Be a Wise Steward of the Time Allotted You
Oftentimes, it can seem as if you are living for another day, for a future calendar day, one when an upcoming appointment, a planned journey, a special celebration, or a future purchase will occur. In this way, you live for a future day, and you make plans now, in the present today, that will aid you in the preparation. Maybe
- You are planning for a special destination, so you look for airline tickets now, hoping to buy tickets while the cost of the purchase remains lower. OR
- You are hoping for a healthy body in your elderly year, so you exercise, eat right, keep your mind active now, hoping to ward off dementia, feebleness, and nursing care.
What about the heavenly destination?
What about spiritual health?
Does it really matter that believers are ‘dead to sin,’ and if so, should that alter the way believers live their daily lives?
In his letter to the believers living in the ancient city Ephesus, the apostle Paul addressed this topic, reminding them that how they live their lives reflects who they truly are as Christians, and it affects the witness for Christ they are called to be. To help the church receiving his letter, Paul first reminds them how their sins are illuminated by the light of God.
“But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.
(The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 5: 13-14 NASB)
For this reason, it says,
“Awake, sleeper
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.”
Believers should never sleepwalk.
- Christians should never walk through their days, as if oblivious to the way their lives affect others.
- Followers of Jesus should remember the sacrifice of their Savior and walk with integrity.
When we were children, my brother and I were known to walk in our sleep. I cannot speak for my brother, but I vividly remember waking during the nightwalking, wondering how I arrived at a particular place in the house, not recalling how I arose from the bed, while still fully asleep. As a sleepwalker, I found it amazing how I could go down the stairway, walking from one area of the house to another without the need for a light.
For my younger brother, it was quite fun to lead him around the house, when it was clear that he was walking while in a deep sleep. I would take him from room, allowing him to bump into the doorways, stumble into the walls, and even move about in circles until he fell onto the floor. I suppose one becomes dizzy even while deeply asleep.
- Consider how cruel these actions were to the helpless sleepwalker. AND
- Consider how thoughtless these actions are to the follower of Christ.
Paul tells the believer to “Awake, sleeper And arise from the dead,” reminding those in Ephesus how ”all things become visible when they are exposed by the light [God’s Light], for everything that becomes visible is light.”
Just as it does matter how sleepwalkers remain safe during their night walks, it does matter how believers live their days, while walking through their earthly lives. It does matter how Christians use their time allotted to them, how they do their work, how they interact with others, and how they live Christ-like. Paul reminds the Ephesians (and even believers living today) how they are to live their lives in a way that reflects who they truly are as people. They are born-again Christians!
Their daily walk affects the ambassador for Christ they are called to be, for they do not represent only themselves, BUT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
(The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 5: 15-17 NASB)
making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Each day, there are at least three prayers a child of God must utter—
- Ask God to help you use your time wisely.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to be a witness for Christ with those you will encounter.
- Ask the Lord to lead you, to keep your mind focused on Christ, wherever you go.
Father God can do so much with the moments of a Christian’s day, if the person allows for Him to be at work in his life. The Lord can accomplish so much in His Kingdom work, if the believer consciously makes space each day for the Lord to be at-work within his life.
A Christian’s moments, hours, days, weeks, months, years, and lifetime can be useful to God’s kingdom work—if you allow for it.
May you “Therefore be careful how you walk,”
May you not be sleepwalking, “not as unwise men but as wise,”
May you ”making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”
Truly, Satan desires two triumphs:
- Keeping the lost person—lost and away from the saving grace of Jesus. &
- Stifling the believer’s Christian witness—tempting them at every turn, running their lives, keeping them focused on busyness, and sleepwalking, believing they have plenty of time.
Christians will soon, someday soon, go home to heaven; that is the Hopeful Assurance God has promised. However, until such day, “do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
A believer’s time is not his, but God’s, so use time wisely, for His Glory.