I’d like you to imagine with me…that your bank account has just been credited with $1440. And let’s imagine that this happens every single day. No balance is allowed to be carried over from one day to the next. The entire balance is deleted each evening. What would you do?
Hopefully…you’d withdraw the entire amount every day and spend every penny!
I want to encourage you with this thought. You have such a bank. The name of the bank is TIME. Every day…we are credited with 1440 minutes. Every night…what we havent’ used is debited from our account. There are no overdrafts…there is no savings account…there is no setting aside for a rainy day…no going back for a second chance. TIME bank won’t allow you to borrow from tomorrow…and…of course…there are no roll over minutes. You’ve only got access to what’s in your acount TODAY.
Sometimes you’ll hear it said that “TIME is money.” But in reality…time is not money. If you lose money…you can always make it some other way. You can save money. You can borrow money. Whatever time is lost…it’s gone forever. Time…by a long shot…is infinitely more valuable than money will ever be.
Because our time is so valuable…we usually try to SAVE IT and MANAGE it. We save time using microwaves and automatic dishwashers. We take shortcuts. We fly on non-stop flights. We pay other people to do our yard-work, clean our house, or wash our car. We order online…we order fast-food…we drive faster than we should. Did you know there are actually drive through funeral homes? All…in an effort to save TIME.
“Time Management” has become of on the buzzwords of American Culture. Everyone is busy pushing harder…multi-tasking…trying to accomplish more in the same amount of time. We have services…programs…apps on our phones…all to better organize the most valuable asset we have…TIME.
Today…I want to talk with you about the importance of how we use our time…and today my goal is that you will gain: (1) A better appreciation for the time you’ve been given, and (2) A plan for using the time you’ve been given as wisely as possible.
FIRST…let’s make some basic observations about TIME:
TIME is LIMITED.
Time is the distance between two events.
Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed unto men once to die.”
TIME is FLEETING.
Psalm 144:4 - “Man is like a breath, his days like a fleeting shadow.”
You see…time isn’t just limited…it’s running out…it’s passing by.
TIME is EASILY LOST.
TIME can’t be BORROWED.
TIME can’t be STORED. … It can only be consumed!
TIME can’t be STOPPED.
TIME can’t be STRETCHED. (Rubber band)
TIME IS VALUABLE. We need to treasure every moment. And…because TIME is so valuable…we need to use the time we’ve been given wisely.
Ephesians 5:15-17 (NKJV) - “See then that you walk circumspectly (that means…take inventory…take a good hard look at your life…evaluate how you are spending it), not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
It’s interesting that within the covers of the BIble…we don’t find a lot of emphasis on saving time or managing time. Without question…we are all called to be good-stewards of the time God has given us. BUT…we’re called to be more than managers of our time. We are specifically called to REDEEM the time. That’s different than managing it.
Did you know…other than souls…TIME is the only other thing the Bible says can be redeemed? So…what does it mean to REDEEM the TIME?
The original word that is translated “redeeming” in this verse means “to buy up”, “to cash in”, or “to convert.” The word “TIME” is this passage is not the Greek word, “chronos” which referrs to “clock time” or “time that is measurable.” Instead…the word here is “kairos” which refers to “an appointed time” or “a moment of opportunity.”
Other translations of Ephesians 5 word this verse as:
“make the most of each opportunity”
“make the best use of your time, buying up each opportunity.”
We get our word, “opportunity” from the Latin phrase “ob portu”. It was a term used for when a ship had to wait for the tide…before it seized the chance to ride the tide into port. “ob portu”
The thing about Opportunity…is that…it often comes at the most inoppotune times. You see…you very well may be given another 24 hours…but the opportunities you have TODAY may not be there TOMORROW.
Again…we are not called to simply manage the time we have…we’re called to take the time we’ve been given and to REDEEM IT…to convert it into value. WHY? “Because the days are evil.” And…if we aren’t careful of how we redeem our time…it is easy to be led astray.
TIME is God’s gift to you. Don’t just experience each day. Don’t just consume the moments. Redeem them. Your responsiblity as a steward of the TIME you’ve been given…it to cash it in on things that count. And when you and I do that…we end up being blessed in return.
How you spend your days…how you convert the time you’ve been given…what you buy up with your supply of days…how you invest the seconds…determines the significance and the satisfaction of your life.
So…allow me to ask you: What do you believe is the best use of your time? If they were doing a reality show on your life…how would you be spending or redeeming most of your time?
How a person spends their time paints a very clear picture of what they value in life. It says, “These are the things / people I am living for.” It reveals a person’s priorities and it shows were our heart is.
Each of us can look at how we spend our time…and very quickly identify what is important to us. I can say something else…but the calendar…how I allocate the time I’ve been given…never lies. It either validates what I say is most important or it negates it.
TIME FLIES. But…not on autopilot. You are at the controls…you choose how / where you redeem the time you’ve been given.
Each of our lives are filled with opportunities…and knowing that…makes it all the more important that we understand what Paul is expressing in our passage of Scripture.
I believe that in context…Paul is not saying that a person should make the most of “every” opportunity. If you or I did that…we’d be worn out…and you’d be a mess…because not every opportunity that comes your way is a positive opportunity.
Paul is urging us to use the time we’ve been given wisely. The Passion Translation expresses Paul’s petition this way, “Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for His purposes.” Time is only properly redeemed when it is prioritized around the Lord’s purposes.
Example: JUNK DRAWER. In our house…it’s the closest drawer to the garage. It’s got all kinds of things in there. It’s cluttered. Every once and a while…my wife cleans it out…but it doesn’t take very long for it to fill up again. When it does…Jennifer takes out everything that isn’t necessary and only leaves what is important. Sometimes we need to do the same thing with our lives. Sometimes we need to declutter and make sure we are redeeing our time on the things that matter most.
THE THREE WISEST WAYS TO REDEEM YOUR TIME.
( Three areas that when time is invested in…they yield the greatest return )
SPEND MORE TIME WITH GOD
The wisest way to redeem my time is making a decision that God is going to get the first and the best of my time. And in order for that to happen…I have to say “no” to some things so that I can say “yes” to HIM.
Example: While in college…we used to go to Mr. Gatti’s Pizza every Sunday night. I received a letter from my Dad challenging me to get make being involved in the Sunday evening setting at my local church a priority. A had to make a decision how I was going to redeem the time I had. I was super faithful to Mr. Gatti’s…but hadn’t moved my faithfulness to the house of God any further than attending the Sunday morning setting. I made the decision to redeem my time differently and it made all the difference.
Good News Magazine - “As Christians, we are given Biblical priorities, and our time must be carved out to fulfill that calling. When there is a conflict of interest, something must go.”
The problem we often encounter is this: Our lives are busy…cluttered with all kinds of things that use up TIME. Sadly…what frequently happens is…while we declare God is the most important thing in our life…He ends up getting shuffled somewhere down the list and He gets whatever time we have left…if there is any.
I want you to know: It’s okay to have, to do, and enjoy certain things. But…it’s also okay…not to have and to do some of those same things.
This crisis / pandemic has certainly slowed most of us down. I think it’s one of the silver linings. Because…we live in a fast-paced society…that demands our time. It won’t be long and people will be running themselves ragged.
Every day…we must determine that God is going to come first in our daily allotment of 24 hours. God shouldn’t have to compete for your time.
When this is all said and done…you will once again have time for the things that are most important to you. It’s never that TIME won’t permit you to spend more time with GOD. You have as much time as the next person…the question is…how will you redeem it?
C.S. Lewis - “The only thing Christianity cannot be is moderately important.”
Before things get back to “normal”…why not consider a “new normal”? What things do you need to say “no” to…so that you can say “yes” to spending more time with the LORD and on His purposes.
Example: As I began to say “no” to Mr. Gatti’s and began to redeem more of my time on GOD…I grew closer to Him. And…here’s what was so amazing: He made the time I had left accomplish more than it ever had.
If you’ll spend more TIME with GOD…He’ll give you the time of your life!
SPEND MORE TIME ON FAMILY
Maybe you’ve heard about the little boy that asked his dad how much he made per hour and then because his dad was always too busy to play with him…the little boy asked if he could buy a half-hour of his Daddy’s time.
Sometimes because we are so busy…time spent on our family can suffer. Again…I think one of the silver linings of this crisis we find ourselves in…is families are spending much needed time together. It’s almost as though God is using this to give us an opportunity to hit the “reset button” on life.
When this is all over…we must guard against becoming work-a-holics. There will always be something else that needs to be done. Sometimes those things need to wait.
We must be careful that we don’t allow our own “leisure” activities to take the time that would be better redeemed on our family. (golf)
We’ve all said, “Just a minute…” or “In a little while…” Maybe it’s time we make sure we redeem our time more deliberately on our families.
Example: My cousin Brent. Works for Disney. While his kids were growing up…he would have a game night with each kid.
Lee Iacocca - “No matter what you’ve done for yourself or for humanity, if you can’t look back on having given love and attention to your family (both of which take time)…then what have you really accomplished?”
The time for investing in your family is now:
If you don’t invest in your marriage today…you’ll be sorry tomorrow.
Once your kids are grown…you can’t go back and relive their childhood. You can’t go back in time and train them to live Godly lives.
Make sure you aren’t spending all of your time making sure that your family has a great tomorrow at the expense of making sure they have a great today.
Time is limited…and one of the wisest places you can redeem it…is on your family.
SPEND MORE TIME ON OTHERS
I’ll never suggest to anyone that redeeming some time on yourself isn’t important. Even Jesus had to get away. But…Scripture is clear…self…shouldn’t be our focus.
Example: When I was growing up…taking pictures was an ordeal. We’ve been looking through some old pictures recently that were taken when a real camera…rather than a phone. And something struck me…the one taking the picture is never in the photo. The focus is always on others. Today…the “selfie” is king. I even have a “selfie stick”. The selfie makes me the focus.
?We aren’t redeeming our time wisely if we’re preoccupied with self.
Jesus spent most of his time with 12 guys. Two of these guys…James and John…seemed to have been quite concerned with climbing the corporate ladder at JESUS Inc. They wanted the highest position in Jesus’ organizational structure. And Jesus told them how to get there. In Mark 10:43-45 (TPT) , He said, “If you want to be the greatest one, then live as once called to serve others. The path to promotion and prominence comes by having a heart that serves everyone.”
Jesus said that serving others is one of the wisest ways you could ever chose to redeem your time. Serving others…not yourself…is the way to get ahead in His Kingdom.
Life’s camera only has a certain number of pictures that can be taken…we’ve got to take less selfies.
Question: How are you spending the time you have…making a difference in the lives of others? Who in your life could you redeem time serving this week?
CLOSING
If you want to make your life count for something…you need to redeem your time on things that count. What are those things? What are the non-negotiables in your life?
What can you do…starting today…to convert your time into greater value? It could be that you are going to need to alter some choices in order to best redeem your time.
God loves you! He loves you so very much! And He wants you to understand how to use the time you’ve been given…so that you can get the best return on the time you spend.
He’s not trying to keep you from enjoying life…not at all. The opposite is true! He’s the One who wants you to experience life to it’s fullest. He loves you and wants you to understand how to use the time He’s given you to it’s greatest potential. The three wisest ways you could possibly redeem your time is to: (1) SPEND MORE TIME WITH GOD, (2) SPEND MORE TIME ON FAMILY, and (3) SPEND MORE TIME ON OTHERS.
