How to be a good steward of your time
By Stan Toler
You’ve heard of the man bragging to a friend about the great deal he got on his hearing aid. “What kind is it?” The man quickly looked at his watch and replied to his friend, “It’s about Ten Thirty.”
The silly leads to more serious questions. What kind of time do you have? And why is the time of your life included in your overall stewardship, along with your gifts of money and service?
1. The time of your life glorifies God.
Time isn’t really yours. “That’s for sure!” you add. One look at the calendar “pinned” to the refrigerator door with a magnet says at a glance that everyone wants a piece of your time. But the psalmist said, “My times are in your hands.” (Psa. 31:15). The bottom line: God doesn’t want a piece of your time, He wants all of it! Then, in daily meetings with Him, He wants to assign wise portions back to you for the betterment of your soul, your family, your church, and your community.
2. The time of your life builds the Kingdom.
God used intervals of time to reveal His purposeful redemption. Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law.” Likewise, you use your time to reflect His redemption. That lunch appointment, weekly Bible study, or visitation night has a purpose: Kingdom building.
3. The time of your life results in personal and spiritual health.
The Spirit-directed use of time is actually a means of restoration. Careful management of your minutes is a form of ministry—to yourself. The wisdom writer said there is “a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain” (Eccles. 3:5). As you think about your stewardship—the management of God’s resources—don’t forget the time factor. You can have the “time of your life” and honor God in the process.
Copyright © 2012 by Stan A. Toler
All resources on this page are the property of Stan A. Toler. They are available to you free of charge. You may copy and distribute them. However, they may not be altered, transformed, built upon, or used for commercial purposes.