It is common to hear or use phrases like, “there just isn’t enough time in a day to do everything I need to do.” “I just don’t know where the time goes.” “I’ll try to find time, but I’m hard pressed for time right now.” We view lack of time as an obstacle to accomplishing our goals, but our all-knowing, sovereign God has allotted 24-hour days to each of us because He knows it is enough. So, it’s not busier lives we need. What is needed is a better use of the time we have combined with a biblical standpoint of who we are as Christians, where we are, and why we are here.
Of course, time is a resource and we should not waste the time God has given us. Scripture addresses this issue. The problem we each face is not the amount of time we have each day, but our view of time and life itself and how we use the time we have. As the Eternal One, God is not limited by time as we are. He is sovereign over time. With Him one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day (2 Peter 3:8). He sees the past, present and the future as one. But unlike God, temporal and finite man is confined to 24-hours each day and to a certain number of days in the life which God allots for him. This doesn’t mean that man’s temporal life is meaningless and without eternal ramifications. Nothing can be farther from it. The Bible teaches us that time is a resource and a stewardship for which we are all responsible before God. And if we are not careful, we can fall into the trap which sees time strictly from a standpoint where performance and accomplishments or doing something productive is the all-important goal. When this happens, we lose the capacity to simply enjoy God, people and the life God has given us. Just like everything in life, we need a biblical perspective and balance. Without it we become legalistic.
Being a good steward of the time God gives is not really a matter of guarding the minutes so we can spend our time productively. Certainly, we need to be wise about it but even more important is we need an understanding of time as it is set forth in Scripture in the grand scheme of God’s plan. Again, it is not about getting busier but rather a better use of time combined with a biblical view of our time on earth. We must grasp exactly who we are as Christians (1 Peter1:3-4, 17, 2:11). We are children of God and citizens of heaven who are exiles, sojourners and aliens on earth. The world, on the other hand, lives as earth dwellers who search for their meaning and purpose in life from this world alone. Paul reminds us throughout Romans and Ephesians, we must comprehend exactly where we are. We live in a time described by Paul as an evil age that is hostile to God. Everything in this world is designed to make life in this world our ultimate aim. As Christians, we need to then walk carefully so we do not fall for the lies of the evil one. We live for our heavenly inheritance which is everything our earthly inheritance can never be. We must also realize why we are here. We are here as ambassadors of Christ called to a world-wide mission of making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). We are here to represent the Savior and to bring glory and honor to God.
Spend time this week and read Psalm 90. It is a meditation (vs 1-11) and a prayer (vs 12-17). The prayer flows out of the psalmist’s meditation on God’s greatness and eternality which stands in stark contrast to man’s frailty, sinfulness and temporality. In this psalm, Moses prayed for the practical outcome of his meditation, mainly, that he would have the ability to make the life God has given him more meaningful and that God might confirm or establish the work of his hands. He wanted his life to count for God and that it might have eternal value. An essential part of this was an awareness of the value and purpose of his time on earth. Moses prayed that he might devote himself to bring in a harvest of God’s wisdom so he might live wisely, walk prudently in the light of God’s wisdom.