A Steward of Time

Facts of Time

Did you know the average man today in the United States lives to be about 77 years old? Let me break that down for you. 77 years is equal to 28,105 days. 28,105 days is equal to 674,520 hours. 674,520 hours is equal to 40,471,200 minutes. This fact rocked me because how many of those minutes have I spent getting mad at someone because they said something mean to me? How many of those hours have I wasted playing a video game that didn’t matter? How many of those hours have I spent wasted when I could have been advancing the Kingdom? Does anyone else feel this way? Today we’re going to see what the Bible says about time.

A Time for Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1–15 NLT

1 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. 2 A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. 3 A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. 4 A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. 5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. 6 A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. 7 A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. 8 A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. 9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. 14 And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him. 15 What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.

A couple of things to note here.

Solomon never says that time is wasted. We may see time as wasted, but God doesn’t. When you “waste your time”, you’re doing so because you choose to. The Hebrew word for activity in verse one is pronounced “heh fits” and it means to take pleasure or delight in, desire, or to be willing. Let me give you a couple of examples. Maybe you like watching movies on your tablet or sleeping all the time. Let me be very clear, those things aren’t bad when done wisely, but too much of anything but Jesus can be harmful in one way or another, including to your faith.

Another thing to notice here is that are 7 pairs that Solomon lists. 7, if you don’t know, is the number of completeness. God created the world in 7 days etc. What also is interesting about this list also is that it starts with two things with which we have zero control over and ends with things we have very little control over. This reiterates the fact that you can’t control what people do to you, but you can control how you respond to people.

Use Your Time Wisely Fulfill Your Purpose

Ephesians 2:10 NLT

10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

God has created us to participate in his grand plan for creation. He doesn’t need us…but He wants us! Doesn’t it feel good to be wanted? Some of us were the last one picked for kickball. Some of us have been thrown out like garbage because of the things we’ve done. Let me encourage you today. God has not thrown you out. He has not abandoned or forsaken you! God has instead said this “Give me the worst of the worst and I’ll show you what I can do with them.” To give you a couple of examples. David was a womanizer and a murderer, but God called him a man after His own heart. Abraham was a habitual liar, but God called him the father of many nations. Why did this happen? Because David and Abraham obeyed, followed God wherever told them to go, and used every minute they could to advance God’s kingdom. You have been given a specific task by God. Its up to you to pray and find out what that is and focus your time and effort on it. I can’t tell you what your specific task is, but I can tell you we all have one task in common.

Matthew 28:18–20 NLT

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

All of us have been given the task to make disciples. Take note here. Verse 19 says go and make disciples of all the nations when you get out of prison. Let me try again. Go and make disciples of everyone except those in your dorm. Guys, you could start this as soon as you leave here! I’m not saying its easy, but how many times have we seen references to sowing and reaping in the New Testament? Does the farmer throw out the seed, wait one day and say “Well crap, guess I better move onto another field.” Absolutely not. He stays there working on the field day after day, month after month and waits. He waits patiently and when the time is right, a crop grows and he harvests from it. What I’m trying to tell you is, if God is calling you to minister to an individual in your dorm, don’t give up on them. If God has put someone on your heart for you to lead them to Him, you should get excited that the King of Kings chose you for such a task! You get to lead someone to the door of eternal salvation!!!

Time is Running Out

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 NLT

13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

So if you’re wondering how Solomon wraps up the book of Ecclesiastes, thats it. Life is as simple as this. Fear God, obey His commands. This is everyones duty. Jesus told us the two greatest commandments in order are: Love God, Love people.

2 Timothy 2:15–16 NLT

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior.

1 Corinthians 9:25–27 NLT

All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

Revelation 22:12–13 NLT

“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

How are you going to use your time? Are you going to use it wisely or are you going to waste it? Each of us has an allotted amount of time on this Earth and what we do with it will depend on our priorities. Where do your priorities lie? Look at what you spend your time on and you’ll know. I’ll leave you with this. One of the greatest theologians of all time said this. “Show me where a man spends his time & money, and I'll show you his god.” - Martin Luther