Teach us to use wisely all the time we have (Psalm 90:12 – Contemporary English Version).
Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16 – Amplified).
My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you (Proverbs 3:1-2).
Someone said that time is life measured out. What we do with our time determines who we are and determines what we allow the Father to do in us and through us. All of us have 168 hours a week to accomplish what we value in life.
For me, I must have time for ministry, for organizational and managerial tasks, and time for personal ministry and staff relations. I must also make time each day for my relationship with the Father and with Jesus through the Word and in prayer. I must also spend time with my wife and children, as well as have time for leisure and hobbies, relaxation and rest. My goal is to include in my everyday the things that I value and that I want to be a part of my tomorrow. So, tomorrow, I want to be close to the Lord, to my wife, and to my children. Tomorrow I want to be healthy mentally, physically, and spiritually. So today, I make sure those values take up a portion of my time.
Time is a commodity that we can’t reclaim once it is wasted. We must take full advantage of each minute of each day. And we must do this in a way that honors God and doesn’t violate His kingdom principles of love, faith, trust, and rest.
To use wisely all the time we have, we can start by tithing a portion of our day to the Father for time in the Word and in prayer. He’s promised us length of days if we will honor the Word! My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you (Proverbs 3:1-2). We can extract more out of each minute, each hour, and each day, and have time to spare if we will allow Him to be our wisdom each day through the Word.
Making a list of necessary priorities for the day keeps us focused on the important, so that the urgent doesn’t move it out of sight. Keeping that list before us is essential to keep our focus on what must be accomplished.
In doing this, we must also make room for the providence of God to override any plans that we make. That causes us to see interruptions to our plans as the plan of God for our life, and that keep our attitude joyful and expectant when what we planned doesn’t happen. Father knows best.
He will show us how to best use our minutes. Phone calls can often be returned in the car on the way to an event. We can listen to the teaching of the Word in the car as we commute. Wonderful times of meditation and prayer can accompany a long commute to work or an appointment. A chapter in a book can be read during lunch. Ask the Father how you can seize each minute and extract blessing out of it!
Let’s give God our best efforts to work with today. Let’s make the most of our 168 hours this week. Let’s carve out of each day the purpose of God for our tomorrows. Time is life measured out!