben Cooper:this time was was short was short. And there was a time a ministry time a youth time a son time so his time wasn't all ministry was a thing what he had done in three and a half four years ministry what he had done he didn't build his profile so we're joking it really what we're doing a day ladies and gentlemen is encouraging you to look at the time that's been given to you and there's you I love this quote he says he said it's not the days in your life but the life in your days wow so so that's great is to live in your days don't just waste his time and alleys you know, me and Ben across the table you know, and we've we've spoken about it on the on the preamble or whatever but we both wasted a lot. Ah god oh the chasing
Simon Pinchbeck:faults stones and chasing down different things. Watching different things rabbit times rabbit holes. Yeah, don't it's time. Today is the day we are so there is no more time. There is no more time left.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Live as if there's no time but live it for Jesus Christ.
Simon Pinchbeck:Get your life through law today. Get it today, you know and
Reverend Ben Cooper:die to yourself. And then you die to the clock. You die to the pressures of the world die to self and live for Jesus Christ wherever you are this morning. You know what I'm going to say? We're out of time. Let's get out of it. Got some phone calls to answer.
Simon Pinchbeck:I've got some, I've got some box sets to work, I got some
Reverend Ben Cooper:listen to my friend sample time.
Simon Pinchbeck:It's, it's a classic example of time is, is up on a podcast. We'd encourage you to use your time very wisely. And to put God first to give him the time that he deserves. We pray that right and you and we pray that your name is written in the Lamb's book of life. And we pray that now is the day. Now is the day you know it. There's a famous quote and it says seize the day. Seize the day, seize the day, seize the time, do not put off today, what you can do tomorrow.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Anyway, on that note, we have been in 51 minutes, 13 seconds we are out of here. God bless you wherever you are across the beautiful earth that God has brought into being into existence by the power of the spoken word. You've been listening to Simon and myself this morning. And whenever you capture this back across the socials when you capture this back across Spotify, I Heart Radio, we thank you so much from the bottom of our heart for you taking time out and listening to this stuff so that that means a lot to us because you've taken time out to listen to this sort of stuff. Have a great day in the mighty name of Jesus. God bless you. In his name, amen. Amen.