Time Tested: Honoring God with our time

“Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the future.” —Steve Miller. “Time keeps on ticking away.”—DC Talk. Nothing holds back the hands of time. As these quotes indicate, we are constantly being tested by time.

As I write this, I’m sitting on the front porch of a small log cabin in the foothills of the Sangre de Christos (Blood of Christ) mountain range just outside of Westcliffe, Colorado. As you can see from the picture to the right, my view is pretty stunning. I’m watching powerful lightning strikes and listening to the rolling thunder from a thunderstorm that is passing through the Wet Mountain Valley to our east. Hummingbirds are buzzing me, and a cool mountain breeze is whispering through the ponderosa pines.

Today’s batch of thunder boomers and deer sightings arrive at almost the exact same time as they did the previous six days. It is so peaceful and quiet that time seems to have stopped.

God has been on the move with his rejuvenating powers as Cynthia, Mattie, Will, and I have soaked up the beauty and grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. The best part of this two-week working vacation has been the times we’ve done nothing but sit and watch the hummingbirds or eat a picnic by a remote mountain stream, totally removed from the crushing demands of time that relentlessly pursue us in the city.

Time is a precious gift and commodity given to us by the Lord. While it’s customary in these pages for me to talk about the stewardship of our financial resources, the management of the gift of time is an equally important component to living a life of whole-life stewardship—a life fully devoted to Christ, in all areas. Whether we are fulfilling the obligations of daily life or literally doing nothing, we are called to honor God with our time. It sounds funny doesn’t it, but for us, taking the time to do nothing has been vitally important to our physical and spiritual health. We desperately needed some down time to recharge the batteries.

Ecclesiastes 3:17 teaches, “I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed." The way we use our time will have eternal consequences according to this passage of wisdom literature. How can we turn down the noise so that we can take hold of the moment? How do we find the time to address every activity and deed that needs addressing? We get a glimpse in the fourth chapter of Esther.

Esther was put into a challenging situation that involved making the most of her time for the Lord (it’s interesting that the distress in this passage was caused partially by money and greed, no? See Esther 4:7.) “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14)" I love the faith that Mordecai shows here. Even though all the Jews in the city are about to be wiped out, he’s certain that God will win out in the end. But he urges Esther to use the gifts she has (in this case, the position God had placed her in in the royal court) and the time available to her to try to make a difference.

The stakes were high. Esther and her people are hanging on by less than a thread, and she’s put in the ultimate catch 22. If she does nothing she will be killed with the rest of the Jews according to the king’s edict. And if she goes to the king to beg mercy, she’ll be killed because the law does not allow one to approach the king without being bidden.

So Esther makes a very wise decision. Despite the urgency of the situation, despite being short on time, she does not rush the process. The best way that she makes use of her time is she decides to stop and connect with God. The first thing she does in the face of conflict is she fasts and prays. For three days!

Then she musters her nerve and goes to see the king, despite the risk, in an effort to try to save her people. What tremendous courage and faith! But she also used her smarts. She knew the value of time and used it with astute precision. Once the king agreed to spare her by extending to her the golden scepter (a sign that he allowed her to approach the throne with no invitation), she coolly schemed how to seize the time she was given to save her kin.

Rather than blurt out her request, she won the king’s favor by doing the perfectly logical and wise thing. She offered a free dinner! You see, Esther knew the path to a man’s heart. It could easily be found by hitting the king right where he lived…in the stomach! After a couple of delicious banquets, just like a typical male, the king was ready to give Esther whatever she wanted, and she lovingly used the chance to request the deliverance of her people.

Now that’s a wise use of one’s time. Esther passed the test of using her time shrewdly for God. I hope I can have the sense to use my time as wisely and effectively as Esther—to pray, plan, and courageously love others—both when the heat is on and in better times. Esther gives us a great example of how to be a good steward of the time allotted to us.

Post script:

Speaking of heat! Well, the time in Colorado went slip, slip, slippin’ away. We are back home and the cool mountain breezes have been replaced by the scorching blasts of a Kansas-styled August heat wave. But the time in Westcliffe was worth it. The batteries are recharged, and I’m ready to keep fighting the good fight of helping folks find financial freedom. Looks like it’s time to get back to work!

Matt Schoenfeld is the Executive Director of the Abundant Living ministry. He is the author of Managing Your Money, Living Debt Free, Learning to Invest, Abundant Living: The five biblical principles for Financial Success, the Abundant Living series of workshops, and Hidden Treasures: the secrets of Abundant Living. Matt can be reached at: matt@abundantlivingministry.org or 877-434-8978.