Time’s A-Wastin’

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,  addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:15-21 ESV)

Do you find yourself discouraged at work? Deflated or distracted in life? When we don’t understand what God’s will is in our every day, it’s so easy to lose sight and to waste time.

We waste time by palliating ourselves with screens or other distractions. Hours binge-watching seasons of television or scrolling through feeds of social media melt hours away so effortlessly. At work, we might feel like we’ve done our job, but we might walk away from the day feeling unfulfilled or unsure if we gave 100%.

Paul says it like this to the Ephesians in verses 15 through 17, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of this Lord is.” (emphasis added)

When we understand why God has us doing what we’re doing or being where we are, we become energized with a sense of mission and purpose.

We are to spend our time investigating, praying, searching to see what God is up to in our work, in our relationships, in our children, church, friends and communities.

We can ask ourselves:

What are You up to here with this person, group or workplace?

What would Jesus want me to do with this person or place?

What would bring God the most glory and respect in this situation?

And when we continue to ask these questions or look for God’s desires in our everyday lives, we should be responding to Him, “I get it, I understand.”

Remember the Wheel of Spiritual Formation we learned about last week?

These spiritual disciplines help us develop a new “sight.” A desire to look for God’s will in situations and the courage to execute it.

So when we don’t live with this mission to understand God’s will in mind, time becomes something we use. A thing we consume for our own benefit.

That’s why Paul says to “look carefully then how you walk.”

Time is not something to be killed, wasted, or squandered.

Time is a gift. 

Time is God’s possession. 

Time is holy.

“Now what was the first holy object in the history of the world? Was it a mountain? Was it an altar? The mythical mind would expect after heaven and earth have been established, God would create a holy place—a holy mountain or a holy spring—whereupon a sanctuary is to be established. Yet it seems as if to the Bible it is holiness in time, the Sabbath, which comes first. When history began, there was only one holiness in the world, holiness in time.” — Abraham J. Heschel, The Sabbath

There is an illustration for parents called, “One Marble At A Time,” that illustrates time this way: Imagine if you were to take out a marble each week for the 18 years of your child’s life.

“Marbles displayed in the container is a visual reminder to keep playing for keeps. Because, when you see how much time you have left, you tend to do more with the time you have now.” (An excerpt from the website, TheParentCue.org)

Are you looking to understand what God is up to with your child at this stage of life?

Are you making the best use of time with your children?

You can listen to the sermon Time’s A-Wastin’ from the Ephesians series that inspired this post here. 

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