Pay careful attention then, to how you walk-not as unwise people but as wise-making the most of time, because the days are evil. So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.     Ephesians 5:15-17 HCSB

Money and time are two things that once they are gone, we can’t get back. We may earn more money and have more time, but we can’t make up for what we have wasted. There have been many unnecessary purchases I’ve made, and I think back now to how much money I would have if I’d only put that money into a savings account.

I’ve also wasted a great deal of time in my life. I realize how much more peace and joy I would have had if I had not been wasting time. In our Scripture passage today, Paul is encouraging the church at Ephesus to make wise use of their time.

When he says the days are evil, he’s referring to all the things that can consume our time and distract us from the Lord’s work. There are many temptations out there to do what is wrong. We are tempted many times to skip the Bible reading and Bible study and just do something else. Our jobs can even be a distraction. We may pour all of our time into our jobs, forgetting that we have that job because God gave it to us. We often tend to forget that whatever we have we have because of Him. He is in control.

For many years, I was in a stressful job and claimed I just didn’t have time to pray and study my Bible. I didn’t always have time to go to church. When things began to spin out of control, however, I found time. Amazing how that works, isn’t it? I turned to God. I rededicated my life to Him, and suddenly I was able to attend church every Sunday. I had time each day to study the Bible and pray to Him. I had time to develop a close relationship with my Lord and Savior.

I came to realize it wasn’t that I didn’t have time, I just wasn’t making wise use of the time I had. I was allowing the evil in this world to distract me and divert my attention elsewhere.

We are often more mindful of how we spend our money. We are careful not to waste it on frivolous things, but we should be just as careful with our time. None of us knows how much time we actually have.

We go to great lengths to prepare for retirement. We want to be sure we have enough money to live on for the rest of our lives. We want to be sure we have all our bases covered. But do we do this with our time? Do we manage it wisely?

Are we sure we invest enough time to have a close relationship with our Lord and Savior? We are not just planning for retirement; this determines our eternal destination. This determines where we will spend eternity. There are only two choices: heaven or hell. Have you put enough time in with your Savior to assure you will spend eternity with Him in heaven?

Take a moment to think about how you are spending your time. What consumes most of your time? Our Scripture passage tells us to make the most of our time. I have found that when I give God time every day, He works it out, so I have time for everything else I need to do.

Spend your time wisely; none of us knows how much we have.

Have a great day!