By R.A. Weigel
The amount of time you have is what you have and that’s really not going to change. You can increase or decrease many things in life… but time is a constant. You have only as much or as little time as everyone else therefore you best steward it well before it’s gone.
God owns time. God had a plan for everything before time began which is proof he invented time. Part of that plan was to graciously give you to have a certain amount of it to do things that prepare you for eternity and do what HE wants done on this earth. God has given you a certain amount to steward but how you decide to steward that time, what you’re going to do with it, well, that’s your option. If you want to use time well or use it stupidly, it’s still your option. However, you should consider this important perspective. The time given you to steward is similar to the parable Jesus told about the man who loaned money to his three servants to use wisely. (Matthew 25:14-30) Do you remember what he said to the servant who didn’t invest wisely? Think about that as you determine how you’re going to steward the time that the Lord has given you.
- 1 Corinthians 2:7 (NIV) – No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
There can be no mistake in telling you that God expects you to redeem your time as carefully and wisely as possible. Throughout history, God’s people are called to live carefully, redeeming the time because the days are evil.
- Ephesians 5:15-17 (KJV) – See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
The Greek word for “redeeming the time,” is “exagorazomenoi.” It literally means to buy up, ransom, or to rescue from loss. To ransom time means to free it from the captivity of the devil’s options and distractions. To rescue time is to free it from confinement or remove it from the custody of evil. So, here’s the bottom line. As a Christian, you’re called to rescue time from that “thief of time.” The devil consistently wants to you to waste time as he orchestrates the things of the world to steal your time. God wants you to ransom or free your time from the captivity of the devil, essentially making time stewardship a command by God to take back what he gave you to steward.
Time is the only commodity we deal with which cannot be counterfeited, stolen or placed in inventory. Remember, time is irreplaceable. ~ Zig Zigler
The first step toward redeeming your time is to change the way you think about it. That includes what you say about it. If you keep confessing that you don’t have the time for something, then congratulations… you’ve fulfilled your own destiny. Stop saying you don’t “have” time and start by saying you “didn’t make the time.” Time stewardship is a choice so be honest about your time.
Passion and Time are Related.
What’s your passion? What are some of the things that are the most important for you. What you’re passionate about are, in general, things you can’t imagine NOT doing, thinking about, or working on. I believe that God creates a unique passion in everyone who puts him first and who truly seek the Kingdom of God over the things of this world. John Wesley said, “Set yourself on fire with passion, and people will come from miles to watch you burn.” Rick Warren said, “Passion drives perfection” and John Maxwell said, “A great Christian leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from godly passion, not position.” When you’re working toward a godly passion, you’ll use your time wisely. When you’re working against a godly passion, you’ll find time slipping away without purpose.
“At the end of our lives, our greatest regrets will be the God-ordained opportunities we left on the table, the God-given passions we didn’t pursue, and the God-sized dreams we didn’t go after because we let fear dictate our decisions. Most people believe God is real, but few people actually live like it. The result is a widening gap between their theology and their reality. They allow their circumstances to get between them and God instead of letting God get between them and their circumstances.” ~ Mark Batterson
God designed passions within you for a purpose that uniquely belongs to you – for his glory. What you decide to do about what God created within you is your choice. However, when you are living your life based upon God’s design, a godly passion, that’s when you’re going to find that you’re using your time well. That’s when you’ll understand how to steward your time and get more done within the time God has graciously given you to steward. That’s when the Lord God will say to you, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23)
Make An Impact
God wants you to make an impact during your life. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6) Making an impact can be defined several ways but at its core, it’s about doing more than the norm of the people who live for the world’s false values. A phrase that I’ve used when working with other believers is, “Christ in you is a reason to do more… not an excuse to do less.” Making an impact means looking at the world around you and making a purposeful decision that there is an area, (or a few areas), of life where your godly passion plus your God-given talents can have a powerful effect, influence others, contribute a better solution, make something of greater value, change things to a better direction, or build something with godly significance.
Adding your Godly Passion to your God-given Talents, then adding a Purposeful Decision to make an Impact – Equates to using your time more effectively and getting a lot more done with the time that the Lord has given you to Steward. In other words:
Passion + Talents + Impact = Time Stewardship
When you’re living your Passion you’ll focus your time on what IS and what IS NOT important. When you’re living your Talents you’ll be competent in your work. When you’ve decided where you’re going to focus your Impact, you’ll consistently make a positive difference. Time Stewardship increases your capacity to do God’s will while preparing you for the Christ’s return.
The problem of time management is first and foremost a spiritual problem, well before it becomes a physical problem, and that’s why you must approach it as time stewardship, the gift of time given to you by God for purposes that align with his purpose.
Time Stewardship and Tithing
Time stewardship is similar to financial stewardship in several ways. Now… don’t take that too far. Financial stewardship revolves around tithing and tithing is not a game where you spin the wheel and expect some huge return or get tit for tat. Tithing, (Malachi 3:10), is an expectation from God because, like time, you don’t really own anything. You certainly can’t take it with you when you die. So, consider this. God made mankind for a reason. Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it – to steward it. They never owned it. Mankind was an oversee or God’s creation then – and now.
- Genesis 2:15 (NLT) – The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
Consider the phrase “time is money.” Perhaps it’s time, (excuse the pun), that you to look at “time” as more than just something measured by a clock or calendar. Time has an equivalency to substance, money, income, value, capital, payment, restitution, energy, or something of great worth. Once you begin to see “time” as something other than a temporal commodity, the law of giving and receiving begins to take on a much broader understanding.
Jesus introduced the law of giving and receiving when he said, “For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give—large or small—will be used to measure what is given back to you.” (Luke 6:38) Since Jesus NEVER told a lie, perhaps it’s time for you to consider what, where, how, and to whom you give some of your time. What are you doing with your time? How are you investing it? How are you spending it? How much of it are you giving back to the Lord? What will you say to Jesus when you’re standing before him at the “end of time”, and he asks you how you invested the time that the Lord has given to you? Wouldn’t you want the “master” to say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23)
Therefore, before you decide to spend time focusing on work or other pursuits, first and foremost, invest some time with God. Don’t skimp on that! Take time each day for prayer, reading your Bible, and asking God for his help and direction. God can help you to effectively invest, spend, allocate, or contribute your time, but not if you don’t have a relationship with him.
Practically speaking, pray over your calendar. Ask God to give you insights and bless how you want to steward your time. Pray for the people you’re going to meet, talk to, and work with. Pray for each event, meeting, action, and activity. Ask the Lord to help you to be with the right people at the right time for the right reasons. Ask for the Lord’s help, intervention, encouragement, guidance, words to say, and especially – how much time to invest in each event, person, and task.
There are many articles and research reports about how to manage time and how pushing yourself to use time badly causes stress, illness, mental problems, being overwhelmed, social problems, forgetfulness, ineffectiveness, and more. When you use time badly you hurt yourself, your family, your organization, AND your relationship with God. So, stop putting God last in your time investment and start putting him first. Today is a good day to stop wasting time on foolish things and instead, start investing your time as the spiritual warrior that God has called you to be.
If you believe you’ve been called by God to write… then not doing anything less is disobedience. If writing is your Passion, then you need to write in order feel complete. If you’ve the Talent to write, then ignoring your talent is ignoring how God made you unique. If your writing can have an Impact, then orchestrating time to write is an essential part of Stewarding what the Lord has given you to Steward. For everything in your life there is a season and I believe you’re reading this today because this is your season for you to write for God’s glory.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (TLB) – There is a right time for everything: A time to be born; A time to die; A time to plant; A time to harvest; A time to kill; A time to heal; A time to destroy; A time to rebuild; A time to cry; A time to laugh; A time to grieve; A time to dance; A time for scattering stones; A time for gathering stones; A time to hug; A time not to hug; A time to find; A time to lose; A time for keeping; A time for throwing away; A time to tear; A time to repair; A time to be quiet; A time to speak up; A time for loving; A time for hating; A time for war; A time for peace.
Stop taking the time of your life for granted.
The time you have is a gift from God that He expects you to steward wisely.
