EPHESIANS 5:15-16 – Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
THEME OF THE DAY. THE USE OF TIME AND WHAT IT REVEALS. It is that time of the year when the topic of time likely gets more attention than normal. There was the hype around Times Square and the dropping of the ball bringing in the new year. Honestly, I never saw what was such a big deal about that. We also enter that season of making New Year resolutions which always involves the use of time. So, since time is in the forefront of the minds of a lot of folks, I want to enter the crowd and write about time.
When it comes to the precious gifts God gives us, obviously His Son, the Lord Jesus, and our salvation top the list. But what would be right up there afterwards? Maybe even making number two on the list. I wouldn’t hesitate to say “time” – the gift of 168 hours a week our Creator and Redeemer has bestowed upon each of us. And here is my reason for putting time number two. If we want to maintain healthy bodies, we need exercise and that requires time given to it. If we want to build healthy family relationships, we need to give the time for communication and involvement with one another. If we want to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus, we need to give the time in Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers for this pursuit. If we want to be proficient in our jobs, we need to give the time for professional development. Get the obvious picture? Anything achieved in this physical world, as well as the spiritual, demands the proper discipline and use of time. And yet, all of us squander it. All of misuse it in direct violation of today’s scripture.
As important as time is, we waste a lot of it on the trivial and passing, not the serious and eternal. Let me suggest an exercise to prove my last statement. Take a week and chart out every hour of every day. Log sleep, personal care like hygiene and eating. Be specific and account for all 168 hours of our week. After the week comes to an end, sit back and add up all the “waste” that really did exist. It will be a lot. Fifteen minutes here, thirty minutes here, and soon, we will see how much time we wasted on things that just didn’t matter. And as we do this, keep a detailed journal of the amount of time we gave over of the 168 hours to what really matters; the spiritual and eternal – being in God’s Word, prayer, ministering to other believers, reaching out to unsaved people as a friend of sinners like Jesus, and investing in the spiritual growth of family members. I do hope the spiritual part of our week wasn’t short-changed with only an hour or so for the entire week.
As we consider today’s scripture and its application, the Apostle Paul told us to “make the best use of time.” Think on that. And do so because of this . . . How we use our time tells us a lot about what is most important in our lives and has the tightest hold on our affections—this world or the next.
PRAYER: “Father, help me not to squander the most precious gift You have given apart from salvation – my time.”
QUOTE: “How we use our time tells us a lot about what is most important in our lives and grips our hearts the tightest.”