Time

Time is the one commodity that you can never regain once you use it.  Making up for lost time is only a delusion.  You can add time to the clock in a football or basketball game, but you cannot add time to the clock of reality.  Therefore, we are instructed to make the most of our time (Ephesians 5:16).  This can be done by walking in wisdom (verse 15). 

Are you making the most of your time?  Activities that kill time or waste time aren’t worth our time.  We should view our time as a gift that God has given us to manage.  Our stewardship of time is just as important as our stewardship of finances.  So how can we make every minute count?

• Evaluate how you currently use your time.  When you track how you spend your time, you are able to easily identify time wasters.  Try it for a week.  Log how much time you spend commuting, working or in class, watching television, exercising, and using technology/social media for activities not associated with work or school.  Track how much time you spend with God in worship and study, time serving the Lord and time with family and friends.  After logging your time for a week, you will be able to see where you need to focus more time and what you need to cut back on or eliminate.
  
• Evaluate potential future uses of your time.  Before adding something to your plate, consider if the activity will really be the best use of your time.  If you make a new commitment, see if there is an existing commitment that needs to be removed from your calendar.  When taking on a new activity, commit for a specified period of time and communicate that to the parties involved.  Some activities are good for a specific season in your life, but should not be lifelong commitments.
  
• Explore opportunities to “steal” time.  Use your commute time to pray (with your eyes open if you are driving), listen to an audio book, or a podcast.  While waiting at the doctor’s office, read scripture instead of picking up the latest issue of a magazine that talks about which celebrities are in rehab or getting divorced.  While you are sitting at your child’s practice, try contacting the people that you have been saying you need to check on.  Make the most out of the time that you spend waiting.
  
• Pray for wisdom.  Each day ask God to give you the wisdom to spend your time how He wants you to spend it.  When you do, God will show you opportunities to make the most of your time.