Devotional: Making the Most of Our Time
"So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
-Psalm 90:12
There is one thing that we can’t get back– time. Once that moment is gone, it’s gone forever. Proverbs 27:1 says, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” With that understanding, we can’t rely on “tomorrow” or the future, but rather, we should focus on the present and what God has given us for today. “Numbering our days” means recognizing our mortality and finite life on earth. When we are able to recognize this, we can make wise decisions in our day-to-day life that glorify God and please Him.
The hedonistic world recognizes our mortality too, but their solution is to do what your heart desires. Their mantra is to do what pleases yourself. Their answer is self-oriented, but God’s answer to our earthly mortality is God-oriented and others-oriented. Jesus said that the greatest commandments are to love God and to love others as yourself and that’s what our focus should be when it comes to numbering our days.
Have you ever realized that when you serve and help others, it actually makes you feel good? Pouring out service to others satisfies our needs too. It gives us purpose and meaning because we are wired by God to be contributors. We all have God-given traits where we excel and the question to ask ourselves is how can we use them to glorify God the most?
Read this whole parable from Luke 19:11-27, known as the Parable of the Minas (“Minas” were a unit of weight for silver or gold)
“11 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. 12 Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’
15 “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ 19 Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’
20 “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. 21 For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’
24 “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’ 25 (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) 26 ‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27 But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’”
The lesson from this parable is “what are you going to do with what God has given you?” We are all allotted a finite number of days until death meets us (or we are raptured up by the Lord). We don’t know the exact quantity of days we have, but we do know that we are called to be faithful with what Christ has given us and He WILL hold us accountable. We can choose to be the faithful servant by taking action, or we can choose to be the faithless servant by hiding away in fear and laziness.
Sometimes we feel stuck because we don’t know our gifts or how we can serve others. We feel inadequate and mope about our failures. When you are in that rut, remember that above everything else, God simply wants your heart. Spend time with Him. Let Him satisfy your emptiness, then ask Him to open doors for you to be faithful in service.
Here are steps to take action and make the best use of your time:
1. Love God
Read the Bible; study it. Meditate on Scripture. Pray. Worship! If you do these things, your time will never be wasted.
2. Love others
Volunteer. Be available for the people in your life. Offer your help. Pray for people. Be friendly. When you spend time with God, the overflow of His love will pour out naturally. It is harder to give to others when you aren’t filled up first.
3. Share the gospel
Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples. Go share the gospel with someone. Invest in a younger Christian in your life to disciple and help them grow in their walk with God.
4. Figure out your gifts
What are your skills? What do you enjoy doing? Read Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. Within those lists, which spiritual gift or gifts God has given you?
5. Fix your eyes on things above
When we keep our perspective on eternity with God, it helps us remember that every material thing on this earth is fleeting. It helps us to let go of our selfish desires and focus more on becoming like Jesus.
Ultimately, “whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17)
Take a moment:
Do you spend your time focusing on how to make your life the best? Or do you spend your time focusing on God and how to serve others?
Write down how you spend your time on an average day. What are some areas where you notice that it might be “wasted?” What could you do with that time instead?
If you were to die today, would you be remembered as someone who loved God or someone who loved their own life too much?
Using your time to bring the most glory to God, not to yourself, is what it means to live by faith.
-Alina