A Time

Ecclesiastes 3:17

I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

Thirty-one times in ten verses, you see the phrase, a time. The importance of time can never be overemphasized. Time is here, and then it is gone, and once it is gone, you can never take it back. Therefore, it is wise to use time wisely, as we can never get back the time that is gone.

Being a steward of your time is essential to making the most of your life. God says in Psalm 90:10, The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Notice that man has seventy years to live, and if our health allows, God gives us eighty years. When you consider seventy years to live, we only have twenty-five thousand, five hundred and fifty days to live. God says those days fly away, which means they pass by quickly. As you grow older, you realize that time is fleeting, which means we must make the most of the time God has given us to live on this earth. Let me share some things you ought to do to make the most of your time.

First, don't waste time on unproductive actions. Recent data says the average person spends thirty-six days a year on social media. Think about that! Thirty-six days are spent doing nothing but browsing something that will do nothing for you but pollute your mind with junk. If you convert that into years, we spend 6.9 years browsing social media in our lifetime. What a waste of God’s time He has given us! Imagine how much you could do with those thirty-six days a year if you gave them to God. Social media is just one area where we waste our time with unproductive actions. Because time is short, you ought to guard your time so that you don't allow unproductive things to waste your time.

Second, establish routines that will keep you doing what you are supposed to do for God. Routines help you to stay scheduled in your life. Set daily and spiritual routines. Let those routines dictate your daily time so that it is not wasted on the unproductive.

Third, spend your time on those things that are productive and that will last for an eternity. Time is short; therefore, to make the most of your time on earth, use your time to be productive in doing what God’s will is for your life. Ask yourself about everything you do; is this productive for the cause of Christ?

Fourth, don't put off until tomorrow something that you can do today. Procrastination has wasted many lives. If something is worthy of doing, do it now. Everything you put off until tomorrow will likely never get done. The best way to make life productive is to do today those things that you want to put off until tomorrow. You will find that when tomorrow becomes today, you will have time to be productive if you don't have to do yesterday’s tasks today.

Fifth, give your life to God now; you are not promised a tomorrow. Life is short, and the only time you have to give to God is today. Don't waste today in sin, worldly living or unproductive actions; you can never undo the time wasted or the time in sin. If you live your life for God daily, you will look back one day and thank God that your life on this earth counted for eternity. Time is a gift from God; use it for Him, and you will make the most of your life.