Daily Devotional

Over the past days, I have been thinking about how fast time flies.  Have you ever found yourself saying, “Where has all the time gone?”  It seems like just yesterday that our girls were little children, and we were in the midst of all the responsibilities of parenting.  Now our girls are adults, married, and have families of their own.  It is hard to believe that we have grandchildren that are getting married.  Truly, where has all the time gone?

With this seeming acceleration of time, I realize the importance of using the hours of any given day to their fullest potential.  As the Scriptures tell us, life is short!  It is like a vapor that quickly passes away, or like the grass of the field that is green today but withers and dies tomorrow.  As a follower of Jesus Christ, I want the hours of my days to glorify Him.  I know that God wants me to be a good steward of my time.  I need to find a healthy balance in how I spend my time with Him, family, work, self, and service.  The world has its ideas of how I should spend my time.  Most of it involves a self-centered way of living.  I remember some of the commercials of yesteryear that told us, “You only go around once in life, so grab all the gusto you can!”  Or the Burger King commercial that told us to “Have it your way!”  I don’t think either of these reflect a lifestyle that Jesus would want me to live.  So how do I use my time in a way that would glorify God?

It all begins by using my time wisely under the Holy Spirit’s control.  Our days are filled with opportunities that entice us to invest our time and energy.  Each day the tyranny of the urgent cries out for every available moment.  Every day I make choices in how I will spend my time.  Each day is filled with only 24 hours, and I must make minute-by-minute decisions on how I will spend those moments.  There is a uniqueness about time.  It can only be spent once!  It can never be reclaimed.  It cannot be lived over.  Time is a precious commodity.  The use of my time is important to God.  As I wisely invest my time, I will find that God will use my life to make a difference in my church, family, personal relationships, and workplace.

To use my time to glorify God I also need to decide each day on how I will use my time.  I don’t have to have a spreadsheet that maps out how I will use every minute, but I do need to have a general plan on how I believe the Holy Spirit wants me to use my time as I start my day.  If I do not initiate a plan for my day, others will decide for me.  Others may have a great plan for my life that fits their agenda, but it may not be God’s plan.  In order for me to make the “most of my time,” I make plans but leave room for the Holy Spirit to redirect me at any moment in order to fulfill God’s will for my life.  God often brings interruptions into my daily plan that are wonderful opportunities to serve Him.  These opportunities often only come once, and this will allow me to make the “most of my time.”

Today time will go by quickly!  How are you using your time?  Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to direct you in the use of your time?  Are you seeing God at work in and through you for His glory each day?  Let us yield our time to God’s control.

Prayer:  Lord, it is so easy to idly watch time go by.  Help me to use my time wisely for Your glory.  I yield my life and my time to You!  Amen

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
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