There is one resource God has given every one of us that we can never get back. Money can be replaced. Stuff can be replaced. Jobs can be replaced. Even opportunities can sometimes come around again. Time is different. Once an hour is gone, it is gone. You can't buy it back, save it for later, or get a refund on it.

Despite this, we are incredibly careless with it. We will spend hours on end scrolling through our phones, watching things we won't remember next week, arguing with people we don't know, keeping up with people we don't know, or entertaining ourselves simply because we don't know what else to do. There is nothing wrong with rest or entertainment, but there is a difference between enjoying some downtime and wasting our lives one distraction at a time.

Paul tells us in Colossians 3 to set our minds on the things above, not merely on the things of this world. In other words, what we focus on matters because what we focus on eventually shapes us. If we spend our time constantly looking down at the things of this world, we can lose sight of the things that actually matter.

Listen, (or read intently I guess…) sometimes the things wasting our time aren't on a screen. Sometimes they're sitting across the table from us. There are relationships that constantly pull us away from God, drain our spiritual strength, stir up things in us that don't honor Christ, or keep us tied to a version of ourselves that God is trying to move us beyond. Not every relationship needs to be cut off, and Jesus certainly calls us to love people who are difficult. But there are times when wisdom says a relationship needs boundaries, distance, or even an ending. You cannot keep giving your time and energy to relationships that continually pull you away from where God is leading you.

The same can be true with our work. Work is good. God created us to work, to provide, to build, to create, and to contribute. However, a good thing can become a consuming thing. If your career gets your best energy, your family gets what's left, and God gets whatever time you can squeeze in, something is out of order. We have to be careful that we don't spend our entire lives building something that won't matter nearly as much as the people and purposes God has placed in front of us.

Think about how much of our lives gets spent on things that won't matter in eternity. Now think about the people God has placed around you. Think about your family, marriage, and your kids. Then think about your church, your calling, the people around you who need Jesus and the gifts God has given you. The opportunities sitting right in front of you. Those things deserve your attention.

This isn't about becoming some spiritual robot who never watches television, never plays a game, never enjoys a hobby, or never wastes a little time. We all need rest. We all need fun. The question is whether we are controlling our time, or our distractions are controlling us.

You only get so many days. You only get so many hours with your kids while they're little. You only get so many conversations with the people you love. You only get so many opportunities to serve, to encourage, to share Jesus, to make a difference, and once those moments pass, they are gone.

So today, take a hard look at where your time is going. What gets your best hours? Who gets your best energy? What relationships are building you up and what relationships are pulling you down? Is your work serving the life God has called you to live, or has your life become about serving your work? Are you giving your time to things that are worthy of your one life?

Set your mind above.

Don't let the temporary steal the time God has given you for the eternal. Your time is one of the greatest gifts you have, and it is the one gift you can never get back. Spend it like it matters… Because… church… it does.

Today’s Prayer

God of all, 

Today, help me recognize the value of the time You have given me. Show me where I am wasting it, what is distracting me, and what relationships or commitments are pulling me away from You. Give me wisdom to know what needs to change and courage to make those changes. Help me set my mind on the things that matter to You and invest my time in the people, purposes, and opportunities You have placed in my life. I don't want to waste the life You have given me. I want to use my time to love You, love people, and make a difference for Your Kingdom. 

In the strong name of Jesus, amen.