The Spiritual Disciplines: Stewardship/The
Wise Use of Time
Time is one of the most
valuable resources God has entrusted to our care; it can’t be replaced,
replenished, or relived. Each of us has a finite amount of time in our earthly
life, and how much we will have to work with and when our life will come to an
end is in God’s hands. We are stewards of our time and should use it wisely, as
we will be asked to give account of how we managed what was put into our care,
including our time. As the apostle Paul wrote, each of us will give an
account of himself to God.[1]
Before going further,
let me clarify that when I'm speaking of the proper use of time in the context
of the Spiritual Discipline of stewardship, it should be understood as using it
in alignment with God’s nature and character and according to His will, for His
glory. It’s not limited to only doing things that are directly linked to your
relationship with and service to the Lord, such as prayer, witnessing, etc. For
example, we sometimes spend it on entertainment or relaxation.
Taking time to rest and
relax is in alignment with God’s will, as seen by His commanding a day of rest.
Some may feel as if the time spent working at a job is wasted, when they would
prefer to use that time in more visible service to God. But working to provide
for yourself and your family is in alignment with God’s nature and will, and
when committed to God, is part of your service to God. While taking time to
read God’s Word and pray is important, so are the everyday necessities of life
such as cooking, cleaning house, changing diapers, and caring for your family.
Our lives call for a balanced use of time, and it’s in that context that we are
talking about the use of time as part of stewardship.
Perspective and Eternity
In every calendar year
we live, we are graciously given 8,760 hours[2] by
our Creator. It is our responsibility to use them wisely and to make the most
of them.[3] Unfortunately,
it’s easy to waste time and fritter it away. Using it wisely requires
discipline and sacrifice, as mountains of time management books have expressed
over and over again. Decisions need to be made to forgo spending time on
something we like doing and want to do, and instead using it for the purpose of
improving in some area or working toward goals. Disciplined time management is
needed in any area of life we hope to move forward in, including growing in
godliness and becoming more like Jesus.
A key to understanding
the importance of using our time for godly purposes is recognizing that this
life is where we prepare for eternity. We know this holds true when it comes to
salvation, as one’s acceptance or rejection of Jesus affects one’s eternity. In
addition, how we live and what we do or don’t do in this life plays a role in
our eternity. It doesn’t determine our salvation, but Scripture says that it
does affect the rewards we will receive in the afterlife. Paul addressed this
when he wrote about building our lives on Jesus as the foundation:
For
no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will
disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what
sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the
foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he
will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.[4]
It is worthwhile to
invest in godly pursuits, in following God’s will for us, in drawing closer to
the Lord. Of course, these aren’t the only things that it is important to
devote time to, but they are things that can easily be overlooked within the
busy lives we lead. Constantly putting off spending time in prayer, reading
God's Word, and other activities which strengthen our faith and bring godliness
into our lives can easily result in not doing them at all, because the time we
thought we would have to do them later turns out to have been spent doing
something else.
None of us know when our
lives will be over. As James wrote:
You do
not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that
appears for a little while and then vanishes.[5]
Our times are in God’s
hands,[6] and
while it’s wise to plan as if we are going to live a long life, it’s also wise
to use our time for the purpose of godliness as though it were uncertain that
we will live tomorrow.[7] Today
is the day to do God’s will, to make good decisions, to be generous, to share
His love with another, to pray for someone, to help the poor, to visit the
sick, to spend time in prayer and adoration, to be Jesus for someone.
Since what we do with
our time matters both in this life and in the life to come, how we use each day
counts. Properly managing the time we are given by God in a manner that helps
us accomplish our goals, while allowing us to have a proper balance in our
work, recreation, family life, and faith life, is an important part of our life
on earth. The “right now” of every day is time that God has graciously given
us, and we should value it deeply. When your time on earth is finished, will
you be happy with how you used this precious gift God put into your hands, or
will you have regrets?
Francis Chan uses a
classic illustration about the time we have in our lives in relation to the
eternity we have before us. He lays down a rope that looks about 30 feet (10
meters) long, and at one end three inches (8 centimeters) of it are painted
red. He makes the point that so many of us are overly focused on the three red
inches—our comfort, our status, the inch or so that is left of our life—yet we
ignore the rest of the rope, which represents eternity.
Of course, the three
inches which represent our lives on earth are important. God
has given us life and time on this earth with the expectation that we will live
it to the full and enjoy the life He has given us, in alignment with His nature
and character, and that we will glorify Him in the lives we lead and leave the
world a little better because of how we lived. However, those three inches
don’t represent our entire existence. There is more to life beyond that, and
being mindful of that fact should cause us to consider how we invest our time
and where we place our values. You can watch Chan’s impressive illustrationhere.
Values and Commitment
Wisely investing in the
present as well as eternity means investing time in things that are important
in this life and also have value in the next. That includes such things as
taking care of your family, teaching your children to live in accordance with
God’s attributes, nurturing your relationship with your spouse, learning new
things, cultivating friendships, caring for those in need, sharing God’s love
and salvation with others, being kind and generous, being mindful of the
environment, and being a good influence in your community. In short, investing
your time wisely means living life in a manner that reflects God, that lets
your light shine before others, that has a positive effect on those around you,
and also lays up treasure in heaven.
Living a life that
reflects the Lord would include keeping connected to the Lord through reading,
studying, and applying God’s Word; giving time to prayer, praise, and worship;
sharing the message of salvation with others; managing our finances and
possessions in a godly manner; giving to God and others; sharing what we have
been entrusted with; serving God and others. Each of these activities requires
a commitment of time, and in order to devote the necessary time, it’s necessary
to be disciplined in the use of it.
It takes work,
discipline, and commitment to manage our time, as well as thought, reflection,
planning, and sometimes coaching or help from another person if time management
isn’t one of our strong points. Making the effort can make our lives happier
and more fulfilling. People who are disciplined and organized in how they use
their time are more likely to achieve their goals, and are at the same time
less stressed or flustered than those who don’t do this. Wisely using our time
plays a role in our effectiveness and happiness in this life, and according to
Scripture has an effect on our life to come as well.
Time Management and Balance
If you are willing to
work at using your time more efficiently, as well as cutting out time wasters,
you will gain more time for the things that are valuable to you, such as being
with your loved ones, learning things you’re interested in, and working toward
reaching your personal goals, whether practical or spiritual or both. Effective
time management can also eliminate stress in your life.
There are plenty of
books, websites, courses, and time management tips that you can avail yourself
of to help you use your time wisely. I found it helpful to do an Internet
search on “how to stop wasting time,” which supplied numerous articles on ways
to use my time more efficiently. You may want to do an audit of your time, and
if so, a search for “time audit” will provide some ways to evaluate how you
presently use your time.
We should watch out
about wasting time on activities which either have little or no value, or which
absorb an inordinate amount of time in relation to their value. Some things are
fine in small doses, but can easily encroach on our time if we’re not
disciplined. For example, I really like to watch some TV series. While they
serve as an avenue of relaxation for me, which is a benefit, I can also spend
too much time watching them. Unless I discipline myself and set limits, I could
end up spending many hours on something that has no eternal value—time which
could be put to much better and more godly use. Relaxing and resting is
important, but it’s easy to cross the line from using some time for relaxation
to wasting time on activities that steal hours away from the most useful and
worthwhile endeavors, or even the things that are most personally fulfilling.
In relation to the use
of time as a Spiritual Discipline, it helps to take to heart what the Bible
teaches about the afterlife as a motivator to use the time we are given by God
for godly purposes and to live in accordance with His Word and will. Being good
stewards of the time we have, disciplining ourselves in the use of it, devoting
time to developing and strengthening our spiritual lives and our connection
with God, and avoiding wasting this precious gift, helps us to be productive in
this life and lay up treasures in heaven.[8]By
using your time for godliness, for helping others, for sharing the Gospel, you
will lay up treasure for yourself as a firm foundation for the coming
age, so that you may take hold of the life that is truly life.[9]
Invest your time wisely.
[1] Romans 14:12.
[2] 8,784 hours in a leap year.
[3] Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as
wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil (Ephesians
5:15–16 NAS).
[4] 1 Corinthians 3:11–15.
[5] James 4:14 NIV.
[6] Psalm 31:15.
[7] Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the
Christian Life (Colorado Springs: Navpress, 1991), 135.
[8] Matthew 6:20.
[9] 1 Timothy 6:19, paraphrased.
Copyright © 2014 The
Family International.