It is astounding that we are in the full first week of May. Busy calendars, fast-paced days and a constant stream of obligations can cloud our focus on the important things. When life is crowded, it is tempting to sideline our intentional time with God. But this often leads to spiritual drift. Communion with God, daily scripture intake, meditation on His Word and prayer is vital to a healthy spiritual life. Busy days can create somewhat of an ache in the believer. We long for time and deeper communion with the Lord, but our schedules can make us forget. How do we combat this in such a fast paced world? Let’s look to God’s Word for instruction about our time, because many of the Holy Spirit inspired writers advised churches under their care about this very topic. We also see the Psalmist pen down thoughts about passing days. James in his letter makes the statement, “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” The KJV says our life is “even a vapor.” Our lives in the flesh on earth have always passed quickly. Time management is not a new issue. This is why we are thankful for the eternal God who gave us His Word to instruct us.
I. Disciplined Intentional Time
DA Carson in A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers confronts the modern excuse for less time with God because of busyness. A quote from his writing on this topic: “It matters little whether your are the mother of active children who drain away your energy, an important executive, or the pastor of a large church putting in ninety-hour weeks: at the end of the day, if you are too busy to pray, you are too busy. Cut something out.” Carson insists that we do not drift from our communion with God. It must be our plan first to pray and seek Him in His Word. This means centering our day around Biblically saturated lives that include persistent prayer. This is our love for God on display in response to His grace.
Don Whitney in his work Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life gives us great guidance from Ephesians 5:15-16.
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”
His thought on these verses is directed toward discipline in stewardship of our time. Godliness and practical holiness will not just happen on its own. We must be disciplined, especially when the calendar demands we not be. Whitney says it this way, “I’ve never known a man or woman who came to spiritual maturity except through discipline.” The small, intentional, consistent intake of God’s Word will yield dividends in your life now and you are laying up treasure in eternity. Parents, this may look like you sitting down with your family and leading prayer, reading a passage of scripture, or singing worship songs. This will do something powerful in not only your life, but in the life of your family – each time you practice this, you are saying, “Christ is central, not an afterthought.” The late Voddie Baucham wrote in his book Family Driven Faith, that “intentional time in God’s Word with our family will have a greater impact on our spiritual life than any other practice.”
II. Redeem Your Time
Psalm 90:12 gives us a directive for the please from God to shape our hearts in awareness amongst the busyness.
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
This was Moses’ prayer after he reflected on his days beneath the eternal perspective of God. Numbering our days is not to be morbid, but to shepherd us into living with awareness that each and every hour is a gift we have the responsibility of redeeming. Jesus was the prime example for us. Look at his public ministry. Each day was filled with public demands and constant “interruptions.” We may call them interruptions, but God calls them divine appointments. There is a purpose for each encounter we have. How did Christ prepare for these busy days? Mark 1:35 tells us, “Rising very early in the morning while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” If Christ made prayer and time with God a priority, then we should as well.
Now, it is important to note that this is meant to encourage you, reader, not create a guilt centric checklist. The evil days are not only evil through combativeness against God, but also they are difficult because busyness can falsely look like productivity. Things take our affection and attention away from redeeming time. Do we prioritize entertainment and the frivolous for the eternal? Spirit enabled wisdom by His Word teaches us that we must redeem time with an eternal perspective. In there sermon on the mount, Jesus teaches us to “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” There is a danger in substituting the holy with the trivial. Don’t rush devotion to the Lord for snack-sized YouTube clips. Dig into His Word, seek Him in prayer, and build spirit stirring relationships. One of the greatest benefits for the believer is to be in a faith family. The local church is vital to equip us in practical ways to walk, worship and serve. Think about the relationships God has brought into your own life. Who are those relationships that seek to serve with you? Who seek you out to offer encouragement in the Word and through prayer together? Who in your life is hungry for community and communion with God together? Invest there. There will be blessings and eternal benefit. The redemption of that time could be a range from meals to phone calls. AW Tozer wrote, “The man who would truly know God must give time to Him.”
III. Keep Eternal Perspective and Grace-Fueled Hope
Redeeming time flows from gratitude for the Gospel. Christ redeemed the believer from sin and condemnation, ultimately death, and now calls us to life a life in redemption’s view. Now, let’s not go “to the other ditch” on this as well. Legalism will rob your joy of time with God. The mandate is not for us to neglect the blessings and opportunities God gives us to live and enjoy life. The call is to I’ve in the light of the new life God has given you in His son. Not just to have Christ be part of the plan for your life, but to acknowledge He is your life and He is your plan. Time spent seeking the Lord is never wasteful. Seek each opportunity in the good, the difficult, and the mundane to display the glory of God who saved you. This begins by developing a daily rhythm. Do you have a commute to work? Redeem that time. Do you fold laundry at home? Redeem that time. Do you care for small children? Redeem that time. The goal in this is perseverance. This may look like 10 faithful minutes a day. These intimate moments with God, the fellowship He gives us with one another and the corporate gathering of the Saints to worship and sing praises will bring you joy unspeakable. This all part of redeeming time. And the benefit? Joy that is not fleeting or manmade. This joy is spirit fueled sustaining fruit of a heart that belongs to God. Let all that you do be done for the glory of God.
Closing Thoughts
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, press on toward grace by redeeming your time today. The Lord is not impressed by our busyness, but He calls us to faithfulness. The days may be evil, but our God is sufficient and sovereign over all. Open the Word, pray, gather with your family, call the brother or sister in Christ to encourage one another, and press on. God will draw close to us as we draw close to Him. “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” – James 4:8. May we walk wisely and redeem each moment. One day, when we are called home, how sweet and glorious it will be to hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” This is the hope we combat the calendar with. God has given us life, and in Christ he has brought an abundant life now and forevermore.